Contributor:

Szymaszek, Aneta (1977- ) : Supervisor

Publisher:

Instytut Biologii Doświadczalnej im. Marcelego Nenckiego PAN

Place of publishing:

Warszawa

Description:

188 pages : illustrations ; 30 cm ; Bibliography ; Summary in English

Degree name:

PhD in Biological Sciences

Degree discipline :

Biological Sciences

Degree grantor:

Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology PAS ; degree obtained: 2026

Type of object:

Thesis

Abstract:

Temporal information processing (TIP) refers to the neural and cognitive mechanisms that enable the organization, recognition, and interpretation of the temporal structure of events, constituting a fundamental aspect of human cognition. Processes such as perception, attention, language, memory, motor control, and planning are inherently characterized by specific temporal dynamics. Although previous research has shown that TIP efficiency is closely related to overall cognitive performance, most studies have focused on older adults or clinical populations, leaving individual differences in TIP among healthy young adults relatively unexplored. The aim of the present doctoral dissertation was to identify electrophysiological indicators characterizing high (HTE) and low (LTE) temporal efficiency in healthy young adults, both during resting-state brain activity and while performing cognitive tasks. Eighty-four participants (M = 23 years) took part in the study. Their millisecond-level TIP efficiency was assessed using behavioural procedures. Based on performance, two groups were distinguished: HTE (n = 34) and LTE (n = 33). Both groups completed electrophysiological procedures including (1) resting-state recording to assess differences in the baseline brain activity; (2) a duration discrimination task assessing TIP at the millisecond level; (3) a passive oddball task assessing automatic perception of temporal deviations at the second level; and (4) a Go/No-Go task evaluating inhibitory control ability. The results revealed several neural differences between the HTE and LTE groups. During resting-state brain activity, the HTE group showed a steeper aperiodic spectral slope in frontal regions, indicating reduced neural variability and possibly reflecting a more stable and efficient pattern of communication within neural networks. During the duration discrimination task, the HTE group exhibited higher Late Positive Component (LPC) amplitudes, suggesting greater precision in evaluating subtle temporal differences at the millisecond level. Furthermore, during the inhibitory control task, the HTE group demonstrated higher amplitudes and shorter latencies of the No-Go P3 component, which may reflect more efficient attentional allocation and inhibitory control mechanisms. Behavioural results were consistent with electrophysiological findings, showing that HTE participants responded faster and achieved higher task performance compared to the LTE group. No significant group differences were found in the passive oddball task, which may reflect either limited sensitivity of the mismatch negativity (MMN) measure or the absence of group-level differences in TIP efficiency at the level of seconds in healthy young adults. In summary, the findings indicate that individual differences in TIP efficiency are reflected in neural activity both during the resting state and during cognitive task performance. Event-related potentials such as LPC and No-Go P3 may serve as useful neurophysiological indicators of temporal information processing efficiency, with potential applications in cognitive diagnostics and in the evaluation of the effectiveness of cognitive training interventions. The results provide novel evidence for neurophysiological correlates of individual differences in TIP among healthy young adults.

Detailed Resource Type:

PhD Dissertations

Resource Identifier:

oai:rcin.org.pl:262627

Source:

IBD PAN, call no. 20929

Language:

pol

Language of abstract:

eng

Rights:

Rights Reserved - Free Access

Terms of use:

Copyright-protected material. May be used within the limits of statutory user freedoms

Copyright holder:

Publication made available with the written permission of the author

Digitizing institution:

Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of the Polish Academy of Sciences

Original in:

Library of the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology PAS

Access:

Open