Inter-individual differences in resting-state functional connectivity are linked to interval timing in irregular...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Time Perception Research

Background:

• Behavioral studies suggest distinct mechanisms for duration perception based on cue regularity.
• Individual differences in interoceptive processing may impact time perception, particularly with irregular cues.
• Neural correlates of this proposed distinction remain uninvestigated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the brain correlates of duration perception under regular and irregular cue conditions.
• To examine the relationship between resting-state functional connectivity and performance in duration reproduction tasks.
• To explore the role of interoceptive awareness in time perception and its neural underpinnings.

Main Methods:

• Participants performed a duration reproduction task with regular and irregular stimulus spacing.
• Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to assess regional functional connectivity.
• Correlation analyses linked behavioral performance to intrinsic brain oscillation patterns.

Main Results:

• Resting-state functional connectivity between the right precentral gyrus, insula, and putamen predicted performance in the irregular condition.
• Connectivity of the right posterior insula correlated with performance in the irregular condition, modulated by interoceptive awareness.
• These neural findings were specific to the irregular cue condition.

Conclusions:

• The study supports a distinction in brain networks for duration processing with and without regular cues.
• Findings suggest that multimodal integration of interoceptive and exteroceptive cues is crucial for time perception with irregular cues.
• Individual differences in interoceptive processing are linked to neural mechanisms underlying time perception in specific contexts.