Researchers at the University of Utah have uncovered a specific set of cells in the brain, known as ‘time cells,’ which are crucial for learning complex behaviors that rely on precise timing. This discovery could eventually aid in detecting neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s that affect time perception.
The study, published in the journal Current Biology, highlights the role of these time cells located in the medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) of the medial temporal lobe (MTL). These cells act like an internal metronome, firing at specific moments during tasks to help encode the timing and sequence of events, forming a timeline of experiences.
The researchers found that these time cells have the ability to re-map themselves to different temporal contexts, similar to how spatial cells adjust to various spatial environments. This adaptability supports learning and performing tasks that require timing.
In experiments with mice, the team observed that time cell activity patterns became more complex as the mice learned to distinguish between odor stimuli with variable timing to receive rewards. When the mice made mistakes, their time cells fired in the wrong order, indicating that accurate timing was disrupted.
Further, when the researchers chemically blocked the MEC, preventing the time cells from functioning, the mice struggled to learn new time-based tasks, although they could still perceive and predict event timing.
Study first author Erin Bigus says “Time cells play a more complicated role than merely tracking time, MEC’s role seems to be in actually learning these more complex temporal relationships.”
This research could have significant implications for understanding conditions where time perception is altered, such as Alzheimer’s disease, ADHD, and autism. The team is particularly interested in exploring complex timing behavior tasks as potential early indicators of Alzheimer’s.
The study also suggests that other regions in the MTL, like the hippocampus and lateral entorhinal cortex, may also encode time, pointing to future research directions to test their roles.
This breakthrough enhances our understanding of how the brain processes time, potentially leading to new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for neurological conditions affecting time perception.
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