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Updated: Apr 19, 2026

Three Laboratory Procedures for Assessing Different Manifestations of Impulsivity in Rats

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Timing, Movement, and Reward Contributions to Prefrontal and Striatal Ramping Activity.

Alexandra Bova¹, Matthew A Weber¹, Mackenzie M Spicer¹

¹Department of Neurology, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242.

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience

|April 17, 2026

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Neural ramping activity in the prefrontal cortex and striatum is crucial for time estimation. This study shows ramping signals are primarily linked to cognitive time tracking, not just movement or reward anticipation.

Keywords:

interval timing movement prefrontal cortex ramping reward striatum

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Science
Computational Neuroscience

Background:

Neurons in the prefrontal cortex and striatum show time-dependent ramping activity.
The role of ramping activity in time estimation versus movement or reward anticipation is unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the contribution of time estimation, movement, and reward anticipation to prefrontal and striatal ramping activity.
To determine if ramping activity is a cognitive signal for time estimation.

Main Methods:

Tracking mouse movement velocity and task-specific movements during interval timing using DeepLabCut.
Comparing neuronal ensemble activity during interval timing and Pavlovian conditioning tasks.

Main Results:

Time was decoded more accurately by ramping neurons than movement-modulated neurons.
Ramping activity and temporal decoding were more prominent during interval timing than Pavlovian conditioning.
Movement and reward anticipation modulated neuronal activity but did not fully explain ramping.

Conclusions:

Ramping activity in prefrontal and striatal ensembles is a cognitive signal that primarily estimates time.
These findings offer insights into how neuronal ensembles multiplex information for temporal control of action.
Ramping activity plays an active role in time estimation, distinct from movement or reward cues.