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Subjective time is predicted by local and early visual processing.
Yelena Tonoyan1, Michele Fornaciai1, Brent Parsons1
1International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Via Bonomea 265, Trieste, TS 34136, Italy.
Neuroimage
|November 7, 2022
Summary
The brain tracks millisecond time through neural signals like the N200 event-related potential and Beta band activity, influenced by motion adaptation. These findings suggest low-level perceptual processes shape our subjective time perception.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Perception
Background:
- The brain's mechanism for tracking millisecond durations remains largely unknown.
- Understanding subjective time distortion is crucial for cognitive neuroscience.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neural basis of duration perception.
- To identify neural signatures of subjective time distortion induced by motion adaptation.
Main Methods:
- Recorded electroencephalographic (EEG) signals in human participants.
- Utilized translational motion adaptation to visual stimuli.
- Assessed participants' ability to discriminate stimulus duration.
Main Results:
- Perceived duration correlated with the amplitude of the N200 event-related potential.
- Subjective time distortion was predicted by Beta band activity.
- Both effects were localized to posterior electrodes contralateral to the adapted stimulus.
Conclusions:
- Local, low-level perceptual processes contribute to the subjective sense of time.
- N200 amplitude and Beta band activity serve as neural markers for duration perception and distortion.
