Is the Cerebellum Involved in Motor and Perceptual Timing: A Case Study.
Abstract
A model and a technique developed by Wing and Kristofferson (1973) decomposes variance of timing into that putatively due to a central timekeeper (a clock) and that due to implementation of movement through the motor system. A patient with unilateral cerebellar damage, when attempting to tap out a regular series of intervals, showed a large increase in timing variability for the left hand compared to the right hand at target intervals of 550 msec. Application of the model suggested the increased variability was in the clock. Moreover, the patient appeared to have greater than normal difficulty in discriminating the durations of auditorially based time intervals. Earlier work (Wing, Keele, and Margolin, 1984) had suggested that basal ganglia damage in a Parkinson's patient also manifested itself as a clock disorder. The suggestion that clock variability arises from two different sources leads us to speculate that the brain's clock involves a circuit between several brain systems. These speculations are quite tentative because of interpretive problems with some of the data. Originator supplied keywords include: timing, motor timing, timing disorders, central clock, cerebellar timing.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 15, 1985
- Accession Number
- ADA157452
Entities
People
- D. L. Manchester
- R. D. Rafal
- S. W. Keele
Organizations
- University of Oregon