Electrophysiological correlates of temporal preparation across different temporal contexts and variable foreperiods

Temporal prediction refers to the conscious perception of the passage of time and the ability to predict when a stimulus will occur. It has been found that different types of temporal predictions and varying foreperiods could impact motor performance. However, there is a lack of discussion on the underlying neural mechanism of temporal prediction. Therefore, in the current study, externally and internally driven temporal predictions, combined with variable foreperiods, were examined to explore the neural mechanism of the effects of temporal cues on motor performance. The results showed that reaction times were significantly faster in the temporal cue condition compared to the neutral cue condition with a foreperiod of 500 ms. Additionally, the amplitude of CNV (contingent negative variation) was greater in the temporal cue condition. These results indicate that motor performance could benefit from the external temporal information with a relatively short preparation time. CNV could reflect movement preparation and anticipatory attention to the target stimulus.