Showing papers on "Time perception published in 2010"

Timing and time perception: A review of recent behavioral and neuroscience findings and theoretical directions

Abstract: The aim of the present review article is to guide the reader through portions of the human time perception, or temporal processing, literature. After distinguishing the main contemporary issues related to time perception, the article focuses on the main findings and explanations that are available in the literature on explicit judgments about temporal intervals. The review emphasizes studies that are concerned with the processing of intervals lasting a few milliseconds to several seconds and covers studies issuing from either a behavioral or a neuroscience approach. It also discusses the question of whether there is an internal clock (pacemaker counter or oscillator device) that is dedicated to temporal processing and reports the main hypotheses regarding the involvement of biological structures in time perception.

TUTORIAL REVIEW Timing and time perception: A review of recent behavioral and neuroscience findings and theoretical directions

Abstract: Suppose someone had to prepare a review article on visual perception, instead of time perception. This individual would probably ask for a series of reviews, with at least one—and probably several—dedicated to color, distance, shape, and motion perception, and maybe to other aspects of visual perception. It would be very difficult to complete the same exercise for time perception since the categories of temporal experiences are not as clearly defined. However, for a reader to understand the scope of a text on time perception, it is essential to develop a representation of what the main research avenues or categories are. The present text should help the reader to grasp the scope of recent literature related to psychological time and time perception. After a brief overview of the various perspectives on what could be meant by psychological time, the review will propose to identify of series of key concepts and empirical findings that should delineate the field of time perception and timing, and will discuss some models of time perception. The article also provides a review of the main recent findings in the field in which a neuroscientific approach to timing is adopted. In this section, the roles of the cerebellum, of the cerebral cortices, and of the basal ganglia in the timing processes are emphasized. Time Perception Beyond the Focus of the Present Review

On the Perception of Time

Abstract: In this article, we review scientific work and present new results on the perception of time, that is, on the feeling of time as perceived by individuals. The phenomenon of time being felt passing faster with growing age is well known, and there are numerous interesting studies to shed light on the question why this is so. Many of these are based on studies in psychology and social sciences. Others range from symptoms of the ageing process to related symptoms of decreasing memory capacities. Again other explanations, quite different in nature from the preceding ones, involve event intensities in the life of individuals. The relative decrease of interesting new events as one grows older is seen as an important factor contributing to the feeling that time is thinned out. The last type of possible explanations can be made more explicit in a mathematical model. Quantitative conclusions about the rate of decrease of the feeling of time can be drawn, and, interestingly, without restrictive assumptions. It is shown that under this model the feeling of time is thinned out at least logarithmically. Numerical constants will depend on specific hypotheses which we discuss but the lower-bound logarithmic character of the thinning-out phenomenon does not depend much on these. The presented model can be generalized in several ways. In particular we prove that there are, a priori, no logical incompatibilities in a model leading to the very same distribution of time perception for individuals with completely different pace and style of life. Our model is built to explain long-time perception. No claim is made that the feeling of time being thinned out is omnipresent for very individual. However, this is typically the case and we explain why.

Consciousness of subjective time in the brain.

Abstract: "Mental time travel" refers to conscious experience of remembering the personal past and imagining the personal future. Little is known about its neural correlates. Here, using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we explored the hypothesis that mental time travel into "nonpresent" times (past and future) is enabled by a special conscious state (chronesthesia). Well-trained subjects repeatedly imagined taking one and the same short walk in a familiar environment, doing so either in the imagined past, present, or future. In an additional condition, they recollected an instance in which they actually performed the same short walk in the same familiar setting. This design allowed us to measure brain activity correlated with "pure" conscious states of different moments of subjective time. The results showed that the left lateral parietal cortex was differentially activated by nonpresent subjective times compared with the present (past and future > present). A similar pattern was observed in the left frontal cortex, cerebellum, and thalamus. There was no evidence that the hippocampal region is involved in subjective time travel. These findings provide support for theoretical ideas concerning chronesthesia and mental time travel.

When time slows down: The influence of threat on time perception in anxiety

Abstract: Here, we explored the effect of exposure to threat versus neutral stimuli on time perception in anxious (n=29) and non-anxious (n=29) individuals using predictions from the attentional gate model (AGM) of time perception. Results indicate that relative to non-anxious individuals, anxious individuals subjectively experience time as moving more slowly when exposed to short (2-second) presentations of threat stimuli, and that group differences disappear with longer exposure durations (4 and 8 seconds). Coupled with classic reports of enhanced attentional bias toward threat and diminished attentional control under stress in anxious individuals this finding provides novel insights into low-level cognitive processes that could shape and maintain the subjective experience of anxiety. Findings are discussed in relation to predictions from the AGM and cognitive accounts of anxiety.

Neural Modulation of Temporal Encoding, Maintenance, and Decision Processes

Abstract: Time perception emerges from an interaction among multiple processes that are normally intertwined. Therefore, a challenge has been to disentangle timekeeping from other processes. Though the striatum has been implicated in interval timing, it also modulates nontemporal processes such as working memory. To distinguish these processes, we separated neural activation associated with encoding, working-memory maintenance, and decision phases of a time-perception task. We also asked whether neuronal processing of duration (i.e., pure tone) was distinct from the processing of identity (i.e., pitch perception) or sensorimotor features (i.e., control task). Striatal activation was greater when encoding the duration than the pitch or basic sensory features, which did not differentially engage the striatum. During the maintenance phase, striatal activation was similar for duration and pitch but at baseline in the control task. In the decision phase, a stepwise reduction in striatal activation was found across the 3 tasks, with activation greatest in the timing task and weakest in the control task. Taskrelated striatal activations in different cognitive phases were distinguished from those of the supplementary motor area, inferior frontal gyrus, thalamus, frontoparietal cortices, and the cerebellum. Our results were consistent with a model in which timing emerges from context-dependent corticostriatal interactions.

The neural substrates of subjective time dilation.

Abstract: An object moving towards an observer is subjectively perceived as longer in duration than the same object that is static or moving away. This 'time dilation effect' has been shown for a number of stimuli that differ from standard events along different feature dimensions (e.g. color, size, and dynamics). We performed an event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), while subjects viewed a stream of five visual events, all of which were static and of identical duration except the fourth one, which was a deviant target consisting of either a looming or a receding disc. The duration of the target was systematically varied and participants judged whether the target was shorter or longer than all other events. A time dilation effect was observed only for looming targets. Relative to the static standards, the looming as well as the receding targets induced increased activation of the anterior insula and anterior cingulate cortices (the “core control network”). The decisive contrast between looming and receding targets representing the time dilation effect showed strong asymmetric activation and, specifically, activation of cortical midline structures (the “default network”). These results provide the first evidence that the illusion of temporal dilation is due to activation of areas that are important for cognitive control and subjective awareness. The involvement of midline structures in the temporal dilation illusion is interpreted as evidence that time perception is related to self-referential processing.

Adaptation to motor-visual and motor-auditory temporal lags transfer across modalities.

Abstract: Previous research has shown that the timing of a sensor-motor event is recalibrated after a brief exposure to a delayed feedback of a voluntary action (Stetson et al. 2006). Here, we examined whether it is the sensory or motor event that is shifted in time. We compared lag adaption for action-feedback in visuo-motor pairs and audio-motor pairs using an adaptation-test paradigm. Participants were exposed to a constant lag (50 or 150 ms) between their voluntary action (finger tap) and its sensory feedback (flash or tone pip) during an adaptation period (~3 min). Immediately after that, they performed a temporal order judgment (TOJ) task about the tap-feedback test stimulus pairings. The modality of the feedback stimulus was either the same as the adapted one (within-modal) or different (cross-modal). The results showed that the point of subjective simultaneity (PSS) was uniformly shifted in the direction of the exposed lag within and across modalities (motor-visual, motor-auditory). This suggests that the TRE of sensor-motor events is mainly caused by a shift in the motor component.

Neural Mechanisms of Interference Control and Time Discrimination in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Abstract: Objective Both executive functions and time perception are typically impaired in subjects with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, the exact neural mechanisms underlying these deficits remain to be investigated. Method Fourteen subjects with ADHD and 14 age- and IQ-matched controls (aged 9 through 15 years) were assessed with functional magnetic resonance imaging while they performed a combined spatial stimulus–response compatibility (SRC) and time duration discrimination (TD) paradigm using identical stimuli for all experimental conditions. Results Children with ADHD performed less accurately in the SRC but not in the TD task compared with controls. On the brain level, subjects with ADHD showed significantly reduced neural activity in the left putamen during SRC and reduced fronto-cerebellar activation during TD when compared with the baseline conditions. Compared with subjects with ADHD, control subjects had increased activation in a left-hemispheric fronto-parietal network during the SRC task and in the right superior-frontal gyrus during the TD task. Functional connectivity analyses revealed abnormal fronto-parietal coupling during the SRC task and reduced fronto-cerebellar connectivity during the TD task in the ADHD group compared with controls. Conclusions Our findings suggest specific but distinct patterns of cerebral dysfunction associated with interference control and TD processing in ADHD, characterized by both reduced neural activation in regions critical for task performance and reduced co-activation of frontal cortex. Group differences on the behavioral level were controlled by several methodological approaches. Nonetheless, given the use of a block design, we cannot rule out the possibility that between-group differences in behavior confounded the neural activation patterns.

Temporal binding of action and effect in interval reproduction

Abstract: We report two experiments demonstrating temporal binding between action and outcome (Haggard et al. 2002a) as measured in a temporal reproduction paradigm. Our results show that the effect is empirically robust, does not rely on repeated presentation of fixed intervals, truly affects time perception, and persists across intervals much longer than in earlier demonstrations with the Libet Clock paradigm (Libet et al. 1983).

Looming Losses in Future Time Perception

Abstract: It is proposed that a future time interval's perceived length will be affected by whether the interval ends with a gain or loss. Confirming this, several experiments indicate that consumers perceive intervals ending with losses as shorter than equivalent intervals ending with gains. The authors explore the mechanisms underlying these effects, and they identify several parallels between the current effects and loss aversion. The authors further show that these changes in time perception influence consumption decisions, and they consider the implications of the findings for theories of time perception and intertemporal choice.

The role of the human anterior insular cortex in time processing.

Abstract: The anterior portion of the human insula is implicated in a wide range of tasks that involve judgements of short periods of time (a few seconds or less). However, it is only one of several brain regions that share this property. We review the evidence for its involvement and discuss the nature of the contribution it might make to time judgements. The anterior insula is frequently identified in functional MRI studies that require participants to generate a time interval to match an internal or external template, or to discriminate between the durations of two stimuli. It is involved in many different timing tasks and is active irrespective of the stimulus modality used to present the stimuli. However, the role of the anterior insula in timing remains uncertain. Indeed, rather few studies have attempted to distinguish different possible contributions. The fact that it is active in a variety of tasks suggests that it may be involved in some indirect or general way. For example, during time discrimination, the anterior insula may be concerned more with discrimination than with time, as it is sometimes also active during other discrimination tasks. Other structures may be more strongly associated with core timing functions.

Fast forward: Supramarginal gyrus stimulation alters time measurement

Abstract: The neural basis of temporal processing is unclear. We addressed this important issue by performing two experiments in which repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) was administered in different sessions to the left or right supramarginal gyrus (SMG) or vertex; in both tasks, two visual stimuli were presented serially and subjects were asked to judge if the second stimulus was longer than the first (standard) stimulus. rTMS was presented on 50% of trials. Consistent with a previous literature demonstrating the effect of auditory clicks on temporal judgment, rTMS was associated with a tendency to perceive the paired visual stimulus as longer in all conditions. Crucially, rTMS to the right SMG was associated with a significantly greater subjective prolongation of the associated visual stimulus in both experiments. These findings demonstrate that the right SMG is an important element of the neural system underlying temporal processing and, as discussed, have implications for neural and cognitive models of temporal perception and attention.

Time and numerosity estimation are independent: Behavioral evidence for two different systems using a conflict paradigm.

Abstract: Walsh (2003) proposed that time and numerical estimation are processed by one generalized magnitude system located mainly in the parietal cortex. According to this perspective, if the time and numerosity share the same mechanism, then interference effects should be observed when the two dimensions are put in conflict. In this study, 16 volunteers were required to listen to 25 audio files, differing in duration and number of tones, in two tasks: One required estimating the duration of the stimulus; the other required estimating the number of tones. For example, the same duration may contain 11, 13, 15, 17 or 19 tones, and 11 tones could last for 5, 7, 9, 11 or 13 s. Results show that estimates of duration were unaffected by the number of tones, and estimates of numerosity were unaffected by duration: This is incompatible with time and numerosity being processed by the same mechanism. Theoretical implications are discussed.

Carving the Clock at Its Component Joints: Neural Bases for Interval Timing

Abstract: Models of time perception often describe an “internal clock” that involves at least two components: an accumulator and a comparator. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to test the hypothesis that distinct distributed neural networks mediate these components of time perception. Subjects performed a temporal discrimination task that began with a visual stimulus (S1) that varied parametrically in duration of presentation. A varying interstimulus interval was followed by a second visual stimulus (S2). After the S2 offset, the subject indicated whether S2 was longer or shorter than S1. We reasoned that neural activity that correlated with S1 duration would represent accumulator networks. We also reasoned that neural activity that correlated with the difficulty of comparisons for each paired-judgment would represent comparator networks. Using anatomically defined regions of interest, we found duration of S1 significantly correlated with left inferior frontal, supplementary motor area (SMA) and superior temporal regions. Furthermore, task difficulty correlated with activity within bilateral inferior frontal gyri. Therefore accumulator and comparator functioning of the internal clock are mediated by distinct as well as partially overlapping neural regions.

Auditory temporal modulation of the visual Ternus effect: the influence of time interval.

Abstract: Research on multisensory interactions has shown that the perceived timing of a visual event can be captured by a temporally proximal sound. This effect has been termed 'temporal ventriloquism effect.' Using the Ternus display, we systematically investigated how auditory configurations modulate the visual apparent-motion percepts. The Ternus display involves a multielement stimulus that can induce either of two different percepts of apparent motion: 'element motion' or 'group motion'. We found that two sounds presented in temporal proximity to, or synchronously with, the two visual frames, respectively, can shift the transitional threshold for visual apparent motion (Experiments 1 and 3). However, such effects were not evident with single-sound configurations (Experiment 2). A further experiment (Experiment 4) provided evidence that time interval information is an important factor for crossmodal interaction of audiovisual Ternus effect. The auditory interval was perceived as longer than the same physical visual interval in the sub-second range. Furthermore, the perceived audiovisual interval could be predicted by optimal integration of the visual and auditory intervals.

Attention regulates the plasticity of multisensory timing

Abstract: Evidence suggests than human time perception is likely to reflect an ensemble of recent temporal experience. For example, prolonged exposure to consistent temporal patterns can adaptively realign the perception of event order, both within and between sensory modalities (e.g. Fujisaki et al., 2004 Nat. Neurosci., 7, 773‐778). In addition, the observation that ‘a watched pot never boils’ serves to illustrate the fact that dynamic shifts in our attentional state can also produce marked distortions in our temporal estimates. In the current study we provide evidence for a hitherto unknown link between adaptation, temporal perception and our attentional state. We show that our ability to use recent sensory history as a perceptual baseline for ongoing temporal judgments is subject to striking top-down modulation via shifts in the observer’s selective attention. Specifically, attending to the temporal structure of asynchronous auditory and visual adapting stimuli generates a substantial increase in the temporal recalibration induced by these stimuli. We propose a conceptual framework accounting for our findings whereby attention modulates the perceived salience of temporal patterns. This heightened salience allows the formation of audiovisual perceptual ‘objects’, defined solely by their temporal structure. Repeated exposure to these objects induces high-level pattern adaptation effects, akin to those found in visual and auditory domains (e.g. Leopold & Bondar (2005) Fitting the Mind to the World: Adaptation and Aftereffects in High-Level Vision. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 189‐211; Schweinberger et al. (2008) Curr. Biol., 18, 684‐688).

Auditory Stream Segregation and the Perception of Across-Frequency Synchrony

Abstract: This study explored the extent to which sequential auditory grouping affects the perception of temporal synchrony. In Experiment 1, listeners discriminated between 2 pairs of asynchronous “target” tones at different frequencies, A and B, in which the B tone either led or lagged. Thresholds were markedly higher when the target tones were temporally surrounded by “captor tones” at the A frequency than when the captor tones were absent or at a remote frequency. Experiment 2 extended these findings to asynchrony detection, revealing that the perception of synchrony, one of the most potent cues for simultaneous auditory grouping, is not immune to competing effects of sequential grouping. Experiment 3 examined the influence of ear separation on the interactions between sequential and simultaneous grouping cues. The results showed that, although ear separation could facilitate perceptual segregation and impair asynchrony detection, it did not prevent the perceptual integration of simultaneous sounds.

Auditory Cortical Activity During Cochlear Implant-Mediated Perception of Spoken Language, Melody, and Rhythm

Abstract: Despite the significant advances in language perception for cochlear implant (CI) recipients, music perception continues to be a major challenge for implant-mediated listening Our understanding of the neural mechanisms that underlie successful implant listening remains limited To our knowledge, this study represents the first neuroimaging investigation of music perception in CI users, with the hypothesis that CI subjects would demonstrate greater auditory cortical activation than normal hearing controls H215O positron emission tomography (PET) was used here to assess auditory cortical activation patterns in ten postlingually deafened CI patients and ten normal hearing control subjects Subjects were presented with language, melody, and rhythm tasks during scanning Our results show significant auditory cortical activation in implant subjects in comparison to control subjects for language, melody, and rhythm The greatest activity in CI users compared to controls was seen for language tasks, which is thought to reflect both implant and neural specializations for language processing For musical stimuli, PET scanning revealed significantly greater activation during rhythm perception in CI subjects (compared to control subjects), and the least activation during melody perception, which was the most difficult task for CI users These results may suggest a possible relationship between auditory performance and degree of auditory cortical activation in implant recipients that deserves further study

Dissociable Neural Systems for Timing: Evidence from Subjects with Basal Ganglia Lesions

Abstract: Background The neural basis of timing remains poorly understood. Although controversy persists, many lines of evidence, including studies in animals, functional imaging studies in humans and lesion studies in humans and animals suggest that the basal ganglia are important for temporal processing [1]. Methodology/Principal Findings We report data from a wide range of timing tasks from two subjects with disabling neurologic deficits caused by bilateral lesions of the basal ganglia. Both subjects perform well on tasks assessing time estimation, reproduction and production tasks. Additionally, one subject performed normally on psychophysical tasks requiring the comparison of time intervals ranging from milliseconds to seconds; the second subject performed abnormally on the psychophysical task with a 300ms standard but did well with 600ms, 2000ms and 8000ms standards. Both subjects performed poorly on an isochronous rhythm production task on which they are required to maintain rhythmic tapping. Conclusions/Significance As studies of subjects with brain lesions permit strong inferences regarding the necessity of brain structures, these data demonstrate that the basal ganglia are not crucial for many sub- or supra-second timing operations in humans but are needed for the timing procedures that underlie the production of movements. This dissociation suggests that distinct and dissociable processes may be employed to measure time intervals. Inconsistencies in findings regarding the neural basis of timing may reflect the availability of multiple temporal processing routines that are flexibly implemented in response to task demands.

Sleep deprivation influences diurnal variation of human time perception with prefrontal activity change: a functional near-infrared spectroscopy study.

Abstract: Human short-time perception shows diurnal variation. In general, short-time perception fluctuates in parallel with circadian clock parameters, while diurnal variation seems to be modulated by sleep deprivation per se. Functional imaging studies have reported that short-time perception recruits a neural network that includes subcortical structures, as well as cortical areas involving the prefrontal cortex (PFC). It has also been reported that the PFC is vulnerable to sleep deprivation, which has an influence on various cognitive functions. The present study is aimed at elucidating the influence of PFC vulnerability to sleep deprivation on short-time perception, using the optical imaging technique of functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Eighteen participants performed 10-s time production tasks before (at 21:00) and after (at 09:00) experimental nights both in sleep-controlled and sleep-deprived conditions in a 4-day laboratory-based crossover study. Compared to the sleep-controlled condition, one-night sleep deprivation induced a significant reduction in the produced time simultaneous with an increased hemodynamic response in the left PFC at 09:00. These results suggest that activation of the left PFC, which possibly reflects functional compensation under a sleep-deprived condition, is associated with alteration of short-time perception.