Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

False Memories01:18

False Memories

608
False memories represent a cognitive distortion in which individuals recall events that did not happen, or remember them in an altered form. This phenomenon highlights the brain's constructive nature in processing and recalling memories, emphasizing that memory is not a perfect representation of past events but rather a dynamic reconstruction influenced by various factors.
One primary source of false memories is misattribution, where individuals incorrectly associate external information...
608
Traumatic Memory01:20

Traumatic Memory

667
Emotionally traumatic events often lead to memories that are exceptionally vivid and enduring, sometimes persisting with remarkable clarity throughout an individual's life. A classic example of this phenomenon is a person who survives a car accident. Even years later, they may recall every detail of the event with startling accuracy — the screeching of the tires, the jarring impact, and the acrid smell of burning rubber. Such vividness contrasts sharply with how an individual...
667
Role of Neurotransmitters in Memory01:23

Role of Neurotransmitters in Memory

2.8K
Neurotransmitters are integral to the brain's communication system, enabling neurons to transmit signals across synapses. This chemical exchange underpins various cognitive functions, including memory processes. The role of neurotransmitters in memory is multifaceted, influencing the encoding, consolidation, and retrieval of memories through their action on different neural circuits.
 Glutamate and Synaptic Plasticity
Glutamate, the brain's main excitatory neurotransmitter, is...
2.8K
Eyewitness Memory01:22

Eyewitness Memory

564
Eyewitness memory refers to the recollection of events by someone who has directly witnessed them, often serving as critical evidence in legal settings. This type of memory is commonly used in criminal cases where a witness describes details like a suspect's appearance, clothing, or behavior during a crime. However, despite its perceived reliability, eyewitness memory is prone to significant errors.
One such error is memory distortion, which occurs because human memory does not function...
564
Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory01:26

Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory

2.2K
Memory is one of the most vital higher mental functions of the brain. Memory is closely related to learning because it enables us to retain information and experiences from our past to use them in our present life. It also helps us to remember facts, events, and skills, such as riding a bike or swimming. There are two types of memory — declarative memory, which involves memorizing facts or events, and procedural memory, which enables us to remember how to do something like writing or...
2.2K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Dopaminergic processes predict temporal distortions in event memory.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025
Same author

Enhanced recognition memory for emotional nonverbal sounds.

Memory (Hove, England)·2025
Same author

Distortion of overlapping memories relates to arousal and anxiety.

Cognitive, affective & behavioral neuroscience·2024
Same author

Locus coeruleus activation 'resets' hippocampal event representations and separates adjacent memories.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2024
Same author

Emotional arousal lingers in time to bind discrete episodes in memory.

Cognition & emotion·2024
Same author

Production of Proinflammatory Cytokines by CD4+ and CD8+ T Cells in Response to Mycobacterial Antigens among Children and Adults with Tuberculosis.

Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)·2023
Same journal

PCSK5 promotes angiogenesis and cardiac repair after myocardial infarction.

Nature communications·2026
Same journal

PfApiAT2 is a proline transporter essential for the transmission of Plasmodium falciparum by the mosquito vector.

Nature communications·2026
Same journal

Transient distortions of the South Atlantic Anomaly radiation environments driven by electric fields.

Nature communications·2026
Same journal

Structural basis of the regulation by CDK11 kinase of early spliceosome activation and evidence for its proofreading by DHX15 helicase.

Nature communications·2026
Same journal

Structural and mechanistic insights into primer synthesis initiation by DNA primase.

Nature communications·2026
Same journal

Changes in heritability and shared environmentality of educational attainment across twentieth-century Norway.

Nature communications·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 16, 2026

Author Spotlight: Exploring the Link Between Time Perception of Visual Stimuli and Reading Skills
09:27

Author Spotlight: Exploring the Link Between Time Perception of Visual Stimuli and Reading Skills

Published on: January 19, 2024

1.8K

Dopaminergic processes predict temporal distortions in event memory.

Erin Morrow1, Ringo Huang1, David Clewett2

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Nature Communications
|March 15, 2026
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Our memories distort time, stretching or compressing it based on experiences. Dopamine system activation, particularly in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), influences these memory time distortions, especially around event boundaries.

More Related Videos

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotional Autobiographical Recollection
11:30

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotional Autobiographical Recollection

Published on: August 26, 2011

10.4K
Brain Imaging Investigation of the Memory-Enhancing Effect of Emotion
15:57

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Memory-Enhancing Effect of Emotion

Published on: May 4, 2011

17.3K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 16, 2026

Author Spotlight: Exploring the Link Between Time Perception of Visual Stimuli and Reading Skills
09:27

Author Spotlight: Exploring the Link Between Time Perception of Visual Stimuli and Reading Skills

Published on: January 19, 2024

1.8K
Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotional Autobiographical Recollection
11:30

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotional Autobiographical Recollection

Published on: August 26, 2011

10.4K
Brain Imaging Investigation of the Memory-Enhancing Effect of Emotion
15:57

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Memory-Enhancing Effect of Emotion

Published on: May 4, 2011

17.3K

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Neurobiology

Background:

  • Memory recall is not a perfect temporal recording; it involves subjective distortions.
  • The dopaminergic system plays a crucial role in memory encoding and time perception.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if dopaminergic system activation expands mnemonic time representations between distinct events.
  • To explore the relationship between event boundaries, dopaminergic activity, and time perception in memory.

Main Methods:

  • Combined functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with eye-tracking.
  • Participants encoded item sequences while exposed to auditory tones with occasional boundary-creating changes.
  • Measured ventral tegmental area (VTA) activation and blinking patterns.

Main Results:

  • Tone switches significantly activated the VTA, with response magnitude correlating with time dilation.
  • Increased blinking predicted greater memory time dilation, specifically for items spanning event boundaries.
  • Dopaminergic activity is linked to subjective time expansion around salient events.

Conclusions:

  • Dopaminergic processes are sensitive to event structure, influencing memory distortions.
  • These distortions may aid in segmenting continuous experience into discrete episodic memories.
  • Findings highlight the role of the dopamine system in shaping our subjective experience of past time.