Topic: integrator dynamics

Flexible control of motor timing is crucial for behavior. Before volitional movement begins, frontal cortex and striatum exhibit ramping spiking activity, with variable ramp slopes anticipating movement onsets. This activity in the cortico-basal ganglia loop may function as an adjustable ‘timer’, triggering actions at the desired timing. However, because the frontal cortex and striatum share similar ramping dynamics and are both necessary for timing behaviors, distinguishing their individual roles in this timer function remains challenging. To address this fundamental gap, we introduced two-re