Subjective time estimation in Antarctica: The impact of extreme environments and isolation on a time production task

• Published in: Neuroscience Letters
• Main Authors: Tortello, Camila, Agostino, Patricia, Folgueira, Agustín Leandro, Barbarito, Marta Graciela, Cuiuli, Juan Manuel, Coll, Matías, Golombek, Diego Andrés, Plano, Santiago Andrés, Vigo, Daniel Eduardo
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ireland
• Subjects: ANTARCTICA; CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS; EXTREME ENVIRONMENT; INTERVAL TIMING; POLAR NIGHT; https://purl.org/becyt/ford/3.3; https://purl.org/becyt/ford/3; Antarctic; Argentino; Argentina; Argentine; Belgrano; Ejército; Belgrano II; Quilmes; Antarc*; Antarctica; Dirección Nacional del Antártico; Instituto Antártico Argentino; polar night
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/11336/143631

Interval timing measures time estimation in the seconds-to-minutes range. Antarctica provides a real-world context to study the effect of extreme photoperiods and isolation on time perception. The aim of this study was to explore interval timing as a cognitive measure in the crew of Belgrano II Argentine Antarctic Station. A total of 13 subjects were assessed for interval timing in short (3 s), intermediate (6 s) and long (12 s) duration stimuli. Measures were taken during the morning and evening, five times along the year. Significant variations were found for 3 s and 6 s during the morning and 6 s during the evening. Results suggest an impact of isolation on morning performances and an effect of the polar night on evening measures. These findings shed some light on the use of interval timing as a cognitive test to assess performance in extreme environments. Fil: Tortello, Camila. Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina "Santa María de los Buenos Aires". Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología. Laboratorio de Cronobiología; Argentina Fil: Agostino, Patricia. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología. Laboratorio de Cronobiología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina Fil: Folgueira, Agustín Leandro. Ministerio de Defensa. Ejército Argentino. Hospital Militar Central Cirujano Mayor "Dr. Cosme Argerich"; Argentina Fil: Barbarito, Marta Graciela. Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores, Comercio Interno y Culto. Dirección Nacional del Antártico. Instituto Antártico Argentino; Argentina Fil: Cuiuli, Juan Manuel. Comando Conjunto Antártico Argentino; Argentina. Ministerio de Defensa. Ejército Argentino; Argentina Fil: Coll, Matías. Comando Conjunto Antártico Argentino; Argentina. Ministerio de Defensa. ...