Orienting attention in time

Temporal information is essential for effective perception and action in th e dynamic environment in which we exist. However, our ability to use inform ation about time intervals flexibly to direct attention to an expected poin t in time has until recently been unexplored. Here we report a series of be havioural, neuroimaging and electrophysiological experiments that investiga te and define the ability to orient attention in the temporal domain. These studies reveal that we are able to orient attention selectively to differe nt time intervals, enhancing behavioural performance. These effects are med iated by a left-hemisphere dominant frontal-parietal system, which partiall y overlaps with the networks involved in spatial orienting. The optimisatio n of behaviour by temporal orienting appears to be achieved via motor-relat ed mechanisms, in contrast to the typical perceptual enhancements produced by spatial attention. From a more general perspective, these findings illus trate the flexibility of attentional functions in the human brain.