How the Brain Measures Distance and Duration

This piece, by Onno Berkan, was published on 12/10/24. The original text, by Gladhill et al., was published by the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience on 03/01/24.

This George Mason University study had researchers create a VR experiment in which participants moved through a virtual environment while lying in an MRI scanner. Participants had to either remember how far they traveled (distance) or how long they moved (time) and then recreate that same distance or time.

Upon entering the VR world, participants would see whether they needed to focus on time or distance (the text would flash on the headset.) They would be placed in a virtual field with a red sphere on the horizon. The press of a button would get them moving towards the sphere. After a certain time or distance, the movement would stop automatically. The screen would dim, and the participants would be prompted to ‘reproduce’ the distance or time they had just experienced in the virtual field. They would be placed back in the field with their character moving at a different speed than before. The researchers analyzed the accuracy of their reproductions.

The researchers found that different parts of the brain measure time and distance separately. Distance processing happens more in the back regions of the brain, while time processing occurs more in the frontal regions.

When measuring distance, the brain was found to use regions involved in movement, coordination, and spatial memory. It used similar regions when measuring time but didn't activate the memory center (hippocampus).

Some brain areas could process time and distance information, such as the Supramarginal gyrus (SMG– specifically the right SMG). This shows that the brain can measure general magnitude regardless of time or space.

The researchers proposed a simple model for how the brain works in these situations:

• One part of the brain (retrosplenial cortex–RSC) specifically handles distance measurements.

• Another part (supplementary motor area–SMA) specifically handles time measurements

• These measurements then come together in the front of the brain to help plan movement

• A region also helps process both types of information together (supramarginal gyrus–SMG.)

This research helps us understand how our brains process movement through space and time, showing that they use partially different brain systems while these processes are related. This knowledge could be valuable for understanding how we navigate our environment and could help people with navigation or timing difficulties.

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