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Ramping activity is a cortical mechanism of temporal control of action
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Ramping activity is a cortical mechanism of temporal control of action

Nandakumar S Narayanan
Current opinion in behavioral sciences, Vol.8, pp.226-230
04/2016
DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2016.02.017
PMCID: PMC4860273
PMID: 27171843
url
http://doi.org/10.1016/j.cobeha.2016.02.017View
Open Access

Abstract

•Timing involves frontal areas of the cerebral cortex.•Neurons in the frontal cortex ramp, or increase or decrease activity during temporal intervals.•These neurons are necessary and may be sufficient for temporal control of action.•These insights may be relevant for diseases with impaired timing. A fundamental feature of the mammalian cortex is to guide movements in time. One common pattern of neural activity observed across cortical regions during temporal control of action is ramping activity. Ramping activity can be defined as consistent increases or decreases in neuronal firing rate across behaviorally relevant epochs of time. Prefrontal brain regions, including medial frontal and lateral prefrontal cortex, are critical for temporal control of action. Ramping is among the most common pattern of neural activity in these prefrontal areas during behavioral tasks. Finally, stimulating prefrontal neurons in medial frontal cortex can influence the timing of movement. These data can be helpful in approaching human diseases with impaired temporal of action, such as Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia. Cortical ramping activity might contribute to new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for these and other debilitating human diseases.

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