How do we tell time?

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Science
• Psychophysics

Background:

• Animals perceive time across vast scales, from microseconds to days.
• The review specifically examines neural timing in the tens to hundreds of milliseconds range.
• This temporal scale is critical for speech discrimination, sensory processing, and fine motor control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review psychophysical and experimental data on timing mechanisms within the tens to hundreds of milliseconds range.
• To discuss proposed models of neural timing, including labeled-line and population clock models.
• To evaluate the suitability of different timing models for processing temporal cues in sensory and motor tasks.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing psychophysical data on interval discrimination.
• Analysis of experimental findings on generalization of timing-based training across modalities.
• Comparison of theoretical models: labeled-line versus population clocks.

Main Results:

• Psychophysical data suggest a centralized timing mechanism with separate networks for different intervals.
• Training on interval discrimination generalizes across sensory modalities but not across different intervals.
• Population clock models, relying on dynamic neural interactions, are more likely to explain timing in the tens to hundreds of milliseconds range.

Conclusions:

• Neural timing in the tens to hundreds of milliseconds range is crucial for complex cognitive and motor functions.
• Population clock models offer a more plausible framework for understanding neural timing at this scale compared to labeled-line models.
• Further research is needed to elucidate the precise mechanistic underpinnings of neural timing.