Neuronal correlates of visual time perception at brief timescales.
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 articleSubject
Adaptation, PhysiologicalAnimals
Discrimination (Psychology)
Evoked Potentials, Visual
Humans
Macaca mulatta
Male
Mesencephalon
Neurons
Photic Stimulation
Prefrontal Cortex
Reaction Time
Saccades
Time Perception
Visual Perception
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/10296Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1073/pnas.1217177110Publication 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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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
J. Patrick Mayo
Affiliate
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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