Investigating Differences in Infant Perception of Looming Motion: Insights from EEG Study

In this study, researchers used electroencephalogram (EEG) to examine how full-term and pre-term infants perceive and process visual stimuli of objects approaching in a collision course. The aim was to understand the developmental differences between these two groups of infants. The study focused on infants aged 4-5 months and 11-12 months. By analyzing visual evoked potentials (VEPs) and temporal spectral evolution (TSE), the researchers gained insights into the infants' brain electrical activity. The results showed that full-term infants at 11-12 months displayed more advanced responses compared to pre-term infants. Full-term infants were able to time their brain responses closer to the moment of collision, regardless of the speed of the approaching object. Additionally, they exhibited increased synchronized activity in the early beta frequency band, indicating specialized neuronal networks for visual motion perception. In contrast, pre-term infants did not show significant improvements in their timing of brain responses as they approached 11-12 months. They also had limited synchronized activity in the early beta frequency band. These findings suggest that pre-term infants may have challenges in processing visual motion and lacked efficient timing strategies. However, both full-term and pre-term infants showed a decrease in VEP duration at 11-12 months, indicating faster processing of the approaching objects. Further research is needed to better understand the neurobiological development in pre-term infants and provide early interventions to support their cognitive abilities and overall development. Early measures can help pre-term infants reach their full potential in intellectual and social aspects.

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