Abstract
The capacity for timed behavior is ubiquitous across the animal kingdom, making time perception an ideal topic of comparative research across human and nonhuman subjects. One of the many consequences of normal aging is a systematic decline in timing ability, often accompanied by a host of behavioral and biochemical changes in the brain. In this review, we describe some of these behavioral and biochemical changes in human and nonhuman subjects. Given the involvement of timing in higher-order cognitive processing, age-related changes in timing ability can act as a marker for cognitive decline in older adults. Finally, we offer a comparison between human and nonhuman timing through the perspective of Alzheimer’s disease. Taken together, we suggest that understanding timing functions and dysfunctions can improve theoretical accounts of cognitive aging and time perception, and the use of nonhuman subjects constitutes an integral part of this process.
Highlights
Temporal regularities in behavior are inextricably linked to an organism’s continuity and survival — from a flowering perennial, to a hibernating black bear, to the fluctuating hormones that govern our daily sleep–wake cycle
While no significant differences were observed in the timed responses between older adults and the two patient groups, the Alzheimer’s disease (AD) group had a greater measure of absolute error (Rueda & Schmitter-Edgecombe, 2009)
A central goal in aging research is to establish a set of biochemical and behavioral standards that reliably predict changes associated with age
Summary
Temporal regularities in behavior are inextricably linked to an organism’s continuity and survival — from a flowering perennial, to a hibernating black bear, to the fluctuating hormones that govern our daily sleep–wake cycle That all creatures, both large and small, rely on the ability to perceive time highlights the role of timing as a central component of cognitive function, and a major determinant of behavior in both humans and nonhuman animals. Both large and small, rely on the ability to perceive time highlights the role of timing as a central component of cognitive function, and a major determinant of behavior in both humans and nonhuman animals As another illustration of the profound role of timing, in a number of neuropsychiatric disorders including Parkinson’s disease (Artieda et al, 1992; Pastor et al, 1992), Huntington’s disease (Beste et al, 2007), or drug-induced brain states. Understanding the relationship between chronological age and the experience of time will in turn offer theoretical insight and integrative avenues of therapeutic intervention for age-related psychiatric disorders (Davalos et al, 2005; Toplak et al, 2006)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
