Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 22, 2026
Comparing Eye-tracking Data of Children with High-functioning ASD, Comorbid ADHD, and of a Control Watching Social Videos
Published on: December 7, 2018
Frontal EEG asymmetry and later behavior vulnerability in infants with congenital visual impairment
Michelle A O'Reilly1, Joe Bathelt2, Elena Sakkalou1
1Clinical Neurosciences Section, Developmental Neurosciences Programme, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK.
Insights
Infants with visual impairment (VI) showing left frontal brain activity at one year had increased emotional reactivity later. This EEG measure may help identify behavioral risks in young children with VI.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Young children with congenital visual impairment (VI) exhibit higher risks for behavioral issues.
- Frontal electroencephalogram (EEG) asymmetry is a potential biomarker for behavioral risk in vulnerable populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate frontal EEG asymmetry in infants with VI at 1 year.
- To examine the longitudinal association between frontal asymmetry and behavior at 2 years in infants with VI.
- To compare frontal asymmetry in infants with VI to typically sighted (TS) infants.
Main Methods:
- 128-channel EEG recordings were obtained from 22 infants with VI and 10 TS infants at 1 year.
- Frontal asymmetry ratios were calculated using alpha band power spectral density.
- Behavioral data for the VI sample was collected using the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist at 2 years.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in frontal asymmetry was observed between the VI and TS groups.
- 22.7% of infants with VI exhibited internalizing behavior difficulties.
- Greater left frontal asymmetry at 1 year significantly correlated with higher emotionally reactive scores at 2 years (r=0.50, p=0.02) in the VI sample.
Conclusions:
- Left frontal asymmetry in infancy is associated with later behavioral risk in children with visual impairment.
- Frontal EEG asymmetry shows promise as a tool for assessing risk in infants with VI.
Objective:
Young children with congenital visual impairment (VI) are at increased risk of behavioral vulnerabilities. Studies on 'at risk' populations suggest that frontal EEG asymmetry may be associated with behavioral risk. We investigated frontal asymmetry at 1year (Time 1), behavior at 2years (Time 2) and their longitudinal associations within a sample of infants with VI. Frontal asymmetry in the VI sample at 1year was also compared cross-sectionally to an age-matched typically sighted (TS) group.
Methods:
At Time 1, 22 infants with VI and 10 TS infants underwent 128-channel EEG recording. Frontal asymmetry ratios were calculated from power spectral density values in the alpha frequency band. At Time 2, Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist data was obtained for the VI sample.
Results:
63.6% of the VI sample and 50% of the TS sample showed left frontal asymmetry; no significant difference in frontal asymmetry was found between the two groups. 22.7% of the VI sample had subclinical to clinical range 'internalizing' behavior difficulties. Greater left frontal asymmetry at one year was significantly associated with greater emotionally reactive scores at two years within the VI sample (r=0.50, p=0.02).
Conclusions:
Left frontal asymmetry correlates with later behavior risk within this vulnerable population.
Significance:
These findings make an important first contribution regarding the utility of frontal EEG asymmetry as a method to investigate risk in infants with VI.
