Article,
The neural representation of time.
Current opinion in neurobiology, 14 (2): 225--232 (April 2004)
Abstract
This review summarizes recent investigations of temporal processing.
We focus on motor and perceptual tasks in which crucial events span
hundreds of milliseconds. One key question concerns whether the representation
of temporal information is dependent on a specialized system, distributed
across a network of neural regions, or computed in a local task-dependent
manner. Consistent with the specialized system framework, the cerebellum
is associated with various tasks that require precise timing. Computational
models of timing mechanisms within the cerebellar cortex are beginning
to motivate physiological studies. Emphasis has also been placed
on the basal ganglia as a specialized timing system, particularly
for longer intervals. We outline an alternative hypothesis in which
this structure is associated with decision processes.
