The maturation of infant and toddler visual cortex neural activity and associations with fine motor performance.

Abstract

Our understanding of how visual cortex neural processes mature during infancy and toddlerhood is limited. Using magnetoencephalography (MEG), the present study investigated the development of visual evoked responses (VERs) in cross-sectional and longitudinal samples of infants and toddlers 2 months to 3 years. Brain space analyses focused on N1m and P1m latency, as well as N1m-to-P1m amplitude. Associations between VER measures and developmental quotient (DQ) scores in the cognitive/visual and fine motor domains were also examined. Results showed a nonlinear decrease in N1m and P1m latency as a function of age, characterized by rapid changes followed by slower progression, with the N1m latency plateauing at 6-7 months and the P1m latency plateauing at 8-9 months. The N1m-to-P1m amplitude also exhibited a non-linear decrease, with strong responses observed in younger infants (∼2-3 months) and then a gradual decline. Associations between N1m and P1m latency and fine motor DQ scores were observed, suggesting that infants with faster visual processing may be better equipped to perform fine motor tasks. The present findings advance our understanding of the maturation of the infant visual system and highlight the relationship between the maturation of the visual system and fine motor skills.