Effects of Neuronal Myelination in Time Perception: Evidence from Multiple Sclerosis and a Control Group
Type of Study/Intervention
Psychological
Recruitment Status
Recruiting
Form of MS
Relapsing remitting MS, people without MS
Brief summary
Increases or decreases in the neurotransmitter dopamine influence our perception of how long events last. An increase in dopamine activity in the striatum is thought to slow a hypothesised internal clock. Conversely, some medications can reduce dopamine activity in the striatum and effectively speed up an internal clock.
The myelin sheath acts as an insulator for axons in the central nervous system and thus, increases the speed at which electrical signals travel between neurons and consequently, brain areas. Since the striatum receives projections from many areas of the brain, this would suggest that time perception relies heavily on efficient myelination of axons between these areas, as well as oligodendroglia cells working efficiently to maintain myelination. One would expect that any deficit in myelination would translate into deficits in time perception.
In the current study we are recruiting volunteers living with MS and volunteers that are free from MS as a control group. One of the clinical forms of MS is Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS), where there are clearly defined attacks of neurological deficits, which are followed by either complete or partial recovery (Lublin 2013). To determine whether myelination is implicated in human timing, people living with MS could be ideal candidates for studying myelination and the perception of time.
To this goal, we have aimed to recruit the following participants:
Healthy adults as control participants (i.e., among the adult student population and the community)
Individuals living with multiple sclerosis (MS) who are either currently in relapse or remission (recruited via our links with the MS Society).
Click link for study
Inclusion criteria
Relapsing/remitting MS patients
-English speaking/ competent in English due to the study being written in English
Exclusion criteria
Clinically isolated syndrome (CIS)/primary progressive MS (PPMS)/secondary progressive MS (SPMS)
-Non-English speaking participants
Anticipated start date
Already started
Recruitment contacts
Dr. Irene Reppa, School of Psychology Swansea University Email: i.reppa@swansea.ac.uk
Dr. Rachel Hunter School of Psychology Swansea University Email: r.hunter@swansea.ac.uk
Prof. Phil Reed School of Psychology Swansea University Email: p.reed@swansea.ac.uk
Further details
See link or email recruitment contacts for further information
Region
All
Ethics Approval
Yes
Last Updated
1/09/2023
