Poster No:
789
Submission Type:
Abstract Submission
Authors:
Liu Le1, Ren Weicong1, Wang Hanlin1, Zhang Zhijie1
Institutions:
1Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhaung, Hebei province
First Author:
Liu Le
Hebei Normal University
Shijiazhaung, Hebei province
Co-Author(s):
Ren Weicong
Hebei Normal University
Shijiazhaung, Hebei province
Wang Hanlin
Hebei Normal University
Shijiazhaung, Hebei province
Zhang Zhijie
Hebei Normal University
Shijiazhaung, Hebei province
Introduction:
Precise temporal processing is essential for integrating sensory inputs and coordinating motor responses in dynamic environments. The pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA) is widely implicated in temporal processing across various duration ranges, yet its specific roles remain unclear.
Methods:
Participants. Forty undergraduate students (M=21.25, SD=3.30) from Hebei Normal University participated in the study, which adhered to the ethical guidelines of the university (LLSC2024032) and complied with the ethical standards set forth in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its subsequent amendments.
Tasks. This study included 3 tasks: a sub-second temporal bisection task (probe durations: 300/400/500/600/700ms), a supra-second temporal bisection task (probe durations: 1600/1800/2000/2200/2400ms), and a 2-back task. For the temporal tasks, key measures were the bisection point (BP), difference limen (DL), and Weber fraction (WF), with BP reflecting duration perception, and DL and WF are indicating temporal sensitivity. In the 2-back task, performance was assessed by average accuracy, response time, and signal detection metrics. One participant in the Experimental (Exp) group was excluded due to incomplete 2-back data.
rTMS Procedure. Twenty minutes of inhibitory 1 Hz off-line repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) was used. The stimulation intensity was set at 90% of the resting motor threshold. The time window of reduced excitability was estimated to be approximately 10–15min (Martín-Signes et al., 2019), and the whole task duration in this study was around 12 min. The pre-SMA location was identified as 15% of the distance from the nasion to the inion, measured anterior to the Cz point along the sagittal midline, following the method described by Ruitenberg et al. (2014).
Results:
Sub-second Temporal Task. A 2 (Time: pre-/post-stimulation) × 2 (Group: Exp/Sham) RMANOVA for BP, DL, and WF showed no significant effects, indicating rTMS did not impact sub-second temporal performance.
Supra-second Temporal Task. RMANOVA for WF revealed no interaction between Time and Group, F(1, 38) = 0.302, p = 0.586. Paired-sample t-tests showed a marginal reduction in WF in the Sham group (pre-stimulation: M = 0.131, SE = 0.013; post-stimulation: M = 0.109, SE = 0.009; p = 0.053, BF₁₀ = 1.321), but no significant change in the Exp group (p = 0.145).
Two-back Task. RMANOVA for hit rate showed a significant Time × Group interaction, F(1, 37) = 6.774, p = 0.013. In the Sham group, the hit rate significantly increased post-stimulation (pre-stimulation: M = 0.816, SE = 0.021; post-stimulation: M = 0.894, SE = 0.024; p = 0.002). No significant change was observed in the Exp group (p = 0.668).
Conclusions:
These findings indicate that 1 Hz rTMS-induced disruption of pre-SMA activity impaired working memory processes related to temporal cognition. While no overt behavioral deficits were observed in the rTMS group due to the absence of practice effects, these results highlight the crucial role of the pre-SMA in processing longer durations, particularly when temporal cognition is coupled with working memory demands (Capizzi et al. 2023; Livesey et al. 2007; Macar et al. 2006). This study provides novel insights into the specialized contributions of the pre-SMA to temporal cognition and its interaction with cognitive systems such as working memory.
Brain Stimulation:
Non-invasive Magnetic/TMS 2
Higher Cognitive Functions:
Space, Time and Number Coding 1
Keywords:
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
1|2Indicates the priority used for review
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Please indicate below if your study was a "resting state" or "task-activation” study.
Task-activation
Healthy subjects only or patients (note that patient studies may also involve healthy subjects):
Healthy subjects
Was this research conducted in the United States?
No
Were any human subjects research approved by the relevant Institutional Review Board or ethics panel?
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Please indicate which methods were used in your research:
TMS
Provide references using APA citation style.
Capizzi, M., Visalli, A., Wiener, M., & Mioni, G. (2023). The contribution of the supplementary motor area to explicit and implicit timing: A high-definition transcranial Random Noise Stimulation (HD-tRNS) study. Behavioural brain research, 445, 114383. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114383
Livesey, A. C., Wall, M. B., & Smith, A. T. (2007). Time perception: manipulation of task difficulty dissociates clock functions from other cognitive demands. Neuropsychologia, 45(2), 321–331. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2006.06.033
Macar, F., Coull, J., & Vidal, F. (2006). The supplementary motor area in motor and perceptual time processing: fMRI studies. Cognitive processing, 7(2), 89–94. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10339-005-0025-7
Martín-Signes, M., Pérez-Serrano, C., & Chica, A. B. (2019). Causal Contributions of the SMA to Alertness and Consciousness Interactions. Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991), 29(2), 648–656. https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhx346
Ruitenberg, M. F., Verwey, W. B., Schutter, D. J., & Abrahamse, E. L. (2014). Cognitive and neural foundations of discrete sequence skill: a TMS study. Neuropsychologia, 56, 229–238. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2014.01.014
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