Conference on Cognitive Computational Neuroscience

Although we do not always measure time, we can estimate the passage of time based on our previous experience. However, it is unclear how the brain estimates the passage of time without explicit measures. We hypothesized that people use situational information to compensate for missing time. Using Bayesian hierarchical modeling and functional magnetic resonance imaging, we aimed to probe how our brain estimates time with/without situational information. As a result, the frontal lobe is actively involved in time estimation with situational information. The cerebellum and hippocampus were significantly activated in estimating time without situational information. We suggest that the frontal lobe plays a vital role in time estimation to control attentional modulation and time-based prospective memory with situational information. In contrast, the cerebellum and the hippocampus seem to act as an internal clock since these regions were involved in the relatively pure estimation of the time.