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Lee GM, Rodríguez Deliz CL, Bushnell BN, Majaj NJ, Movshon JA, Kiorpes L. Developmentally stable representations of naturalistic image structure in macaque visual cortex. Cell Rep 2024; 43:114534. [PMID: 39067025 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2024] [Revised: 06/17/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024] Open
Abstract
To determine whether post-natal improvements in form vision result from changes in mid-level visual cortex, we studied neuronal and behavioral responses to texture stimuli that were matched in local spectral content but varied in "naturalistic" structure. We made longitudinal measurements of visual behavior from 16 to 95 weeks of age, and of neural responses from 20 to 56 weeks. We also measured behavioral and neural responses in near-adult animals more than 3 years old. Behavioral sensitivity reached half-maximum around 25 weeks of age, but neural sensitivities remained stable through all ages tested. Neural sensitivity to naturalistic structure was highest in V4, lower in V2 and inferotemporal cortex (IT), and barely discernible in V1. Our results show a dissociation between stable neural performance and improving behavioral performance, which may reflect improved processing capacity in circuits downstream of visual cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerick M Lee
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | | | | | - Najib J Majaj
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
| | - J Anthony Movshon
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA.
| | - Lynne Kiorpes
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA.
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2
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Adolph KE, Schmuckler MA. What we don't know about what babies know: Reconsidering psychophysics, exploration, and infant behavior. Behav Brain Sci 2024; 47:e121. [PMID: 38934452 PMCID: PMC11212672 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x23003217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
Researchers must infer "what babies know" based on what babies do. Thus, to maximize information from doing, researchers should use tasks and tools that capture the richness of infants' behaviors. We clarify Gibson's views about the richness of infants' behavior and their exploration in the service of guiding action - what Gibson called "learning about affordances."
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen E Adolph
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, USA ://www.nyuactionlab.com/
| | - Mark A Schmuckler
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Scarborough, ON, Canada; ://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/labs/infant/
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3
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Mitelut C, Diez Castro M, Peterson RE, Goncalves M, Li J, Gamer MM, Nilsson SRO, Pereira TD, Sanes DH. A behavioral roadmap for the development of agency in the rodent. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.11.10.566632. [PMID: 38014127 PMCID: PMC10680634 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.10.566632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Behavioral interactions within the nuclear family play a pivotal role in the emergence of agency: the capacity to regulate physiological, psychological and social needs. While behaviors may develop over days or weeks in line with nervous system maturation, individual behaviors can occur on sub-second time scales making it challenging to track development in lab studies with brief observation periods, or in field studies with limited temporal precision and animal identification. Here we study development in families of gerbils, a highly social rodent, collecting tens of millions of behavior time points and implementing machine learning methods to track individual subjects. We provided maturing gerbils with a large, undisturbed environment between postnatal day 15 and the age at which they would typically disperse from the family unit (day 30). We identified complex and distinct developmental trajectories for food and water acquisition, solitary exploration, and social behaviors, some of which displayed sex differences and diurnal patterns. Our work supports the emergence of well-delineated autonomous and social behavior phenotypes that correlate with specific periods and loci of neural maturation.
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4
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Lee GM, Rodríguez-Deliz CL, Bushnell BN, Majaj NJ, Movshon JA, Kiorpes L. Developmentally stable representations of naturalistic image structure in macaque visual cortex. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.24.581889. [PMID: 38463955 PMCID: PMC10925106 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.24.581889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
We studied visual development in macaque monkeys using texture stimuli, matched in local spectral content but varying in "naturalistic" structure. In adult monkeys, naturalistic textures preferentially drive neurons in areas V2 and V4, but not V1. We paired behavioral measurements of naturalness sensitivity with separately-obtained neuronal population recordings from neurons in areas V1, V2, V4, and inferotemporal cortex (IT). We made behavioral measurements from 16 weeks of age and physiological measurements as early as 20 weeks, and continued through 56 weeks. Behavioral sensitivity reached half of maximum at roughly 25 weeks of age. Neural sensitivities remained stable from the earliest ages tested. As in adults, neural sensitivity to naturalistic structure increased from V1 to V2 to V4. While sensitivities in V2 and IT were similar, the dimensionality of the IT representation was more similar to V4's than to V2's.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerick M. Lee
- Center for Neural Science New York University New York, NY, USA 10003
| | | | | | - Najib J. Majaj
- Center for Neural Science New York University New York, NY, USA 10003
| | | | - Lynne Kiorpes
- Center for Neural Science New York University New York, NY, USA 10003
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5
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Saksida A, Langus A. Object labeling and disambiguation in 4-month-old infants. Child Dev 2024; 95:462-480. [PMID: 37587752 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Revised: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
The account that word learning starts in earnest during the second year of life, when infants have mastered the disambiguation skills, has recently been challenged by evidence that infants during the first year already know many common words. The preliminary ability to rapidly map and disambiguate linguistic labels was tested in Italian-speaking infants (N = 96, 47 boys; age = 4 and 6 months, eye tracking). Infants can rapidly map linguistic labels to objects and movements, and disambiguate the intended referents to novel words, but they fail with sinewave analogs. In hearing infants, mapping and disambiguation emerge early in development, and are flexible as to which visual referents infants are willing to map to linguistic labels, but may be constrained to linguistic sounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Saksida
- Institute for Maternal and Child Health-IRCCS "Burlo Garofolo"-Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Alan Langus
- Cognitive Sciences, Department of Linguistics, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
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6
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Calce RP, Rekow D, Barbero FM, Kiseleva A, Talwar S, Leleu A, Collignon O. Voice categorization in the four-month-old human brain. Curr Biol 2024; 34:46-55.e4. [PMID: 38096819 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.11.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Revised: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
Voices are the most relevant social sounds for humans and therefore have crucial adaptive value in development. Neuroimaging studies in adults have demonstrated the existence of regions in the superior temporal sulcus that respond preferentially to voices. Yet, whether voices represent a functionally specific category in the young infant's mind is largely unknown. We developed a highly sensitive paradigm relying on fast periodic auditory stimulation (FPAS) combined with scalp electroencephalography (EEG) to demonstrate that the infant brain implements a reliable preferential response to voices early in life. Twenty-three 4-month-old infants listened to sequences containing non-vocal sounds from different categories presented at 3.33 Hz, with highly heterogeneous vocal sounds appearing every third stimulus (1.11 Hz). We were able to isolate a voice-selective response over temporal regions, and individual voice-selective responses were found in most infants within only a few minutes of stimulation. This selective response was significantly reduced for the same frequency-scrambled sounds, indicating that voice selectivity is not simply driven by the envelope and the spectral content of the sounds. Such a robust selective response to voices as early as 4 months of age suggests that the infant brain is endowed with the ability to rapidly develop a functional selectivity to this socially relevant category of sounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta P Calce
- Crossmodal Perception and Plasticity Laboratory, Institute of Research in Psychology (IPSY) and Institute of Neuroscience (IoNS), Université Catholique de Louvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
| | - Diane Rekow
- Development of Olfactory Communication and Cognition Lab, Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Université de Bourgogne, CNRS, Inrae, Institut Agro Dijon, 21000 Dijon, France; Biological Psychology and Neuropsychology, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Francesca M Barbero
- Crossmodal Perception and Plasticity Laboratory, Institute of Research in Psychology (IPSY) and Institute of Neuroscience (IoNS), Université Catholique de Louvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Anna Kiseleva
- Development of Olfactory Communication and Cognition Lab, Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Université de Bourgogne, CNRS, Inrae, Institut Agro Dijon, 21000 Dijon, France
| | - Siddharth Talwar
- Crossmodal Perception and Plasticity Laboratory, Institute of Research in Psychology (IPSY) and Institute of Neuroscience (IoNS), Université Catholique de Louvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Arnaud Leleu
- Development of Olfactory Communication and Cognition Lab, Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Université de Bourgogne, CNRS, Inrae, Institut Agro Dijon, 21000 Dijon, France
| | - Olivier Collignon
- Crossmodal Perception and Plasticity Laboratory, Institute of Research in Psychology (IPSY) and Institute of Neuroscience (IoNS), Université Catholique de Louvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium; School of Health Sciences, HES-SO Valais-Wallis, The Sense Innovation and Research Center, 1007 Lausanne & Sion, Switzerland.
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Portugal AM, Viktorsson C, Taylor MJ, Mason L, Tammimies K, Ronald A, Falck-Ytter T. Infants' looking preferences for social versus non-social objects reflect genetic variation. Nat Hum Behav 2024; 8:115-124. [PMID: 38012276 PMCID: PMC10810753 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-023-01764-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
To what extent do individual differences in infants' early preference for faces versus non-facial objects reflect genetic and environmental factors? Here in a sample of 536 5-month-old same-sex twins, we assessed attention to faces using eye tracking in two ways: initial orienting to faces at the start of the trial (thought to reflect subcortical processing) and sustained face preference throughout the trial (thought to reflect emerging attention control). Twin model fitting suggested an influence of genetic and unique environmental effects, but there was no evidence for an effect of shared environment. The heritability of face orienting and preference were 0.19 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.04 to 0.33) and 0.46 (95% CI 0.33 to 0.57), respectively. Face preference was associated positively with later parent-reported verbal competence (β = 0.14, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.25, P = 0.014, R2 = 0.018, N = 420). This study suggests that individual differences in young infants' selection of perceptual input-social versus non-social-are heritable, providing a developmental perspective on gene-environment interplay occurring at the level of eye movements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Maria Portugal
- Development and Neurodiversity Lab (DIVE), Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
- Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Women's and Childrn's Health, Karolinska Institutet & Stockholm Health Care Services, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Charlotte Viktorsson
- Development and Neurodiversity Lab (DIVE), Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Mark J Taylor
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Luke Mason
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Kristiina Tammimies
- Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Women's and Childrn's Health, Karolinska Institutet & Stockholm Health Care Services, Stockholm, Sweden
- Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Angelica Ronald
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK
| | - Terje Falck-Ytter
- Development and Neurodiversity Lab (DIVE), Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
- Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Women's and Childrn's Health, Karolinska Institutet & Stockholm Health Care Services, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study, Uppsala, Sweden.
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8
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Bayne T, Frohlich J, Cusack R, Moser J, Naci L. Consciousness in the cradle: on the emergence of infant experience. Trends Cogn Sci 2023; 27:1135-1149. [PMID: 37838614 PMCID: PMC10660191 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2023.08.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/16/2023]
Abstract
Although each of us was once a baby, infant consciousness remains mysterious and there is no received view about when, and in what form, consciousness first emerges. Some theorists defend a 'late-onset' view, suggesting that consciousness requires cognitive capacities which are unlikely to be in place before the child's first birthday at the very earliest. Other theorists defend an 'early-onset' account, suggesting that consciousness is likely to be in place at birth (or shortly after) and may even arise during the third trimester. Progress in this field has been difficult, not just because of the challenges associated with procuring the relevant behavioral and neural data, but also because of uncertainty about how best to study consciousness in the absence of the capacity for verbal report or intentional behavior. This review examines both the empirical and methodological progress in this field, arguing that recent research points in favor of early-onset accounts of the emergence of consciousness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Bayne
- Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Brain, Mind, and Consciousness Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, Canada.
| | - Joel Frohlich
- Institute for Neuromodulation and Neurotechnology, University Hospital and University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies, Santa Monica, CA, USA
| | - Rhodri Cusack
- Thomas Mitchell Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Julia Moser
- Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Lorina Naci
- Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience and Global Brain Health Institute, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
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9
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Petersen IT. Reexamining developmental continuity and discontinuity in the 21st century: Better aligning behaviors, functions, and mechanisms. Dev Psychol 2023:2024-18096-001. [PMID: 37856415 PMCID: PMC11026300 DOI: 10.1037/dev0001657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Developmental science aims to explain development across the lifespan. Jerome Kagan observed that the same behavior can occur for different reasons, and differing behaviors can occur for the same reason. To help account for persistence, desistence, and transformation of behavior across development, Kagan introduced various types of continuity and discontinuity of forms and functions of behavior. This framework provides opportunities for identifying explanatory mechanisms in behavior development. However, misconceptions remain in applying the concepts that Kagan introduced. Much of the literature assumes developmental continuity in constructs without examining whether assumptions are supported, leading to faulty developmental inferences. For instance, the use of the same measure across time to assess development assumes that the behavior occurs for the same reason across time (homotypic continuity). In addition, just because one behavior predicts a different behavior at a later time does not necessarily indicate that age-differing behaviors occur for the same reason (heterotypic continuity). This review aims to advance conceptualizations of continuity and discontinuity from a contemporary perspective with aims to improve mechanistic understanding of behavior development across the lifespan. To better align behaviors, functions, and mechanisms, research should (a) examine (dis)continuity of individual behaviors rather than merely syndromes, (b) identify the function(s) of the given behavior(s), and (c) identify the cognitive and biological processes that underlie the behavior-function pairs. Incorporating examples from research on development of humans and nonhuman animals, I discuss challenges from work that has followed Kagan's ideas and ways to advance understanding of continuity and discontinuity across development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- Isaac T Petersen
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa
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10
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Liu S, Raz G, Kamps F, Grossmann T, Saxe R. No evidence for discontinuity between infants and adults. Trends Cogn Sci 2023; 27:694-695. [PMID: 37321922 PMCID: PMC10524850 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2023.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Revised: 03/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Shari Liu
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Gal Raz
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Frederik Kamps
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Tobias Grossmann
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Rebecca Saxe
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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Blumberg MS, Adolph KE. Infant action and cognition: what's at stake? Trends Cogn Sci 2023; 27:696-698. [PMID: 37321923 PMCID: PMC10528200 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2023.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Mark S Blumberg
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Iowa Neuroscience Institute, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; DeLTA Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
| | - Karen E Adolph
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA.
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Dolinskaya IY, Solopova IA, Zhvansky DS, Rubeca D, Sylos-Labini F, Lacquaniti F, Ivanenko Y. Muscle Activity during Passive and Active Movements in Preterm and Full-Term Infants. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:biology12050724. [PMID: 37237537 DOI: 10.3390/biology12050724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Manifestation of muscle reactions at an early developmental stage may reflect the processes underlying the generation of appropriate muscle tone, which is also an integral part of all movements. In preterm infants, some aspects of muscular development may occur differently than in infants born at term. Here we evaluated early manifestations of muscle tone by measuring muscle responses to passive stretching (StR) and shortening (ShR) in both upper and lower limbs in preterm infants (at the corrected age from 0 weeks to 12 months), and compared them to those reported in our previous study on full-term infants. In a subgroup of participants, we also assessed spontaneous muscle activity during episodes of relatively large limb movements. The results showed very frequent StR and ShR, and also responses in muscles not being primarily stretched/shortened, in both preterm and full-term infants. A reduction of sensorimotor responses to muscle lengthening and shortening with age suggests a reduction in excitability and/or the acquisition of functionally appropriate muscle tone during the first year of life. The alterations of responses during passive and active movements in preterm infants were primarily seen in the early months, perhaps reflecting temporal changes in the excitability of the sensorimotor networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina Y Dolinskaya
- Institute for Information Transmission Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 127994, Russia
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny 141701, Russia
| | - Irina A Solopova
- Institute for Information Transmission Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 127994, Russia
| | - Dmitry S Zhvansky
- Institute for Information Transmission Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 127994, Russia
| | - Damiana Rubeca
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, 00179 Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Sylos-Labini
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, 00179 Rome, Italy
- Department of Systems Medicine and Center of Space Biomedicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Lacquaniti
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, 00179 Rome, Italy
- Department of Systems Medicine and Center of Space Biomedicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Yury Ivanenko
- Laboratory of Neuromotor Physiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, 00179 Rome, Italy
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Aslin RN, Fox NA, Lewkowicz DJ, Maurer D, Nelson CA, von Hofsten C. Multiple pathways to developmental continuity in infant cognition. Trends Cogn Sci 2023:S1364-6613(23)00097-9. [PMID: 37321924 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2023.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Nathan A Fox
- University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | | | | | - Charles A Nelson
- Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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Frohlich J, Bayne T, Crone JS, DallaVecchia A, Kirkeby-Hinrup A, Mediano PA, Moser J, Talar K, Gharabaghi A, Preissl H. Not with a “zap” but with a “beep”: measuring the origins of perinatal experience. Neuroimage 2023; 273:120057. [PMID: 37001834 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Revised: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
Abstract
When does the mind begin? Infant psychology is mysterious in part because we cannot remember our first months of life, nor can we directly communicate with infants. Even more speculative is the possibility of mental life prior to birth. The question of when consciousness, or subjective experience, begins in human development thus remains incompletely answered, though boundaries can be set using current knowledge from developmental neurobiology and recent investigations of the perinatal brain. Here, we offer our perspective on how the development of a sensory perturbational complexity index (sPCI) based on auditory ("beep-and-zip"), visual ("flash-and-zip"), or even olfactory ("sniff-and-zip") cortical perturbations in place of electromagnetic perturbations ("zap-and-zip") might be used to address this question. First, we discuss recent studies of perinatal cognition and consciousness using techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG), and, in particular, magnetoencephalography (MEG). While newborn infants are the archetypal subjects for studying early human development, researchers may also benefit from fetal studies, as the womb is, in many respects, a more controlled environment than the cradle. The earliest possible timepoint when subjective experience might begin is likely the establishment of thalamocortical connectivity at 26 weeks gestation, as the thalamocortical system is necessary for consciousness according to most theoretical frameworks. To infer at what age and in which behavioral states consciousness might emerge following the initiation of thalamocortical pathways, we advocate for the development of the sPCI and similar techniques, based on EEG, MEG, and fMRI, to estimate the perinatal brain's state of consciousness.
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