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Updated: May 13, 2026
A Within-subjects Experimental Protocol to Assess the Effects of Social Input on Infant EEG
Published on: May 3, 2017
Frontolimbic neural circuitry at 6 months predicts individual differences in joint attention at 9 months
Jed T Elison1,2, Jason J Wolff1, Debra C Heimer1
1Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA.
Insights
Early white matter development in infant brains supports social communication. Microstructure in the right uncinate fasciculus at 6 months predicts later joint attention skills, crucial for social cognition and language development.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Joint attention is fundamental for social cognition and language acquisition in infants.
- Understanding the neural underpinnings of joint attention is vital for developmental models, including autism.
- Individual differences in joint attention emerge significantly around 9-10 months of age.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a novel method for assessing infant joint attention.
- To investigate the relationship between early white matter microstructure and later joint attention abilities.
- To identify specific brain regions that predict the development of social communication skills.
Main Methods:
- Developed a new method to evaluate "responding to joint attention" (RJA) in infants.
- Utilized diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to measure white matter microstructure, specifically fractional anisotropy (FA).
- Measured FA in the right uncinate fasciculus of 6-month-old infants and assessed RJA at 9 months.
Main Results:
- The 9- to 10-month period showed maximal individual differences in RJA performance.
- FA in the right uncinate fasciculus at 6 months predicted individual differences in RJA at 9 months.
- No significant relationship was found between right uncinate FA and receptive language ability at 9 months.
Conclusions:
- Early white matter microstructure in the right uncinate fasciculus supports the development of nonverbal social communication skills.
- Right lateralized frontotemporal brain systems play a crucial role in the emergence of joint attention.
- These findings offer insights into the neural basis of social development and inform autism research.
Abstract:
Elucidating the neural basis of joint attention in infancy promises to yield important insights into the development of language and social cognition, and directly informs developmental models of autism. We describe a new method for evaluating responding to joint attention performance in infancy that highlights the 9- to 10-month period as a time interval of maximal individual differences. We then demonstrate that fractional anisotropy in the right uncinate fasciculus, a white matter fiber bundle connecting the amygdala to the ventral-medial prefrontal cortex and anterior temporal pole, measured in 6-month-olds predicts individual differences in responding to joint attention at 9 months of age. The white matter microstructure of the right uncinate was not related to receptive language ability at 9 months. These findings suggest that the development of core nonverbal social communication skills in infancy is largely supported by preceding developments within right lateralized frontotemporal brain systems.
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