Can the brain "predict" the future?

Scientists at the University of California at Berkeley (USA) have discovered that the brain uses two "clocks" to make temporal predictions that are found in different parts of this organ.

This study suggests that "there are two ways" by which these brain systems "not only allow us to exist", but also "actively anticipate the future," explained the specialist who led this research, Assaf Breska Science Daily Portal.

Thus, one of these internal mechanisms is based on the experiences of the past and is connected to the cerebellum, while the other depends on the rhythm and is connected to the basal ganglia.

The rhythm-based system "is sensitive to periodic events, such as what is innate to speech and music". On the other hand, "the interval system provides a more general anticipation capability, sensitive to temporal regularities even in the absence of a rhythmic signal".

An example of the first situation would be to move the body before the first note of the expected music, while the second would be illustrated by depressing the accelerator pedal a fraction of a second before the light change. .

These results would challenge the idea that a single brain system meets all of our temporal needs and suggest that if one of these "neural clocks" fails, the other could do its job.

Source: RT.com