Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Remembering the time: a continuous clock.

Penelope A Lewis1, R Chris Miall

  • 1School of Psychology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZA, UK. p.a.lewis@liverpool.ac.uk

Trends in Cognitive Sciences
|August 11, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Our brains may measure time using the same cells responsible for working memory in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Dopamine influences these cells, supporting their dual role in cognitive timing and memory.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Could sleep engineering be used to combat PTSD and depression?

PLoS biology·2026
Same author

Targeted memory reactivation elicits temporally compressed reactivation linked to spindles.

Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)·2026
Same author

Disarming emotional memories using targeted memory reactivation during rapid eye movement sleep.

Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)·2025
Same author

Early insights into eyeblink conditioning using optically pumped magnetometer-based MEG.

Frontiers in human neuroscience·2025
Same author

Distributed and gradual microstructure changes are associated with the emergence of behavioural benefit from memory reactivation.

Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)·2025
Same author

Cueing memory reactivation during NREM sleep engenders long-term plasticity in both brain and behaviour.

Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)·2025

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Science

Background:

  • Neural mechanisms for time measurement are debated.
  • The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) is implicated in cognitive functions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose that dorsolateral prefrontal cortex cells involved in working memory also mediate cognitive timing.
  • To present evidence supporting the dual role of dlPFC neurons in temporal processing and working memory.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing evidence linking dlPFC, working memory, and cognitive timing.
  • Analysis of neuronal activity patterns in the dlPFC during cognitive tasks.
  • Examination of the role of dopamine in dlPFC function.

Main Results:

  • The dlPFC is crucial for both cognitive timing and working memory.
  • Dopamine modulates both processes and affects dlPFC projections.
  • Neurons in the dlPFC exhibit temporally ramping activity during both working memory and timing tasks.
  • This ramping activity is modulated by dopamine.

Conclusions:

  • Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex neurons serve a dual purpose in working memory and cognitive timing.
  • This supports a model of the prefrontal cortex as a versatile processor adaptable to various tasks.

Related Experiment Videos