The Impact of Motor Stimulation and Preterm Birth on Infant Visual Motion Perception

In this study, researchers used electroencephalography (EEG) to explore how motor stimulation and preterm birth affect the development of visual motion perception in infants during their first year of life. Infants from three groups, those receiving extra motor stimulation, a control group, and preterm infants, were tested using an optic flow paradigm. EEG data was recorded to examine their brain activity patterns. The researchers focused on visual evoked potentials (VEPs) and temporal spectral evolution (TSE) to understand the infants' response to visual motion. The results revealed that infants receiving extra motor stimulation showed faster brain responses to visual motion compared to both the control group and preterm infants. This suggests that the additional motor stimulation had a positive impact on their visual motion perception. On the other hand, preterm infants did not show significant improvements in their brain responses to visual motion with age. Their responses were different from the control group and the infants receiving extra motor stimulation. Furthermore, the analysis of brain activity patterns showed differences between the groups. Extra-stimulated infants displayed specific neural activities associated with visual motion, while preterm infants showed more widespread patterns of activity, possibly indicating impairments in the visual processing areas of their brains. Overall, the findings suggest that the development of visual motion perception in infants is influenced by factors such as motor stimulation and preterm birth. The study highlights the importance of enriched stimulation for optimal development and raises awareness of potential challenges faced by preterm infants in processing visual motion information.

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