Developmental Differences in Perception of Visual Motion in Preterm Children

This study aimed to understand how brain activity in response to moving visual stimuli develops from infancy to school-age in preterm children compared to their full-term peers. The researchers used a method called high-density electroencephalogram (EEG) to measure brain activity in the children. Participants were tested at 4-5 months, 11-12 months, and 6 years old. The researchers measured their brain responses to moving visual stimuli on a trial-by-trial basis. The results showed that the full-term children gradually improved their ability to perceive and time the approaching motion as they grew older. In contrast, the preterm children showed slower development in their perception of visual motion. They only showed improvement between 11-12 months and 6 years, and their responses were longer and slower compared to the full-term children at both time points. Some preterm children also struggled to adjust their timing strategy based on the approaching motion. Analyzing brain activity, the researchers found that the full-term children displayed shorter and faster brain responses in higher frequency ranges as they grew older. However, the preterm children showed similar brain responses across all three test sessions, indicating a delay in their brain maturation. Motor function assessments conducted at 6 years did not show significant differences between the full-term and preterm children. Overall, the findings suggest that preterm children may experience developmental delays in perceiving visual motion, possibly due to the vulnerability of their visual processing pathways. Follow-up studies are needed to determine if these children catch up with their full-term peers as they get older or continue to exhibit impaired visual motion perception.

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