The origins of time: a systematic review of the neural signatures of temporal prediction in infancy

From birth, individuals’ interpersonal dimension is underpinned by progressive learning of social interaction rules, their variations rooted in the temporal prediction of sensory events, and the inferences made about the organization of the social world. How this dimension is structured during infancy and articulated at the neural level is a critical question for cognitive and affective neurosciences. This systematic review aims to define the neural signatures of temporal prediction in newborns and infants and to discuss them in the context of the development of proximal cognitive and affective neural functions. Eight peer-reviewed studies were included, with 228 infants from birth to 9 months of age. Studies have evidenced that neural signatures of temporal prediction in infants present a broad cerebral localization, including the anterior and medial parts of the brain, especially in the frontal and central areas. Temporal prediction mechanisms emerge well before birth and evolve from early sensory-driven responses to complex top-down processing within the first year, shaped by both innate and experience-dependent factors, with influences like wakefulness and musical exposure that modulate neural integration across sensory and higher-order brain regions.