In cooperative research with Professor Tanji Jun (Brain Science Institute, Tamagawa University), the research group led by Professor Mushiake Hajime (Department of Physiology, Tohoku University School of Medicine) found that neurons in the medial motor areas, in particular the presupplementary motor area, participate in interval timing in the range of seconds. Monkeys were trained to perform an interval-generation task that required them to determine waiting periods of three different durations. Neuronal activity contributed to the process of retrieving time instructions from visual cues, signaled the initiation of action in a time-selective manner, and developed activity to represent the passage of time in a parametric manner. These results specify how medial motor areas take part in initiating action on the basis of self-generated time estimates. This finding suggested that the preSMA, with its wealth of inputs from the prefrontal and parietal cortex is also involved in the cognitive control of interval timing by decoding time. This research achievement was published in American Science Journal "nature neuroscience" on online version on 2 March, 2009.

Contact:

Professor Mushiake Hajime
Department of Physiology, Tohoku University School of Medicine
Phone: +81 22-717-8073
E-mail: hmushiak_AT_mail.tains.tohoku.ac.jp (Replace _AT_ to @)