Abstract
A functional benefit of attention is to proactively enhance perceptual sensitivity in space and time. Although attentional orienting has traditionally been associated with cortico-thalamic networks, recent evidence has indicated that individuals with cerebellar degeneration (CD) show reduced reaction time benefit from temporal cues that entail an interval-based representation. While this deficit might merely reflect impairment in anticipatory motor preparation, it is also possible that the cerebellum contributes to the temporal modulation of perceptual sensitivity. To examine this, we tested CD participants on a non-speeded challenging perceptual discrimination task, asking if they benefit from temporal cues. Strikingly, the CD group showed no duration-specific perceptual sensitivity benefit when temporal orienting relied on isolated interval representation, while showing a comparable benefit to controls when the cues were defined by rhythmic sequences. This dissociation further specifies the functional domain of the cerebellum, establishing its role in the attentional adjustment of perceptual sensitivity in time.
Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.