Clocks within Clocks: Timing by Coincidence Detection.
Catalin V Buhusi1, Sorinel A Oprisan2, Mona Buhusi1
1Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, Dept. Psychology, Utah State University, Logan UT, USA.
Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences
|March 23, 2016
Summary
Timing models share a common mechanism: coincidence detection. This general principle explains biological timing across various scales and brain areas, unifying the field.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Computational Biology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Diverse models exist for tracking temporal information.
- Existing timing models utilize varied mechanisms.
- A unifying principle for timing mechanisms remains elusive.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine differences in existing timing models.
- To identify a common underlying mechanism across diverse timing models.
- To explore the implications of this common mechanism for biological timing.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of existing timing models.
- Theoretical examination of coincidence detection.
- Literature review of biological timing studies.
Main Results:
- Coincidence detection identified as a general, shared mechanism.
- This mechanism underlies biological circadian, millisecond, and interval timing.
- Neural noise's role at various timescales is explained.
Conclusions:
- Coincidence detection is a ubiquitous biological timing phenomenon.
- This principle explains timing across multiple brain areas.
- A unified view of timing is provided, enhancing theoretical cohesion.
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