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Science (New York, N.Y.) Oct 2017Nothing is more intuitive, yet more complex, than the concepts of space and time. In contrast to spacetime in physics, space and time in neuroscience remain separate... (Review)
Review
Nothing is more intuitive, yet more complex, than the concepts of space and time. In contrast to spacetime in physics, space and time in neuroscience remain separate coordinates to which we attach our observations. Investigators of navigation and memory relate neuronal activity to position, distance, time point, and duration and compare these parameters to units of measuring instruments. Although spatial-temporal sequences of brain activity often correlate with distance and duration measures, these correlations may not correspond to neuronal representations of space or time. Neither instruments nor brains sense space or time. Neuronal activity can be described as a succession of events without resorting to the concepts of space or time. Instead of searching for brain representations of our preconceived ideas, we suggest investigating how brain mechanisms give rise to inferential, model-building explanations.
Topics: Animals; Brain; Humans; Memory, Episodic; Neurons; Rats; Space Perception; Spatial Navigation; Time Perception
PubMed: 29074768
DOI: 10.1126/science.aan8869 -
PsyCh Journal Mar 2019Mindfulness meditation and hypnosis are related in opposing ways to awareness of intentions. The cold control theory of hypnosis proposes that hypnotic responding... (Review)
Review
Mindfulness meditation and hypnosis are related in opposing ways to awareness of intentions. The cold control theory of hypnosis proposes that hypnotic responding involves the experience of involuntariness while performing an actually intentional action. Hypnosis therefore relies upon inaccurate metacognition about intentional actions and experiences. Mindfulness meditation centrally involves awareness of intentions and is associated with improved metacognitive access to intentions. Therefore, mindfulness meditators and highly hypnotizable people may lie at opposite ends of a spectrum with regard to metacognitive access to intention-related information. Here we review the theoretical background and evidence for differences in the metacognition of intentions in these groups, as revealed by chronometric measures of the awareness of voluntary action: the timing of an intention to move (Libet's "W" judgments) and the compressed perception of time between an intentional action and its outcome ("intentional binding"). We review these measures and critically evaluate their proposed connection to the experience of volition and sense of agency.
Topics: Humans; Hypnosis; Intention; Meditation; Metacognition; Mindfulness; Time Perception
PubMed: 30912626
DOI: 10.1002/pchj.276 -
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Jul 2009The present manuscript discusses the time-emotion paradox in time psychology: although humans are able to accurately estimate time as if they possess a specific... (Review)
Review
The present manuscript discusses the time-emotion paradox in time psychology: although humans are able to accurately estimate time as if they possess a specific mechanism that allows them to measure time (i.e. an internal clock), their representations of time are easily distorted by the context. Indeed, our sense of time depends on intrinsic context, such as the emotional state, and on extrinsic context, such as the rhythm of others' activity. Existing studies on the relationships between emotion and time suggest that these contextual variations in subjective time do not result from the incorrect functioning of the internal clock but rather from the excellent ability of the internal clock to adapt to events in one's environment. Finally, the fact that we live and move in time and that everything, every act, takes more or less time has often been neglected. Thus, there is no unique, homogeneous time but instead multiple experiences of time. Our subjective temporal distortions directly reflect the way our brain and body adapt to these multiple time scales.
Topics: Biological Clocks; Brain; Emotions; Humans; Time Perception
PubMed: 19487196
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2009.0013 -
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews May 2016Like other senses, our perception of time is not veridical, but rather, is modulated by changes in environmental context. Anecdotal experiences suggest that emotions can... (Review)
Review
Like other senses, our perception of time is not veridical, but rather, is modulated by changes in environmental context. Anecdotal experiences suggest that emotions can be powerful modulators of time perception; nevertheless, the functional and neural mechanisms underlying emotion-induced temporal distortions remain unclear. Widely accepted pacemaker-accumulator models of time perception suggest that changes in arousal and attention have unique influences on temporal judgments and contribute to emotional distortions of time perception. However, such models conflict with current views of arousal and attention suggesting that current models of time perception do not adequately explain the variability in emotion-induced temporal distortions. Instead, findings provide support for a new perspective of emotion-induced temporal distortions that emphasizes both the unique and interactive influences of arousal and attention on time perception over time. Using this framework, we discuss plausible functional and neural mechanisms of emotion-induced temporal distortions and how these temporal distortions may have important implications for our understanding of how emotions modulate our perceptual experiences in service of adaptive responding to biologically relevant stimuli.
Topics: Animals; Brain; Emotions; Humans; Time Perception
PubMed: 26972824
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.03.003 -
Psychopharmacology Oct 2018Impairment in time perception, a critical component of decision-making, represents a risk factor for psychiatric conditions including substance abuse. A therapeutic that... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
RATIONALE
Impairment in time perception, a critical component of decision-making, represents a risk factor for psychiatric conditions including substance abuse. A therapeutic that ameliorates this impairment could be advantageous in the treatment of impulsivity and decision-making disorders.
OBJECTIVES
Here we hypothesize that the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitor tolcapone, which increases dopamine tone in frontal cortex (Ceravolo et al Synapse 43:201-207, 2002), improves time perception, with predictive behavioral, genetic, and neurobiological components.
METHODS
Subjects (n = 66) completed a duration estimation task and other behavioral testing in each of two sessions after receiving a single oral dose of tolcapone (200 mg) or placebo in randomized, double-blind, counterbalanced, crossover fashion. Resting state fMRI data were obtained in a subset of subjects (n = 40). Subjects were also genotyped for the COMT (rs4680) polymorphism.
RESULTS
Time perception was significantly improved across four proximal time points ranging from 5 to 60 s (T(524) = 2.04, p = 0.042). The degree of this improvement positively correlated with subjective measures of stress, depression, and alcohol consumption and was most robust in carriers of the COMT Val158 allele. Using seed regions defined by a previous meta-analysis (Wiener et al Neuroimage 49:1728-1740, 2010), we found not only that a connection from right inferior frontal gyrus (RIFG) to right putamen decreases in strength on tolcapone versus placebo (p < 0.05, corrected), but also that the strength of this decrease correlates inversely with the increase in duration estimation on tolcapone versus placebo (r = - 0.37, p = 0.02).
CONCLUSIONS
Compressed time perception can be ameliorated by administration of tolcapone. Additional studies should be conducted to determine whether COMT inhibitors may be effective in treating decision-making disorders and addictive behaviors.
Topics: Adult; Catechol O-Methyltransferase; Catechol O-Methyltransferase Inhibitors; Cross-Over Studies; Dopamine; Double-Blind Method; Female; Forecasting; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Prefrontal Cortex; Time Perception; Tolcapone; Young Adult
PubMed: 30027496
DOI: 10.1007/s00213-018-4971-z -
Neuron Aug 2017The hippocampus is famous for mapping locations in spatially organized environments, and several recent studies have shown that hippocampal networks also map moments in... (Review)
Review
The hippocampus is famous for mapping locations in spatially organized environments, and several recent studies have shown that hippocampal networks also map moments in temporally organized experiences. Here I consider how space and time are integrated in the representation of memories. The brain pathways for spatial and temporal cognition involve overlapping and interacting systems that converge on the hippocampal region. There is evidence that spatial and temporal aspects of memory are processed somewhat differently in the circuitry of hippocampal subregions but become fully integrated within CA1 neuronal networks as independent, multiplexed representations of space and time. Hippocampal networks also map memories across a broad range of abstract relations among events, suggesting that the findings on spatial and temporal organization reflect a generalized mechanism for organizing memories.
Topics: Animals; Hippocampus; Humans; Memory; Neural Pathways; Space Perception; Time Perception
PubMed: 28858612
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2017.06.036 -
Brain Research Sep 2015It has been hypothesized that one of the functions of the hippocampus is to enable the learning of relationships between different stimuli experienced in the... (Review)
Review
It has been hypothesized that one of the functions of the hippocampus is to enable the learning of relationships between different stimuli experienced in the environment. These relationships might be spatial ("the bathroom is about 5m down the hall from the bedroom") or temporal ("the coffee is ready about 3 min after the button was pressed"). Critically, these spatial and temporal relationships may exist on a variety of scales from a few hundred milliseconds up to minutes. In order to learn consistent relationships between stimuli separated by a variety of spatial and temporal scales using synaptic plasticity that has a fixed temporal window extending at most a few hundred milliseconds, information about the spatial and temporal relationships of distant stimuli must be available to the hippocampus in the present. Hippocampal place cells and time cells seem well suited to represent the spatial and temporal locations of distant stimuli in order to support learning of these relationships. We review a recent computational hypothesis that can be used to construct both spatial and temporal relationships. We suggest that there is a deep computational connection between spatial and temporal coding in the hippocampus and that both serve the overarching function of learning relationships between stimuli-constructing a "memory space." This article is part of a Special Issue entitled SI: Brain and Memory.
Topics: Animals; Hippocampus; Humans; Models, Neurological; Neurons; Spatial Memory; Time Perception
PubMed: 25449892
DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2014.10.069 -
The Journal of Neuroscience : the... Feb 2021The ability to perceive and produce movements in the real world with precise timing is critical for survival in animals, including humans. However, research on... (Review)
Review
The ability to perceive and produce movements in the real world with precise timing is critical for survival in animals, including humans. However, research on sensorimotor timing has rarely considered the tight interrelation between perception, action, and cognition. In this review, we present new evidence from behavioral, computational, and neural studies in humans and nonhuman primates, suggesting a pivotal link between sensorimotor control and temporal processing, as well as describing new theoretical frameworks regarding timing in perception and action. We first discuss the link between movement coordination and interval-based timing by addressing how motor training develops accurate spatiotemporal patterns in behavior and influences the perception of temporal intervals. We then discuss how motor expertise results from establishing task-relevant neural manifolds in sensorimotor cortical areas and how the geometry and dynamics of these manifolds help reduce timing variability. We also highlight how neural dynamics in sensorimotor areas are involved in beat-based timing. These lines of research aim to extend our understanding of how timing arises from and contributes to perceptual-motor behaviors in complex environments to seamlessly interact with other cognitive processes.
Topics: Animals; Cognition; Humans; Learning; Psychomotor Performance; Sensorimotor Cortex; Time Perception
PubMed: 33380468
DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1652-20.2020 -
Autism Research : Official Journal of... Oct 2019Problems with timing and time perception have been suggested as key characteristics of autism spectrum condition (ASC). Studies and personal accounts from clinicians,...
Problems with timing and time perception have been suggested as key characteristics of autism spectrum condition (ASC). Studies and personal accounts from clinicians, parents, caregivers, and self-reports from autistic people themselves often refer to problems with time. Although a number of empirical studies have examined aspects relating to time in autistic individuals, there remains no clear consensus on whether or how timing mechanisms may be affected in autism. A key reason for this lack of clarity is the wide range of timing processes that exist and subsequently the wide range of methodologies, research paradigms, and samples that time-based studies have used with autism populations. In order to summarize and organize the available literature on this issue, a systematic review was conducted. Five electronic databases were consulted. From an initial 597 records (after duplicates were removed), 45 papers were selected and reviewed. The studies are reviewed within different sections based on the different types of timing ability that have been explored in the neurotypical (NT) population: time sensitivity, interval timing, and higher-order time perception. Within each section cognitive models, methodologies, possible clinical implications, and research results are discussed. The results show different consistency across studies between the three types of timing ability. The highest consistency of results showing atypical time perception abilities is found in high-level time perception studies. It remains unclear if autism is characterized by a fundamental time perception impairment. Suggestions for future research are discussed. Autism Res 2019, 12: 1440-1462. © 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: This systematic review examines the different types of timing and time perception behavior that have been investigated in autism. Overall, there are a number of studies that show differences between autistic and non-autistic individuals, but some studies do not find such differences. Group differences are more consistent across studies using complex tasks rather than simpler more fundamental timing tasks. We suggest that experiments across a range of timing tasks would be fruitful to address gaps in our knowledge.
Topics: Adolescent; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Female; Humans; Male; Time Perception
PubMed: 31336032
DOI: 10.1002/aur.2170 -
Developmental Medicine and Child... Feb 2017
Topics: Disabled Persons; Humans; Time Perception
PubMed: 28044320
DOI: 10.1111/dmcn.13334