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Updated: Mar 23, 2026
Exploring Infant Sensitivity to Visual Language using Eye Tracking and the Preferential Looking Paradigm
Published on: May 15, 2019
Visual tracking in very preterm infants at 4 mo predicts neurodevelopment at 3 y of age
Ylva Fredriksson Kaul1, Kerstin Rosander2, Claes von Hofsten2
1Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Insights
Visual tracking in very preterm infants at 4 months corrected age is a strong predictor of later neurodevelopmental outcomes, including cognition and motor skills.
Area of Science:
- Developmental neuroscience
- Pediatric ophthalmology
- Neonatology
Background:
- Typically developing infants exhibit smooth, predictive visual tracking by 4 months corrected age.
- Very preterm infants often show delays in developing visual tracking abilities.
- Early visual tracking may be an indicator of later neurological development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the predictive value of early visual tracking skills in very preterm infants for subsequent neurodevelopment.
- To determine if visual tracking ability at 4 months corrected age correlates with cognitive, language, and motor outcomes at 3 years of age.
Main Methods:
- Assessed eye and head movements during object tracking in 67 very preterm infants at 4 months corrected age.
- Analyzed gaze gain, smooth pursuit, head movements, and gaze timing.
- Evaluated neurodevelopment using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID-III) at 3 years of age, considering perinatal risk factors.
Main Results:
- Gaze gain at 4 months corrected age significantly correlated with cognition, receptive and expressive language, and fine motor function at 3 years.
- These correlations remained significant after controlling for gestational age and major perinatal complications.
- Visual tracking ability demonstrated a robust link to later neurodevelopmental outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Early visual tracking is a foundational skill that robustly predicts neurodevelopment in very preterm infants.
- This study provides the first evidence linking 4-month corrected age visual tracking to 3-year neurodevelopment in this population.
- Assessing visual tracking may offer a valuable tool for early identification of neurodevelopmental risks in very preterm infants.
Background:
Typically developing infants track moving objects with eye and head movements in a smooth and predictive way at 4 mo of age, but this ability is delayed in very preterm infants. We hypothesized that visual tracking ability in very preterm infants predicts later neurodevelopment.
Method:
In 67 very preterm infants (gestational age<32 wk), eye and head movements were assessed at 4 mo corrected age while the infant tracked a moving object. Gaze gain, smooth pursuit, head movements, and timing of gaze relative the object were analyzed off line. Results of the five subscales included in the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID-III) at 3 y of age were evaluated in relation to the visual tracking data and to perinatal risk factors.
Results:
Significant correlations were obtained between gaze gain and cognition, receptive and expressive language, and fine motor function, respectively, also after controlling for gestational age, severe brain damage, retinopathy of prematurity, and bronchopulmonary dysplasia.
Conclusion:
This is the first study demonstrating that the basic ability to visually track a moving object at 4 mo robustly predicts neurodevelopment at 3 y of age in children born very preterm.
