Spontaneous Oscillatory Activity in Episodic Timing: An EEG Replication Study and Its Limitations
Raphaël Bordas1, Virginie van Wassenhove1
1CEA/DRF/Inst. Joliot, NeuroSpin, INSERM, Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif/Yvette 91191, France bordasraph@gmail.com virginie.van.wassenhove@gmail.com.
Eneuro
|January 8, 2026
Summary
This study explored alpha brain waves as a marker for how the brain automatically tracks time. While EEG replicated initial findings, the marker
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Psychology
Background:
- Episodic timing involves automatic encoding of temporal information without attention to time.
- Previous research linked alpha oscillations (α) during wakefulness to retrospective duration estimation, suggesting a role in an internal clock.
- The reliability and generalizability of this alpha burst marker require further investigation across different contexts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To replicate and extend findings on alpha bursts as a neural marker for episodic timing using electroencephalography (EEG).
- To assess the robustness of this marker against time-on-task effects and changes in experimental environments.
- To test the generalizability of the alpha burst marker in virtual reality (VR) settings.
Main Methods:
- Three EEG experiments involving 128 participants performing resting-state recordings and retrospective duration estimation tasks.
- Experiment 1: Baseline assessment before tasks.
- Experiment 2: Assessment after 90 minutes of timing tasks to evaluate time-on-task effects.
- Experiment 3: Assessment within VR environments of varying sizes to test environmental generalizability.
Main Results:
- The alpha burst marker for episodic timing was replicated in Experiment 1 but not in Experiment 2, suggesting sensitivity to time-on-task effects.
- Changes in alpha power and topography, along with temporal expectation strategies, likely contributed to the lack of replication.
- Experiment 3 in VR did not yield expected duration underestimation or replicate the alpha burst correlation, possibly due to prospective timing behavior.
Conclusions:
- While EEG can capture the alpha burst marker of episodic timing, its reliability is critically dependent on the experimental context.
- Mental fatigue and cognitive strategies, such as temporal expectation, can alter the relationship between alpha bursts and time estimation.
- Further research should prioritize controlling experimental context to establish a robust neural marker for experiential time perception.
