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Role of vision on early motor development: lessons from the blind
H F Prechtl1, G Cioni, C Einspieler
1Department of Physiology, Karl Franzens University of Graz, Austria. christa.einspieler@kfunigraz.ac.at
Insights
Early blindness in infants disrupts sensory system development, leading to delayed motor skills like head control and abnormal movements. Vision is crucial for calibrating movement and posture, impacting proprioceptive and vestibular systems.
Area of Science:
- Developmental neuroscience
- Sensory processing
- Motor control
Background:
- Vision plays a critical role in the development of other sensory systems.
- Understanding the impact of early blindness on motor and postural development is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of early blindness on sensory system development and motor control.
- To examine how the absence of vision influences movement and posture in infants.
Main Methods:
- Video recordings of 14 totally blind infants were analyzed.
- Infants were assessed from preterm to postterm periods for motor activity and control.
Main Results:
- Infants exhibited delayed head control and abnormal 'fidgety movements' around 2 months postterm.
- Postural control showed prolonged ataxic features.
- Early visuomotor coordination disappeared after several weeks.
Conclusions:
- Early blindness impairs the calibration of proprioceptive and vestibular systems by vision.
- Vision is fundamental for the typical development of motor skills, balance, and coordination.
Abstract:
For a better understanding of the contribution vision makes to the development of other sensory systems and to movement and posture, we studied effects of early blindness by examining video recordings of 14 totally blind infants. Infants were born at term or preterm and showed no evidence of brain damage. During preterm and term periods no noticeable changes in motor activity were observed. Around 2 months postterm all infants showed clear delay in head control and abnormal, exaggerated type of 'fidgety movements'. Later, postural control was characterized by a prolonged period of ataxic features. Results indicate a lack of normal calibration exerted by vision on proprioceptive and vestibular systems. Early visuomotor coordination such as coordinated eye-head scanning and head orientating were present but disappeared after several weeks.
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