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Neurobiology of Interval Timing pp 155–165Cite as

The Olivo-Cerebellar System as a Neural Clock

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Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 829))

Abstract

The cerebellum, and the olivo-cerebellar system in particular, may be the central mechanism of a neural clock that provides a rhythmic neural signal used to time motor and cognitive processes. Several independent lines of evidence support this hypothesis. First, the resting membrane potential of neurons in the inferior olive oscillates at ~10 Hz and the neural input from the olive leads to rhythmic complex spikes in cerebellum Purkinje cells. Second, the repeating modular microstructure of the cerebellum is ideally suited for performing computations underlying a basic neural process such as timing. Third, damage to the cerebellum leads to deficits in the perception of time and in the production of timed movements. Fourth, functional imaging studies in human subjects have shown activation of the inferior olive specifically during time perception. However, additional data on the exact role of rhythmic cerebellar activity during basis motor and sensory processing will be necessary before the hypothesis that the cerebellum is a neural clock is more widely accepted.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota and Neurology Service, VA Medical Center, 6-145 Jackson, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA

    James Ashe

  2. Department of Neurology, University of Minnesota and Neurology Service, VA Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Khalaf Bushara

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  1. James Ashe
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  2. Khalaf Bushara
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Correspondence to James Ashe .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Campus Juriquilla, Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Queretaro, Querétaro, Mexico

    Hugo Merchant

  2. Campus Juriquilla, Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Queretaro, Querétaro, Mexico

    Victor de Lafuente

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Ashe, J., Bushara, K. (2014). The Olivo-Cerebellar System as a Neural Clock. In: Merchant, H., de Lafuente, V. (eds) Neurobiology of Interval Timing. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 829. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1782-2_9

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