Review article Time perception networks and cognition in schizophrenia: A review and a proposal Jose Gómez a,n , Juan Jesús Marín-Méndez a , Patricio Molero a , Zerrin Atakan b , Felipe Ortuño a a Department of Psychiatry. Universidad de Navarra, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain b Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK article info Article history: Received 14 October 2013 Received in revised form 23 July 2014 Accepted 24 July 2014 Keywords: Perception of time Timing networks Interval timing Schizophrenia abstract Timing is an essential function for the survival of many living organisms. Despite its significance, it is relatively under-researched, particularly in schizophrenia. We examined neurophysiological, neuropathological, imaging and genetic studies of both healthy subjects and subjects suffering from schizophrenia in relation to time perception as measured by interval timing. We found that the data from studies in healthy populations indicate that time perception may be inter-linked with numerous other cognitive functions and share common brain networks. The same networks are implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. There is also evidence that several neurotransmitter systems, particularly the dopaminergic D2 system, are involved in interval timing. Patients with schizophrenia have been shown to suffer from a distorted sense of time, which has an impact on their cognitive function and results in both positive and negative symptoms. Therefore, genes involved in interval timing can be considered candidate genes for distorted cognition in schizophrenia. We discuss the hypothesis that time perception dysfunction is a primary cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia. & 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. Contents 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 1 2. Definitions: perception of time ........................................................................................... 2 2.1. Interval timing .................................................................................................. 2 2.2. Functional neuroimaging of interval timing ........................................................................... 2 2.3. Timing is linked to working memory ................................................................................ 2 2.4. Neuroanatomy and lesion studies in timing research ................................................................... 3 3. Perception of time and schizophrenia ..................................................................................... 3 3.1. Imaging studies of schizophrenia and timing networks ................................................................. 3 3.2. Neurophysiological studies of schizophrenia and timing................................................................. 5 3.3. Genetic studies of schizophrenia and timing .......................................................................... 5 3.4. Symptoms of schizophrenia and timing .............................................................................. 6 4. Conclusions .......................................................................................................... 6 References ............................................................................................................... 6 1. Introduction Consciousness of time has been a focus of interest both to philosophers and neuroscientists. Vogeley and Kupke (2007) described the convergence between the philosophical analysis of Contents lists available at ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/psychres Psychiatry Research http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2014.07.048 0165-1781/& 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. n Corresponding author. Please cite this article as: Gómez, J., et al., Time perception networks and cognition in schizophrenia: A review and a proposal. Psychiatry Research (2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2014.07.048i Psychiatry Research ∎ (∎∎∎∎) ∎∎∎–∎∎∎