ABSTRACT
The cortical ramp pattern is similar to functions that have been proposed to serve as the integration function of the clock signal, notably the linear signal of scalar expectancy theory and the logarithmic decay signal of the multiple timescales model. In contrast to an anatomically distinct interval timing system, which might be surmised from the generalized timing model, almost all of the information-processing components of striatal beat frequency lie within single striatal neurons. An evaluation of both the anatomical arrangement of the cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical circuit and the physiological data from behaving primates suggests that the distributed interval timing hypothesis is a more likely scenario for temporal modulation of behavioral and cognitive processes. The converse sequential-temporal interactions are also seen in models of sequence processing that rely on temporal information, and such an interaction is supported by evidence showing that disrupting the temporal relationship of sequential elements impairs sequence recognition.
