Uncovering the Cognitive and Neural Mechanisms Underlying Cognitive Time

Summary

Time processing, the ability to process and encode temporal information, is essential for cognitive functioning and for a large number of daily life activities. In particular, the processing of durations of several seconds is central to cognition, impaired in several pathologies, and has been associated with cognitive changes with advancing age. While behavioral studies have been conducted to specify the neural bases of temporal cognition and their association with other cognitive functions, the mechanisms underlying age-related changes, and individual differences, remain unknown. The project will characterize ageing effects on timing mechanisms and their neural underpinnings. Building on recent advances from neuroscience and age-related cognitive changes, the project focuses on the precision of duration processing, that declines with age, and the associated neural bases. Participants will perform a duration judgement task while (a) electroencephalography, and (b) functional magnetic resonance imaging activity are simultaneously recorded to investigate age effects on structural and functional network connectivity. In addition, striatal dopamine will be measured using a FDOPA PETscan. Evaluation of other temporal cognition processes and general cognition will also be performed. This combination offers a unique opportunity to accurately specifying the neurophysiological underpinning of aging effects on time processing changes. This project will further our understanding of the variability of cognitive performance with advancing age, and contribute to identifying new measures of temporal impairments.

Conditions

• Healthy Aging

Interventions

RADIATION

FDOPA injection before PET imaging

Fluorodopa labelled with fluorine 18 (physical half-life of 109.6 min) is used at a dosage of 1 to 2 MBq/kg in neuroimaging, depending on the sensitivity of the PET camera used. For these reasons, a dose of 2 MBq/kg will be administered slowly intravenously (approximately 1 minute for a maximum bolus of 10 mL). PET acquisitions will be performed at 90 minutes post-injection and will last 30 minutes. Participants will be asked to have fasted for at least 4 hours at the time of injection, with no restriction on fluid intake.

BEHAVIORAL

Time perception tasks

The main tasks involves the comparison of duration to assess aging effects on the precision of temporal representations

DEVICE

fMRI imaging

Imaging of brain structure during the completion of the time perception task

DEVICE

EEG imaging

Recording of neural dynamics during the completion of the time perception task

BEHAVIORAL

3 year follow-up

Behavioral and EEG follow-up (for older adults only)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale, France

  lead OTHER_GOV

Eligibility

Min Age

20 Years

Max Age

85 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-11-20

Primary Completion

2026-11-01

Completion

2030-11-01

Countries

• France

Study Locations