Temporal accuracy and variability in the left and right posterior parietal cortex.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Science
• Psychology

Background:

• The posterior parietal cortex (PPC) is implicated in interval-timing tasks.
• PPC influences visuospatial mechanisms that affect temporal performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of the left and right PPC in timing abilities using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS).
• To modulate timing performance in healthy adults during a supra-second time reproduction task.

Main Methods:

• Two experiments applied anodal, cathodal, or sham tDCS over the left or right PPC in healthy adults.
• Participants performed a supra-second time reproduction task to assess time-processing abilities.

Main Results:

• Cathodal tDCS over the right PPC led to overestimation of time intervals, affecting temporal accuracy.
• Cathodal tDCS over the left PPC reduced the variability in reproducing temporal intervals.
• Anodal tDCS showed no significant effects on timing performance.

Conclusions:

• The parietal cortex in both hemispheres plays a distinct role in temporal processing.
• PPC influences both the accuracy and variability components of timing performance.