Oscillatory and aperiodic neural dynamics shape temporal perception and weighting of perceptual priors in ADHD profiles

Abstract

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterized by an atypically compressed sense of time, yet the neural mechanisms underlying this atypical temporal perception remain poorly understood. Temporal perception depends on the brains ability to organize sensory input into coherent experiences, ensuring perceptual stability despite uncertainty. Oscillations in the alpha band (8-13 Hz) and aperiodic 1/f dynamics have been proposed as key neural mechanisms through which the visual system orchestrates sensory information over time. Individuals with ADHD show atypicalities in these neural dynamics, but how these features relate to ADHD differences in temporal processing remains unexplored. Here, we combined a sustained visual temporal integration task with resting-state EEG to test whether oscillatory and aperiodic neural dynamics jointly account for temporal processing performance across neurotypical participants with self-reported ADHD traits (n = 83). Higher ADHD features in both inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive domains were associated with narrower temporal binding windows and reduced serial dependence on prior perception, indicating sharper temporal resolution but diminished perceptual stability. Resting-state EEG revealed systematically faster individual alpha frequency (IAF) and flatter aperiodic spectra in individuals with higher ADHD traits. Mediation analyses showed that faster IAF explained ADHD-related reductions in temporal integration thresholds and serial dependence, whereas increased neural noise selectively amplified perceptual history-dependent biases. These findings reveal distinct oscillatory and aperiodic neural pathways through which ADHD features shape temporal perception, suggesting a multidimensional neural architecture underlying atypical temporal processing in ADHD.