Neural mechanisms of timing

Abstract

A crucial step in timing research is to isolate clock components from other sources of temporal variability. Significant progress has been made both behaviorally and neurologically. More elaborate experimental designs have helped researchers separate timing mechanisms from motoric, sensory, and mnemonic processes. Marked similarities in the temporal characteristics of the clock in perception and production tasks implicate a common timing system. Similar conclusions can be reached from studies of patient populations: Individuals with neocerebellar damage are impaired at discriminating and reproducing short intervals. However, other patient populations, especially those with disorders affecting the basal ganglia, also exhibit deficits in timing tasks. Temporal computation may be distributed throughout the brain, but recent evidence suggests specific roles for different neural structures.