Visual activation in infants and young children studied by functional magnetic resonance imaging

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 28, 2026

Scanning Dos and Don'ts: Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Awake Children Aged 3 to 5 Years to Assess Brain Structure and Function
07:31

Scanning Dos and Don'ts: Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Awake Children Aged 3 to 5 Years to Assess Brain Structure and Function

Published on: March 10, 2026

P Born1, H Leth, M J Miranda

  • 1Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Hvidovre Hospital, Denmark.

Pediatric Research
|October 17, 1998
PubMed

Insights

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) can examine visual stimulation in sleeping children. Infants showed decreased occipital cortex activity, unlike adults, suggesting developmental differences in visual processing.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Biology
  • Medical Imaging

Background:

  • Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a key tool for studying brain activity.
  • Understanding visual processing development in infants and young children is crucial.
  • Previous research has primarily focused on adult brain responses.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the feasibility of using fMRI to assess visual stimulation responses in sleeping infants and young children.
  • To compare brain activity patterns between young children and adults during visual stimulation.

Main Methods:

  • 17 children (3 days to 48 months) and 3 adults underwent fMRI.
  • Visual stimulation was administered using 8-Hz flickering light through closed eyelids.
  • Gradient echo-planar imaging was used on a 1.5-T MRI scanner.

Main Results:

  • fMRI successfully detected visual responses in 10 children, with a mean signal decrease of 2.21% in the occipital cortex.
  • Adult controls exhibited a mean signal increase of 2.82% in the occipital cortex.
  • Activation localization in the calcarine sulcus varied with age, being more restricted in younger infants.

Conclusions:

  • Visual stimulation can be examined in sleeping children using fMRI, revealing age-dependent differences in brain activity.
  • The observed signal decrease in children may indicate distinct neurovascular coupling mechanisms compared to adults.
  • Findings suggest developmental changes in visual cortex organization and retinal development influence brain responses.

More Related Videos

Neuroimaging Field Methods Using Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) Neuroimaging to Study Global Child Development: Rural Sub-Saharan Africa08:10

Neuroimaging Field Methods Using Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) Neuroimaging to Study Global Child Development: Rural Sub-Saharan Africa

Published on: February 2, 2018

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) of the Visual Cortex with Wide-View Retinotopic Stimulation07:11

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) of the Visual Cortex with Wide-View Retinotopic Stimulation

Published on: December 8, 2023

Related Concept Videos

Vision During Infancy and Toddlerhood01:23

Vision During Infancy and Toddlerhood

At birth, vision is the least developed of the major senses because the visual system is still structurally and neurologically immature. The retinas, optic nerves, and visual regions of the brain continue to mature after birth. As a result, newborns have limited visual acuity, or sharpness and clarity of vision, and respond best to objects viewed at close range, roughly 8 to 12 inches away.Rapid Visual DevelopmentVision improves rapidly during the first few months as infants observe and...
Magnetic Resonance Imaging01:24

Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a noninvasive medical imaging technique based on a phenomenon of nuclear physics discovered in the 1930s, in which matter exposed to magnetic fields and radio waves was found to emit radio signals. In 1970, a physician and researcher named Raymond Damadian noticed that malignant (cancerous) tissue gave off different signals than normal body tissue. He applied for a patent for the first MRI scanning device in clinical use by the early 1980s. The early MRI...
States of Arousal During Infancy01:30

States of Arousal During Infancy

States of arousal describe an infant’s physiological and behavioral condition during sleep, wakefulness, and activity. These states are regulated by the circadian rhythm, an internal biological clock that organizes daily patterns of rest and alertness. During infancy, arousal is commonly classified into five states: regular sleep, irregular sleep, drowsiness, alert inactivity, and waking activity.Regular and Irregular SleepDuring regular sleep, an infant’s eyes remain closed, breathing is slow...