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Published on: December 7, 2018
Eye-tracking for longitudinal assessment of social cognition in children born preterm
Bethan Dean1, Lorna Ginnell1, Victoria Ledsham1
1MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Insights
Preterm infants show lower social attention initially but catch up by age 5. Gestational age and socioeconomic factors influence early social cognition development in preterm children.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Preterm birth is linked to social cognition deficits in infancy and childhood.
- Limited understanding exists regarding the long-term stability of social cognition and its neurodevelopmental links in preterm individuals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate social attentional preference in preterm and term-born infants using eye-tracking.
- To examine the stability of social cognition from infancy to 5 years.
- To explore relationships with neurodevelopment and socioeconomic status.
Main Methods:
- Eye-tracking was used with 81 preterm and 66 term infants at 7-9 months, with a subset re-assessed at 5 years.
- Three social tasks of increasing complexity were presented to measure social preference.
- Socioeconomic data and neurodevelopmental scores (Mullen Scales) were collected.
Main Results:
- Preterm infants had lower social preference scores at 7-9 months compared to term-born controls.
- Preterm children's scores increased significantly by 5 years, matching controls, while term-born scores remained stable.
- Low gestational age and socioeconomic deprivation were linked to reduced early social preference.
Conclusions:
- Preterm children exhibit reduced social attentional preference in infancy but achieve typical levels by 5 years.
- Early social cognition is influenced by gestational age and socioeconomic deprivation.
- Social cognition and neurodevelopment follow distinct trajectories post-preterm birth.
Background And Objectives:
Preterm birth is associated with atypical social cognition in infancy, and cognitive impairment and social difficulties in childhood. Little is known about the stability of social cognition through childhood, and its relationship with neurodevelopment. We used eye-tracking in preterm and term-born infants to investigate social attentional preference in infancy and at 5 years, its relationship with neurodevelopment and the influence of socioeconomic deprivation.
Methods:
A cohort of 81 preterm and 66 term infants with mean (range) gestational age at birth 28+5 (23+2 -33+0 ) and 40+0 (37+0 -42+1 ) respectively, completed eye-tracking at 7-9 months, with a subset re-assessed at 5 years. Three free-viewing social tasks of increasing stimulus complexity were presented, and a social preference score was derived from looking time to socially informative areas. Socioeconomic data and the Mullen Scales of Early Learning at 5 years were collected.
Results:
Preterm children had lower social preference scores at 7-9 months compared with term-born controls. Term-born children's scores were stable between time points, whereas preterm children showed a significant increase, reaching equivalent scores by 5 years. Low gestational age and socioeconomic deprivation were associated with reduced social preference scores at 7-9 months. At 5 years, preterm infants had lower Early Learning Composite scores than controls, but this was not associated with social attentional preference in infancy or at 5 years.
Conclusions:
Preterm children have reduced social attentional preference at 7-9 months compared with term-born controls, but catch up by 5 years. Infant social cognition is influenced by socioeconomic deprivation and gestational age. Social cognition and neurodevelopment have different trajectories following preterm birth.
