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How to Obtain Reliable Visual Event-related Potentials in Newborns
Published on: October 24, 2019
Flash visual evoked potentials at 2-year-old infants with different birth weights
Jing-Jing Feng1, Ting-Xue Wang, Chen-Hao Yang
1Department of Child Health Care, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, 201102, China.
Insights
Visual electrophysiological outcomes in premature infants show delayed P2 wave latency, particularly in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants, correlating with cognitive function. Flash visual evoked potentials (FVEPs) are valuable for assessing infant visual development.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Ophthalmology
Background:
- Preterm infants exhibit a higher incidence of visual impairments.
- Long-term visual electrophysiological outcomes and their link to cognitive functions in premature infants require further investigation.
- This study examines visual electrophysiological outcomes in 2-year-old infants based on birth weight.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the visual electrophysiological outcomes using flash visual evoked potentials (FVEPs) in 2-year-old infants of varying birth weights.
- To explore the correlation between visual cognitive functions and FVEPs.
- To assess the utility of FVEPs in evaluating infant visual capabilities.
Main Methods:
- FVEPs were recorded in 77 infants: 25 very low birth weight (VLBW), 16 low birth weight (LBW), and 36 full-term infants.
- Neuromotor development was assessed using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Second Edition (BSID-II).
- Visual cognitive functions were evaluated by scoring performance on 12 BSID-II items for infants aged 23-25 months.
Main Results:
- The P2 wave was the primary component in all groups. Mean P2 latency was significantly delayed in VLBW infants (149.65 ms) compared to LBW (129.39 ms) and full-term infants (126.14 ms).
- No significant difference in P2 latency was found between LBW and full-term infants.
- P2 wave latency showed a negative correlation with mental developmental index (MDI) and visual cognitive capability.
Conclusions:
- Premature infants, especially VLBW infants, exhibit delayed visual functional development at 2 years corrected age, evidenced by prolonged P2 wave latency on FVEPs.
- FVEPs demonstrate a statistically significant correlation between visual cognition measures and P2 peak latency.
- FVEPs serve as a noninvasive and convenient tool for assessing infant visual development and function.
Background:
Increased prevalence of visual impairments has been reported in preterm populations. However, it remains unclear about the long-term visual electrophysiological outcomes and their association with visual cognitive functions in premature infants. We investigated visual electrophysiological outcome of 2-year-old infants of different birth weights by flash visual evoked potentials (FVEPs) in order to explore the correlation between visual cognitive functions and FVEPs and to assess the application of FVEPs in evaluating the visual capability of an infant.
Methods:
The FVEPs of 77 infants, including 25 very low birth weight (VLBW) premature infants, 16 low birth weight (LBW) premature infants and 36 full-term infants, were tested with a visual electrophysiological testing device. Neuromotor development was assessed with the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Second Edition (BSID-II). The visual cognitive functions were evaluated by scoring the proportion passed of 12 items chosen from the BSID-II for infants at 23 to 25 months of age.
Results:
The second prominent positive wave (P2) was the major component presented in all three groups. The mean latency of P2 in the VLBW, LBW and full-term groups was 149.65+/-23.79 ms, 129.39+/-8.70 ms, and 126.14+/-7.73 ms respectively. There was no significant difference in mean latency of P2 wave between the LBW and full-term groups; the mean latency of the P2 wave in the VLBW group was delayed more significantly than those of the other two groups. The difference in amplitude of the P2 peak to the preceding N2 peak (N2P2) between the three groups was not statistically significant. The latency of the P2 main wave was negatively correlated with mental developmental index (MDI) (r'(MDI) = -0.35) and visual cognitive capability (r'(visual capability) = -0.21).
Conclusions:
The latency of the P2 main wave on FVEPs was delayed more significantly in premature infants than in full-term infants at 2 years of corrected age. The visual functional development was delayed in premature infants, especially in VLBW infants (gestational age <32 weeks). The FVEPs were reported low but there were statistically significant correlations between measures of visual cognition and P2 peak latency. As a noninvasive and convenient method, FVEPs are useful in assessing certain aspects of an infant's visual development and visual function.
