Name:Ana Luísa, Pinho

School/Affiliation:Western University, London Ontario, Canada

Co-Authors:Velda Addo, Verena Rafael, Katsiaryna Buchko, Jessica Grahn, Jörn Diedrichsen

Virtual or In-person:In-person

Abstract:

Abstract:
In this study, we examine the neural correlates and behaviour phenotype underlying the cognitive ability in humans to form temporal predictions during periodic and aperiodic stream of events. Neuropsychological and imaging studies have provided causal evidence for the existence of two distinct neurocognitive mechanisms involved in the mediation of beat- and single-based  predictions with direct contributions from the basal ganglia and the cerebellum, respectively [1,2,3]. Yet, to date, little is still known about functional segregation and integration modulated by timing production and perception across these networks, and to what extent sensory inputs from the cortex can alter them. To this end, we developed six tasks probing beat- and interval-based sequences of events, varying in the type of timing output (motor production, perception and non-temporal feature discrimination) and sensory domains (auditory and visual). Preliminary behavioural results on 39 participants (5 sessions each) show overall a likely benefit in performance for the beat conditions when compared to the interval conditions, particularly for the auditory tasks involving motor production of the temporal prediction. They thus suggest that a putative selective contribution from basal ganglia might come into play during beat-based sequences. Neuroimaging results from functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging data acquired on 31 participants (2 sessions each), show bilateral representations of the putamen and the cerebellum during the encoding of temporal sequences. Importantly, these representations remain present in the putamen when contrasting the encoding of beat versus interval, and in the cerebellum when contrasting the interval versus beat. In agreement with our main hypothesis, imaging contrast maps indicate a recruitment of the basal ganglia during beat-based sequences, together with the behavioral results, and the involvement of the cerebellum during interval-based sequences. Upcoming region-of-interest analyses are intended to provide more insights about the functional specificity of these two mechanisms.

References:
[1] Breska, A. & Ivry, R. B. (2018) Double dissociation of single-interval and rhythmic temporal prediction in cerebellar degeneration and Parkinson’s disease, Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 115(48), 12283-12288. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1810596115
[2] Teki, S. et al. (2012) A unified model of time perception accounts for duration-based and beat-based timing mechanisms. Front Integr Neurosci. 5-90. doi: 10.3389/fnint.2011.00090
[3] Teki, S. et al. (2011) Distinct Neural Substrates of Duration-Based and Beat-Based Auditory Timing. J Neurosc. 31(10):3805-12. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5561-10.2011