Neural connectivity patterns explain why adolescents perceive the world as moving slow

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• The subjective experience of time passing slower for younger individuals compared to adults is widely recognized.
• The underlying neural mechanisms driving this age-related difference in time perception remain largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the neural basis of age-related differences in time perception using event segmentation theory.
• To explore how brain activity and connectivity differ between adolescents and adults during information processing.

Main Methods:

• Utilized event segmentation theory to guide the study design.
• Employed electroencephalogram (EEG) beamforming to analyze neural activity.
• Applied nonlinear causal relationship estimation with artificial neural network methods to assess brain connectivity.
• Participants included adolescents and adults who were tasked with segmenting a movie into meaningful units.

Main Results:

• Adolescents, when instructed to segment a movie, created fewer and longer-lasting segments compared to adults.
• Behavioral differences were correlated with directed communication patterns between specific brain regions, including medial frontal, lower-level perceptual, and occipito-temporal areas.
• Neural communication differences were observed across specific neural oscillation spectrums.

Conclusions:

• Age-related differences in time perception are linked to distinct brain communication patterns.
• A different organization and potentially inefficient information transmission between brain regions in adolescents contribute to their perception of time passing more slowly.