Intrinsic hippocampal connectivity is associated with individual differences in retrospective duration processing.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Retrospective duration processing, or estimating past time intervals, is crucial for memory.
• The medial temporal lobe and hippocampus (HC) are implicated in encoding event sequences and time.
• The precise role of the HC in explicit human duration judgments and its neural dynamics remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between intrinsic hippocampal connectivity and individual differences in retrospective duration processing.
• To explore the neural underpinnings of estimating time intervals in the second range.

Main Methods:

• Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was employed.
• A novel task using ecological stimuli assessed retrospective duration discrimination.
• Connectivity patterns of the bilateral hippocampus were analyzed in relation to task performance.

Main Results:

• Performance in retrospective duration discrimination was associated with intrinsic connectivity variations between the bilateral hippocampus and the right precentral gyrus.
• Exploratory analyses indicated that the CA1 and CA4/DG subfields of the hippocampus may drive this association.
• These findings highlight neural networks involved in implicit duration processing.

Conclusions:

• Intrinsic connectivity of the hippocampus, particularly with the precentral gyrus, plays a role in retrospective duration processing.
• Specific hippocampal subfields (CA1, CA4/DG) may be critical for this temporal estimation.
• The study provides insights into the neural basis of second-range duration perception.