NEURAL GRAMMARS OF TIME: AN INTEGRATED FRAMEWORK FOR THE ACTIVE CONSTRUCTION OF TEMPORAL REALITY

Abstract

Time is a fundamental dimension of experience, yet neuroscience suggests that the subjective flow of time is an active neural construction rather than a passive reflection of physical reality [Buonomano 2017]. Here, I propose the “Neural Grammars of Time” – a unifying framework explaining how distributed neural architectures transform physical signals into a structured temporal phenomenology. I would argue that temporal cognition emerges from three interdependent processes: Temporal Representation, which utilizes population codes, oscillatory coupling, and specialized “time cells” to encode duration and sequence [Eichenbaum 2014; MacDonald et al. 2011]; Temporal Construction, which leverages predictive processing and the multisensory “Temporal Binding Window” to assemble a coherent experiential present [Wallace & Stevenson 2014; Hohwy 2013]; and Temporal Action, which maps internal temporal scaffolds onto goal-directed behaviour and decision-making [Merchant et al. 2013; Paton & Buonomano 2018]. Evidence from evolutionary biology and developmental science indicates that these mechanisms are phylogenetically conserved and early-emerging [Merchant et al. 2013]. Furthermore, I demonstrate how distortions in temporal processing – characteristic of Parkinson’s disease, ADHD, and schizophrenia – reveal the functional logic of these systems, particularly the fragility of the ~100-ms continuity window in disorders of conscious experience [Giersch & Mishara 2017]. By synthesizing computational, systems, and clinical perspectives, this framework provides a comprehensive account of how the brain constructs the structured temporal reality that underpins perception, memory, and conscious experience.