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Updated: Apr 21, 2026
P50 Sensory Gating in Infants
Published on: December 26, 2013
Children born with very low birth weight show difficulties with sustained attention but not response inhibition
Katherine A Johnson1, Elaine Healy, Barbara Dooley
1a School of Psychological Sciences , University of Melbourne , Parkville , Australia.
Insights
Children born with very low birth weight (VLBW) show attention difficulties. VLBW children performed similarly to normal birth weight children on sustained attention tasks, except for increased errors indicating attention lapses.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Children born with very low birth weight (VLBW) often exhibit deficits in executive function and attention.
- Difficulties in sustained attention may contribute to impairments in higher-order cognitive control tasks.
- Prior research on VLBW sustained attention has used potentially confounding arousing stimuli.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare sustained attention performance between VLBW and normal birth weight (NBW) children using a controlled task.
- To identify specific measures sensitive to attention and arousal differences in VLBW children.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Fixed and Random versions of the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART).
- Assessed 17 VLBW children and 18 NBW children.
- Analyzed performance metrics including omission errors and spectral analysis variables.
Main Results:
- VLBW and NBW groups performed similarly on most SART measures.
- The VLBW group exhibited significantly more omission errors on the Fixed SART.
- VLBW children showed greater Slow Frequency Area under the Spectra on the Fixed SART, suggesting arousal-related attention lapses.
Conclusions:
- Omission errors and slow-timescale response-time variability on predictable tasks are sensitive indicators of sustained attention and arousal difficulties in VLBW children.
- These findings highlight potential challenges in maintaining attention and arousal in individuals with a history of premature birth and low birth weight.
- The study provides a more refined understanding of attention deficits in VLBW populations, independent of response inhibition.
Abstract:
Children born with very low birth weight perform poorly on executive function and attention measures. Any difficulties with sustained attention may underpin impairments in performance on tasks measuring higher order cognitive control. Previous sustained attention research in very low birth weight cohorts has used tasks that involve arousing stimuli, potentially spoiling the measure of sustained attention. The aim of this study was to compare the performance of very low birth weight and normal birth weight children on a well-controlled task of sustained attention. The Fixed and Random versions of the Sustained Attention to Response Task were given to 17 very low birth weight and 18 normal birth weight children. The very low birth weight group performed the Fixed and Random Sustained Attention to Response Tasks in a similar manner as the normal birth weight group on all measures except for the omission error and Slow Frequency Area under the Spectra variables on the Fixed Sustained Attention to Response Task. These measures index lapses in sustained attention that may be underpinned by declining arousal. The very low birth weight group showed no response inhibition deficits. Omission errors and slow-timescale response-time variability on predictable tasks may thus present sensitive indices of difficulties with sustained attention and arousal associated with premature birth and low birth weight.
