MECHANISMS OF TIMING AND TEMPORAL COUPLING

拟议研究的指导原则是， 行为依赖于专业化的综合运作， 神经结构 这一领域的初步工作集中在假设 小脑是一个内部计时系统 更 最近的心理学和神经学证据表明， 组件，如空间规划（皮层处理）和 时间耦合（未知皮质下位点）。 拟议 实验提供了一个程序检查的过程 涉及到时间和时间的耦合。 具体目标是 第一组研究将进一步扩展我们的知识， 使用一种新的方法来划分可变性 与定时机制和独立于 这样的机制。 第二组研究侧重于时间 耦合，探索多计时器模型，其中小脑 假设构成一个多个基于区间的 定时机制，而不是一个单一的内部时钟或振荡器。 这个模型的一个关键思想是，虽然时间反映了一个普遍存在的 小脑功能的特性，小脑内部的确切电路， 小脑会因任务而异。 由此推论 假设是独立的电路可以提供时间 执行多效应器移动时所需的表示 或判断两个感知信号。 这个假设可能 最近的神经影像学研究表明， 小脑在非运动任务中的作用。 据推测，小脑 在许多这些研究中的激活可能反映了制备（所述 定时）多个响应。 本提案的第三个目标是 在两个神经影像学研究中探索这个想法。 全体确能 拟议的研究应提供重要的见解， 协调行为的心理和神经机制。 这 功能分析是理解功能的关键 中枢神经系统皮质和皮质下结构之间的关系 神经系统

A guiding principle of the proposed research is that coordinated behavior is dependent on the integrated operation of specialized neural structures. Initial work in this area focused on the hypothesis that the cerebellum operates as an internal timing system. More recent psychological and neurological evidence has identified other components such as spatia planning (cortical processing) and temporal coupling (unknown subcortical locus). The proposed experiments provide a programmatic examination of the processes involved in timing and temporal coupling. The specific goals are threefold: The first set of studies will further extend our knowledge of human timing using a new method for partitioning variability related to a timing mechanism and variability that is independent of such a mechanism. The second set of studies focus on temporal coupling, exploring a multiple timer model in which the cerebellum is hypothesized to constitute an array of multiple interval-based timing mechanisms, rather thana single internal clock or oscillator. A key idea in this model is that, while timing reflects a ubiquitous property of cerebellar function, the exact circuits within the cerebellum will vary from task to task. A corollary of this hypothesis is that independent circuits may provide the temporal representations required when performing multi-effector movements or judging two perceptual signals. This hypothesis may have important implications for recent neuroimaging work suggesting a cerebellar role in non-motor tasks. It is hypothesized that cerebellar activation in many of these studies may reflect the preparation of (the timing for) multiple responses. The third goal of this proposal is to explore this idea in two neuroimaging studies. As a whole, the proposed studies should provide important insights into the psychological and neural mechanisms of coordinated behavior. This functional analysis is essential for understanding the functional relationship between cortical and subcortical structures of the central nervous system.