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Map of Visual Activity in the Infant Brain Sheds Light on Neural Development

Janelle Weaver1

  • 1Freelance Science Writer, Carbondale, Colorado, United States of America.

Plos Biology
|September 30, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Seven-week-old infants possess an advanced visual cortex, capable of integrating visual and vestibular motion cues, despite having limited visual acuity. This finding highlights early-stage visual processing capabilities in newborns.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Biology
  • Vision Science

Background:

  • Infant visual acuity is known to be limited in early development.
  • The maturation of the visual cortex and its integration capabilities are not fully understood in newborns.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the functional capabilities of the visual cortex in 7-week-old infants.
  • To determine if infants can integrate visual and vestibular motion information at this early age.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized non-invasive neuroimaging techniques to assess brain activity.
  • Presented controlled visual and motion stimuli to infants during the assessment.

Main Results:

  • The visual cortex of 7-week-old infants demonstrated advanced processing capabilities.
  • Evidence suggests the integration of visual and vestibular motion information was present.

Conclusions:

  • Infants at 7 weeks old have a more developed visual cortex than previously assumed.
  • Early integration of multisensory motion information is possible in human infants.

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