It's certainly not unrelated! Really every aspect of cognition is adapted to operate in a 1-4D space to some degree. One of the fundamental mechanisms of thought on a cellular and network level is anticipation: does the sequence of stimulation I'm receiving match a learned sequence? If yes does the sequence that follows meet what I expect? If so I will fire according to xyz parameters. If I'm very certain I might suppress the firing of my neighbors "I got this one guys!" (see "lateral inhibition")

This is part of the purpose of the theta wave signaling from the hippocampus. It helps to orchestrate a global sequence "before - during - after" so that in concert we can model a 4D simulation of reality in noodle-space.

Disruptions to the ability to consciously direct your attention to the present are typical in OCD, ADHD, Autism, and more, which share disruptions to parts of this network.

In ADHD, Autism, and Schizophrenia there are also disruptions in "lateral inhibition" to varying extents in various regions. Schizophrenia has more issues with audio processing (hearing voices), ADHD thinks like a seizure "and this is relevant and this, and together that makes this other thing, which is interesting because........", and people on the spectrum tend to be overwhelmed with sensory information. Lateral inhibition doesn't explain all of those conditions, but it seems to be an interesting part of them.