Predicting the timing of motor sequences on the basis of spatial information is required for the precise execution of complex motor output, such as playing a musical instrument following the directions of a conductor. Spatio-temporal prediction, that is, the anticipation of perceptual events for the execution of the timed motor responses (motor timing) or per-ceptual judgments, can be achieved by the use of temporal information (e.g., the velocity of an object) and spatial information (e.g., the location of an object) during a task.
The investigators, led by dr Ysbrand van der Werf, adapted a finger movement task to tease apart different aspects of motor control including spatio-temporal prediction, finger coordination, and imagination of movements. They found that subjects display prediction and improved accuracy across trials and that the prediction-related contrast in the main effect analysis shows co-activation of hippocampus and cerebellar regions. Functional connectivity analyses reveal that the hippocampal activations significantly interact with specific cerebellar regions, only in the context of spatio-temporal prediction of fine motor skills.