Contingent negative variation and accuracy of time estimation: a study on cats.
Slow cortical potential shifts, similar to the contingent negative variation (CNV) discovered in man, were analysed in cats submitted to a schedule of temporal conditioning. Two situations were compared, according to information delivered during a 7 sec delay: in the first (A), a fixed visual signal appeared on an oscilloscope screen; in the second (B), the signal moved across with time. In both cases, the cat had to press a lever 5-7 sec after signal onset. The CNV recorded during the delay had different amplitudes according to the cortical site involved. It could be dissociated into two components, which showed similar evolutions as a function of experimental conditions. The characteristics of the CNV as a whole varied with temporal parameters. CNV amplitude and time course were related to the accuracy of the cat's responses; prolonged training in unchanged experimental conditions led to a decline in negativity, which seemed to reflect automation of time estimation processes. These data suggest that CNV may be an index of a phase of information processing aimed at constituting internal time bases congruent with a particular situation.
D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D002415:Cats; D003265:Contingent Negative Variation / Q000502:physiology*; D004594:Electrophysiology; D011930:Reaction Time; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D013998:Time Perception / Q000502:physiology*