Exploring the role of the cerebellum in sensory anticipation and timing: Commentary on Tesche and Karhu

The past decade has witnessed a paradigm shift concerning the study of the cerebellum. Results from various studies employing a variety of methodologies suggest that the functional role of this structure is not limited to motor control. The article by Tesche and Karhu appearing in this issue, provides strong evidence that the cerebellum in humans is activated in anticipation of somatosensory events, even when these events do not require overt responses. In their study, the sensory response is observed when the stimuli fail to occur at expected points in time, consistent with the hypothesis that the cerebellum is specialized for representing the temporal relationships between events, motoric or otherwise. Timing and sensory expectancy likely reflect nested hypotheses, and it remains to be seen if one provides a more encompassing yet specific view of cerebellar function.