Time perception

About: Time perception is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1918 publications have been published within this topic receiving 87020 citations.

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.

A general theory of intertemporal decision-making and the perception of time.

Abstract: Animals and humans make decisions based on their expected outcomes. Since relevant outcomes are often delayed, perceiving delays and choosing between earlier versus later rewards (intertemporal decision-making) is an essential component of animal behavior. The myriad observations made in experiments studying intertemporal decision-making and time perception have not yet been rationalized within a single theory. Here we present a theory—Training-Integrated Maximized Estimation of Reinforcement Rate (TIMERR)—that explains a wide variety of behavioral observations made in intertemporal decision-making and the perception of time. Our theory postulates that animals make intertemporal choices to optimize expected reward rates over a limited temporal window which includes a past integration interval—over which experienced reward rate is estimated—as well as the expected delay to future reward. Using this theory, we derive mathematical expressions for both the subjective value of a delayed reward and the subjective representation of the delay. A unique contribution of our work is in finding that the past integration interval directly determines the steepness of temporal discounting and the nonlinearity of time perception. In so doing, our theory provides a single framework to understand both intertemporal decision-making and time perception.

Time perception distortion in neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders.

Abstract: There is no sense organ specifically dedicated to time perception, as there is for other senses such as hearing and vision. However, this subjective sense of time is fundamental to our conception of reality and it creates the temporal course of events in our lives. Here, we explored neurobiological relations from the clinical perspective, examining timing ability in patients with different neurological and psychiatric conditions (e.g. Parkinson's disease, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders and schizophrenia). The neural bases of present distortions in time perception and temporal information processing still remain poorly understood. We reviewed: a) how the brain is capable of encoding time in different environments and multiple tasks, b) different models of interval timing, c) brain structures and neurotransmitters associated with time perception, d) the relationship between memory and time perception, e) neural mechanisms underlying different theories in neural and mental processes, and f) the relationship between different mental diseases and time perception. Bibliographic research was conducted based on publications over the past thirteen years written in English in the databases Scielo, Pubmed/MEDLINE, ISI Web of Knowledge. The time perceptions research are executed to evaluate time perception in mental diseases and can provide evidence for future clinical applications.

The perception of temporal patterns for electrical stimulation presented at one or two intracochlear sites

Abstract: The question of how well the temporal structure in pulsatile electrical stimulation is perceived, and the nature of the information that may be conveyed by this temporal structure, is of importance to the further development of speech processing strategies for cochlear implants. The two experiments described here investigated the perception of temporal fine structure in amplitude modulated 1‐kHz pulse trains, both when a single electrode position was used, and when the pulses alternated between two electrode positions. Five subjects with the Mini System 22 implant took part in these experiments. The amplitude modulations were constructed so that all dual‐electrode stimuli had the same temporal pattern on each individual electrode but differed in the aggregate temporal pattern. A hypothesis was investigated that subjects perceive the aggregate temporal pattern rather than the pattern at each individual electrode place, only when the electrodes are less than a critical distance apart. The first of these two experiments used a four‐interval forced‐choice task to measure the ability of subjects to detect changes in the aggregate temporal pattern. At electrode distances greater than 3 to 4 mm, subjects could no longer perceive the aggregate pattern, confirming the hypothesis. The second experiment used a single‐interval pitch estimation task to test the hypothesis that the perceptual differences in temporal patterns measured in the previous experiment were classified similarly to rate pitch differences by the subjects. The results confirmed this hypothesis, and showed that the pitch of the modulated stimuli could be predicted by the expected inter‐pulse intervals in the excited neural population.