On 4 Jan 1995 19:06:16 GMT,
Tom Salyers <at425 at yfn.ysu.edu> wrote:
>>> Greetings. I'm trying to write a science fiction story in my spare time,
>but I can't seem to find the research material I need in the local university
>library.
> My central question is this: is the human sense of passing time a factor
>of neurochemistry? And if so, would it be possible (given the right level
>of knowledge and technology, of course) to manufacture a drug that would
>alter that sense--to make two years, for instance, feel like fifty?
> Any and all advice or pointers to reference material (not *too* technical,
>please--my training's in computer science, not neurology) will be greatly
>appreciated.
>>--
IMHO - The passage of time is really a physical event rather than a
chemical one. To measure time we take some quantity of information and
then measure the rate of loss of this information. This is how all time
pieces work. A spring or battery in a clock contains a specified amount
of information (called bound information in information theory) which is
released at a specified rate. This rate is ussually determined by a
pendulum, a crystal or some other oscilating device. This decay process is
then monitored to determine how much time has passed. A brain most likely
operates in a similar manner. Information is stored and then the decay is
monitored to determine the passage of time. The amount of time that is
perceived to have passed can easily be altered by changing the rate at
which the stored information is lost. In your clock, you could simply
replace the oscilator with one that has a different period. In the brain
this sort of change in the rate of information decay appears to occur quite
regularly. When an individual is highly focused and concentrating on some
activity the individual's internal clock falls substantually behind
external time; external time passes much more quickly than the person
suspects. Sleep also seems to alter the perception of time in a similar
manner. Conversely, when a person is bored external time passes much more
slowly than the individual's perception of time.
Most psychoactive drugs do alter the perception of time. Cocaine and
amphetamines tend to make external time seem to pass much slower and drugs
such as morphine, and most general anesthetics, make time seem to pass much
faster. The effect of psychoactive drugs on the perception of time is
likely a consequence of the drugs' effects on information handling in the
brain. These effects of drugs are limited, however, because of the
pharmacokinetics of the drugs (the drugs are eliminated from the body in a
few hours) and due to tolerance to the drugs.
For science fiction, however, it would be intriguing to implant some
electronic device in a critical region of the brain, say the locus ceruleus
(a region of the brain that interacts with almost all other regions), that
could alter time perception.
Good luck!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Robert M. Caudle "If I had my life to
NAB, NIDR, NIH live over, I'd be a
Bldg. 49, Rm 1A-11 plumber."
9000 Rockville Pike A. Einstein
Bethesda, MD 20892
Caudle at yoda.nidr.nih.gov
or
Caudle at irp.nidr.nih.gov
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
