Scientists have discovered how the brain "sees" the future a split second before events occur

Each of us is constantly predicting what will happen in the next second. A boxer dodges a punch, a musician precisely picks up a note, a driver reacts in advance to a traffic light change. But how exactly does the brain know what's about to happen?

Scientists from the Max Planck Institute and Goethe University in Frankfurt have explained this mechanism in detail for the first time. It turns out that our brain uses special rhythms to predict the exact moment of future events. These rhythms look like brainwave oscillations with a certain frequency.

Details: Matthias Grabenhorst et al, Neural signatures of temporal anticipation in human cortex represent event probability density, Nature Communications (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-57813-7

The study found that brainwaves in the alpha (7-12 Hz) and beta (15-30 Hz) bands are directly related to how accurately we predict upcoming events. The more predictable the event, the stronger the activity of these waves, and the faster and more accurately we react to what is happening.

We have found that the brain encodes the probability of a future event in these rhythms in advance. This allows him to instantly prepare and act faster, - explained the head of the study Matthias Grabenhorst.

For the study, scientists used magnetic encephalography (MEG) - a method that helps to see brain activity in real time. This way, they were able to identify three main areas that help us predict events:

• Posterior parietal cortex - responsible for the sense of time and preparing for movement.

• Middle temporal gyrus - important for processing information about the sequence of events.

• Sensomotor cortex - directly controls body movements in response to an anticipated event.

These findings could have a significant impact on our understanding of how we make decisions and focus attention. They may also help athletes improve performance by learning to anticipate their opponent's actions more effectively.

In addition, understanding the brain's predictive mechanisms could help study disorders in which time perception and reaction times are affected - such as Parkinson's disease or ADHD.

We now know how the brain controls our sense of time and predicts upcoming events. Perhaps in the future this knowledge will help to train the brain to better anticipate situations and even explain the causes of some diseases, - added co-author of the study Georgios Michalareas.

The scientists intend to continue the research to further understand how the brain interacts with time and to find out whether it is possible to improve the ability to predict events in advance.