Citation

Merchant H, Harrington DL, Meck WH. Annu. Rev. Neurosci. 2013; 36: 313-336.

Affiliation

Instituto de Neurobiología, UNAM, Campus Juriquilla, México; email: hugomerchant@unam.mx.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Annual Reviews)

DOI

10.1146/annurev-neuro-062012-170349

PMID

23725000

Abstract

Understanding how sensory and motor processes are temporally integrated to control behavior in the hundredths of milliseconds-to-minutes range is a fascinating problem given that the basic electrophysiological properties of neurons operate on a millisecond timescale. Single-unit recording studies in monkeys have identified localized timing circuits, whereas neuropsychological studies of humans who have damage to the basal ganglia have indicated that core structures, such as the corticothalamic-basal ganglia circuit, play an important role in timing and time perception. Taken together, these data suggest that a core timing mechanism interacts with context-dependent areas. This idea of a temporal hub with a distributed network is used to investigate the abstract properties of interval tuning as well as temporal illusions and intersensory timing. We conclude by proposing that the interconnections built into this core timing mechanism are designed to provide a form of degeneracy as protection against injury, disease, or age-related decline. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Neuroscience Volume 36 is July 08, 2013. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/catalog/pubdates.aspx for revised estimates.

Language: en