Perceived Time and the Brain: The Relationship Between Time Perception and Brain Functions

Entrance:
Time is a fundamental element of human life, but how time is perceived and how it relates to brain functions remains a great puzzle. In this article, we will focus on the latest research in cognitive neuroscience and psychology with the aim of understanding the neurological basis of time perception and exploring how time is processed.

1. Basic Concepts of Time Perception
   • How time can be defined objectively and subjectively.
   • How people's perception of time is shaped by personal and cultural factors.
2. Neurological Processing of Time: Time Mechanisms in the Brain
   • The role of the suprachiasmatic nucleus and circadian rhythms in time perception.
   • Effects of frontal cortex, hippocampus, and basal ganglia on time perception.
3. Time Illusions: How Is the Brain Detectably Manipulated?
   • How time illusions such as time dilation and compression occur.
   • Understanding why illusions alter the perception of real time in some situations.
4. Time and Emotion: Effects of Emotions on Time Perception
   • How emotional states affect time perception.
   • Effects of emotions such as stress, happiness and fear on time perception.
5. Temporal Memory: Traces of the Past, Present and Future in the Brain
   • Functioning and storage mechanisms of temporal memory in the brain.
   • Long-term effects of temporal memory on time perception.
6. Time and Motor Functions: Contributions of Movement to Time Perception
   • The effect of motor movements on time perception.
   • How time is associated with movements and how this interaction is modulated.
7. Time and Art: How Art Represents and Perceives Time
   • Changes in the representation of time in works of art in different art disciplines.
   • Effects on the perception of time in visual and audio arts.
8. Brain Diseases and Time Perception: Situations Where Time Is Distorted
   • Effects of brain diseases such as Alzheimer's, schizophrenia and migraine on time perception.
   • Neurological changes of these diseases on the functioning of time.

Conclusion:
Time perception remains an important area of ​​research at the intersection of cognitive neuroscience and psychology. This article aims to expand our knowledge of time perception and better understand its mysteries by examining the latest research to understand the relationship of time to brain functions.
Time Perception and the Brain
Time perception is a complex process that occurs in various parts of the brain. Some of these regions are:

• Hippocampus: Hippocampus is a region involved in memory and learning. It is also associated with the perception of time.
• hippocampus
• Frontal lobe: The frontal lobe is a region related to planning, attention and decision-making. It is also associated with the perception of time.
• frontal lobe
• Thalamus: Thalamus is the information processing center of the brain. It is also associated with the perception of time.

• Thalamus

Neurons in these regions produce and process signals that enable time perception. These signals are affected by various factors that affect the brain's perception of time.
Time Perception Disorders
Time perception disorders refer to various conditions in which the perception of time is distorted. These disorders can be seen in a variety of psychiatric and neurological disorders, such as schizophrenia, depression, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease.
Symptoms of time perception disorders include:

• Feeling that time passes slowly or quickly
• Not feeling like time is passing
• Inability to evaluate time correctly

Time perception disorders can significantly affect daily life. Therefore, if you suspect these disorders, it is important to consult a doctor.
In conclusion, time perception is a complex and dynamic process. This process is affected by neuronal activities occurring in various regions of the brain. Perception of time can vary depending on a person's age, physical condition, mood and current situation. Time perception disorders can be seen in various psychiatric and neurological disorders.

Time Perception Centers in the Brain

Time perception in our brain can be basically classified into two basic classes: "explicit time perception" and "implicit time perception". Explicit perceptions of time are ways of perceiving time in which we can describe the elapsed time in terms of units of time measurement or language patterns (as in expressions such as "The lecture lasted for so many minutes" or "It took place so many years ago"). Implicit perception of time is related to evaluations of the internal perception of time, which can only be expressed relatively, such as long-short. Thanks to techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the ability to monitor in real time which parts of the brain are active while performing various tasks has enabled us to make significant advances in time perception, as in many areas.
The brain centers thought to be responsible for obvious time perception and their basic functions can be summarized as follows:

Dorsolateral and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex : Temporary memory processes called working memory,
Superior and middle temporal cortex : Comparing time periods,
Basal nuclei (caudate and putamen) : Recording of time information,
Parietal cortex : Time-dependent attention,
Cerebellum : Processing of short-term processes.

The centers responsible for implicit time perception and their functions can be summarized as follows:

Ventral premotor cortex, parieatal cortex and cerebellum : Production of time estimates,
Supplementary motor area, superior temporal cortex : Calculation of changes in expectations over time,
Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex : Correcting when time expectations are incorrect.

(Piras et al. 2012)
Considering the brain anatomy, the centers involved in time perception cover a significant amount of area of ​​the brain. This suggests that time perception is a very complex process, at least in terms of neural processing.

Biological Rhythms

All biological organisms show distinct rhythms in time. These rhythms are not unique to advanced creatures with nervous systems. All biological events are subject to rhythms that are compatible with rhythmic events such as sunrise or tides that occur on the earth's surface. These types of rhythms are important subjects of study in biology.
In terms of their rhythm of life, animals can be roughly divided into three groups:

Diurnal (e.g. primates)
Nocturnal (Nocturnal; e.g. bats)
Crepuscular (Those who are active between dawn and sunset; e.g. some rodents)

The main rhythms seen in living things can be listed as follows:

Infradian rhythms (migration, reproduction, menstruation)
Ultradian rhythms (REM, nasal cycle, GH)
Tidal rhythms (events related to tides)
Lunar rhythms (in sea creatures)
Genetic rhythms (SCh core)
Circaseptane rhythm (Weekly rhythms)

Similar rhythms exist in humans. There is evidence of weekly, monthly, seasonal and many other rhythms. However, the most distinctive rhythms in humans are the menstrual cycle seen in women and the sleep/wake rhythm that is present in all individuals, male and female. These types of rhythms are regulated not only by external environmental conditions but also by internal clocks in the brain. People living in environments completely isolated from external environmental conditions have an average sleep/wake cycle of 25 hours. We know that this cycle is controlled by a section called the suprachiasmatic nucleus, located in the hypothalamus region of the brain.
It is also known that there are many hormones that control such cyclical events or have decisive effects on these rhythms, such as the secretion of the melatonin hormone at night. In particular, the hormones that govern the reproductive system show and control such cycles more clearly. For example, hormones such as estrogen, FSH, LH and progesterone are cyclically secreted in different amounts in accordance with monthly menstrual cycles.
Our biological rhythms are also important in shaping our perception of time. The biological rhythms that we actively live and experience have an impact on how we perceive time and how certain behaviors in our lives will be manifested. These rhythms are also rhythms that we need to know at a basic level in order to carry out many of the activities we do every day correctly and healthily.

A Brief Summary of the Brain, Language, Culture and Time Perception

Language is an important feature of ours that seems unique to humans. It is a widely accepted view that language is also an important tool that shapes our thinking. Just as the language we use shapes our experiences, our culture, traditions, experiences and lives also shape our language.
Research on language and time shows that the way of perceiving time is directly related to the use of time and time metaphors in the language. In addition, time metaphors seem to affect many perception patterns, including the perception of space in different languages. Perhaps one of the most interesting relationships is that between writing direction and the habit of ordering temporal events. In languages ​​written from right to left, such as Arabic, the past is perceived on the right, and in languages ​​such as Turkish, the past is perceived on the left. There is evidence that in Mandarin Chinese, which is written from top to bottom, it is perceived as above. While the word future is expressed with gestures, English speakers use gestures meaning "in front", Mandarin Chinese speakers use gestures meaning "below", and Aymara speakers use gestures meaning "behind". The difference in Aymara language is particularly interesting; Because the past can be "remembered" or "known" in a way, it is perceived as front, like visible things, and the future is perceived as behind, since it cannot be seen (Broditsky, 2011).
There is a different perception pattern in communities such as the Pormpuraaw tribe living in Australia. In such communities, there are no directional terms such as right-left-front-back and corresponding words as we know them. Instead, spatial directions are always defined by the geographical directions North-South-East-West. For example, a glass on the table is to our "right", while for a Pormpuraaw, for example, it stands in the north-west. These geographical expressions are also exactly compatible with real geographical directions. No matter how closed they are or isolated from external signs, people with this type of perception of geographical direction can almost always use geographical direction terms appropriately and accurately. They can know geographical directions accurately in all situations, as if they had a hidden compass somewhere in their bodies. This situation is one of the interesting examples of how deeply the perception of language affects the perception of space.
Members of the Pormpuraaw tribe also show this characteristic of adherence to geographical directions when asked to sort temporally changing images (for example, several photographs of the same person taken at different times from young to old) according to time. For them, time flows from east to west, just like the sun rising and setting. Depending on the sitting positions in the environment they are in, the order of the pictures showing a temporal change also changes according to this perception.
For example, if the subject is sitting facing west, when asked to arrange the pictures from new to old, he will make an arrangement extending forward. If it is located towards the north, this time the alignment is from left to right, if it is located towards the south, it is from right to left. Directing towards intermediate directions such as northwest does not change the result; The images are always lined up on a geographical east-west line. In short, the perception of time and the spatial projection of time seem to be directly related to the language patterns they use and their sense of direction (Broditsky, 2011). Moreover, these observations are also important in terms of showing how people's attention to language and culture can create differences in perception. While perceiving geographical directions is considered a serious skill in societies like ours, members of the Pormpuraaw tribe possess this skill without having to make a special effort.
If this article caught your attention, our next article is for you: Is Time Flying or Are Our Perceptions Taking Wings?

Resources:
Roger Penrose, The King's New Mind. ISBN: 9754030804, TÜBİTAK Publications (1998)
Erwin Schrödinger, What is Life? ISBN: 9789755030760 Evrim Publications (1999)
Piras et al. 2012 (http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2013.00217)
Lera Boroditsky, How Languages ​​Construct Time. in: Space, Time and Number in the brain. Chapter 20; Elsevier Inc. DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-385948-8.00020-7 (2011)