A neuromodulação do córtex pré-frontal dorsolateral na percepção de tempo em contexto neutro ou emocionalmente ativo

Abstract

The time perception is critical for environmental adaptation in humans and other species. The temporal processing, has evolved through different neural systems, each responsible for processing different time scales. Among the most studied scales is that spans the arrangement of seconds to minutes. Evidence suggests that the dorsolateral prefrontal (DLPFC) cortex has relationship with the time perception scale of seconds. However, it is unclear whether the deficit of time perception in patients with brain injuries or even "reversible lesions" caused by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in this region, whether by disruption of other cognitive processes (such as attention and working memory) or the time perception itself. Studies also link the region of DLPFC in emotional regulation and specifically the judgment and emotional anticipation. Given this, our objective was to study the role of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in the time perception intervals of active and emotionally neutral stimuli, from the effects of cortical modulation by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), through the cortical excitation (anodic current), inhibition (cathode current) and control (sham) using the ranges of 4 and 8 seconds. Our results showed that there is an underestimation when the picture was presented by 8 seconds, with the anodic current in the right DLPFC, there is an underestimation and with cathodic current in the left DLPFC, there is an overestimation of the time reproduction with neutral ones. The cathodic current over the left DLPFC leads to an inverse effect of neutral ones, an underestimation of time with negative pictures. Positive or negative pictures improved estimates for 8 second and positive pictures inhibited the effect of tDCS in DLPFC in estimating time to 4 seconds. With this work, we conclude that the DLPFC plays a key role in the o time perception and largely corresponds to the stages of memory and decision on the internal clock model. The left hemisphere participates in the perception of time in both active and emotionally neutral contexts, and we can conclude that the ETCC and an effective method to study the cortical functions in the time perception in terms of cause and effect.