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Neuronal correlates of visual time perception at brief timescales.

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Date
2013-01-22
Authors
Mayo, J Patrick
Sommer, Marc A
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Abstract
Successful interaction with the world depends on accurate perception of the timing of external events. Neurons at early stages of the primate visual system represent time-varying stimuli with high precision. However, it is unknown whether this temporal fidelity is maintained in the prefrontal cortex, where changes in neuronal activity generally correlate with changes in perception. One reason to suspect that it is not maintained is that humans experience surprisingly large fluctuations in the perception of time. To investigate the neuronal correlates of time perception, we recorded from neurons in the prefrontal cortex and midbrain of monkeys performing a temporal-discrimination task. Visual time intervals were presented at a timescale relevant to natural behavior (<500 ms). At this brief timescale, neuronal adaptation--time-dependent changes in the size of successive responses--occurs. We found that visual activity fluctuated with timing judgments in the prefrontal cortex but not in comparable midbrain areas. Surprisingly, only response strength, not timing, predicted task performance. Intervals perceived as longer were associated with larger visual responses and shorter intervals with smaller responses, matching the dynamics of adaptation. These results suggest that the magnitude of prefrontal activity may be read out to provide temporal information that contributes to judging the passage of time.
Type
Journal article
Subject
Adaptation, Physiological
Animals
Discrimination (Psychology)
Evoked Potentials, Visual
Humans
Macaca mulatta
Male
Mesencephalon
Neurons
Photic Stimulation
Prefrontal Cortex
Reaction Time
Saccades
Time Perception
Visual Perception
Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/10296
Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1073/pnas.1217177110
Publication Info
Mayo, J Patrick; & Sommer, Marc A (2013). Neuronal correlates of visual time perception at brief timescales. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 110(4). pp. 1506-1511. 10.1073/pnas.1217177110. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/10296.
This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Scholars@Duke

J. Patrick Mayo

Affiliate
Sommer

Marc A. Sommer

Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering
We study circuits for cognition. Using a combination of neurophysiology and biomedical engineering, we focus on the interaction between brain areas during visual perception, decision-making, and motor planning. Specific projects include the role of frontal cortex in metacognition, the role of cerebellar-frontal circuits in action timing, the neural basis of "good enough" decision-making (satisficing), and the neural mechanisms of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).
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