Frequency tuning for temporal perception and prediction

•Oscillations have emerged again recently as a candidate timing mechanism.•No single frequency band appears to dominate temporal processing.•Time perception may rely on different frequencies for different contexts.•Causal methods are needed to disentangle the involvement of oscillatory mechanisms.

The perception of time and prediction of upcoming events requires coordination between a diverse set of neural regions. Neural oscillations have emerged as a candidate mechanism for neural timing; however, no single frequency has yet emerged as dominant for timing and action. We suggest that different frequency bands may be associated with different neural networks that are context-dependent, such that they are only invoked when a particular task context is encountered. To determine the connection between observed oscillations and these neural networks, causal methods are necessary to disrupt oscillatory activity and measure resultant changes in neural network activity.