Time
time representation
A premotor amodal clock for rhythmic tapping
We recorded and analyzed the population activity of hundreds of neurons in the medial premotor areas (MPC) of rhesus monkeys performing an isochronous tapping task guided by brief flashing stimuli or auditory tones. The animals showed a strong bias towards visual metronomes, with rhythmic tapping that was more precise and accurate than for auditory metronomes. The population dynamics in state space as well as the corresponding neural sequences shared the following properties across modalities: the circular dynamics of the neural trajectories and the neural sequences formed a regenerating loop for every produced interval, producing a relative time representation; the trajectories converged in similar state space at tapping times while the moving bumps restart at this point, resetting the beat-based clock; the tempo of the synchronized tapping was encoded by a combination of amplitude modulation and temporal scaling in the neural trajectories. In addition, the modality induced a displacement in the neural trajectories in auditory and visual subspaces without greatly altering time keeping mechanism. These results suggest that the interaction between the amodal internal representation of pulse within MPC and a modality specific external input generates a neural rhythmic clock whose dynamics define the temporal execution of tapping using auditory and visual metronomes.
Space for Thinking - Spatial Reference Frames and Abstract Concepts
People from cultures around the world tend to borrow from the domain of space to represent abstract concepts. For example, in the domain on time, we use spatial metaphors (e.g., describing the future as being in front and the past behind), accompany our speech with spatial gestures (e.g., gesturing to the left to refer to a past event), and use external tools that project time onto a spatial reference frame (e.g., calendars). Importantly, these associations are also present in the way we think and reason about time, suggesting that space and time are also linked in the mind. In this talk, I will explore the developmental origins and functional implications of these types of cross-dimensional associations. To start, I will discuss the roles that language and culture play in shaping how children in the US and India represent time. Next, I will use word learning and memory as test cases for exploring why cross-dimensional associations may be cognitively advantageous. Finally, I will talk about future directions and the practical implications for this line of work, with a focus on how encouraging spatial representations of abstract concepts could improve learning outcomes.
Effect of psychotomimetic dizocilpine on coordination of place and time representations in rats
FENS Forum 2024