Temporal perturbations cause movement-context independent but modality specific sensorimotor adaptation

Abstract

Complex movements require the fine-tuned temporal interplay of several effectors. If the temporal properties of one of these effectors were distorted, all other movement plans would need to be updated in order to produce successful behavior. This requirement of a global motor time stands in direct contrast to the multiple duration-channels in visual time. We explored whether time-critical and goal-oriented movements are indeed globally affected by temporal recalibration. In a ready-set-go paradigm, participants reproduced the interval between ready- and set-signals by performing different movements in Virtual Reality (VR). Halfway through the experiments, movements in VR were artificially slowed down, so that participants had to adapt their behavior. In three experiments, we found that these adaptation effects were not affected by movement type, interval range, location, or environmental context. We conclude that the temporal planning of motor actions is recalibrated globally, suggesting the presence of a global temporal movement controller.