A series of experiments with infants ages 5 to 7 months has shown that portions of babies' brains responsible for visual processing respond not just to the presence of visual stimuli, but also to the mere expectation of visual stimuli, according to the researchers.
That type of sophisticated neural processing was once thought to happen only in adults and not infants, whose brains are still developing important neural connections.
The researchers exposed one group of infants to a pattern that included a sound -- like a honk from a clown horn or a rattle -- followed by an image of a red cartoon smiley face. Another group saw and heard the same things, but without any pattern.
The researchers used functional near-infrared spectroscopy, a technology that measures oxygenation in regions of the brain using light, to assess brain activity as the infants were exposed to the sounds and images.
After exposing the infants to the sounds and images for a little over a minute, the researchers began omitting the image. For the infants who had been exposed to the pattern, brain activity was detected in the visual areas of the brain even when the image didn't appear as expected.
"This shows that infants not only learn about their external worlds, but are ready -- from very early in life -- to make predictions about the co-occurrence of events on the basis of very brief previous experience. This work thus has the potential to transform future research on infant learning to focus not on just what infants can learn, but to look at learning as a more active process, focusing more on how learning begets subsequent learning
Edited
Latest News
Brain hormone regulate both…
By newseditor
Posted 17 Mar
Blocking long non-coding RN…
By newseditor
Posted 17 Mar
Artificial intelligence and…
By newseditor
Posted 17 Mar
Blood-brain barrier protein…
By newseditor
Posted 17 Mar
Preventing heart attacks an…
By newseditor
Posted 17 Mar
Other Top Stories
Why type 2 diabetes cases shoot up for women after menopause?
Read more
A non-invasive, adhesive patch to monitor blood glucose
Read more
Specific bacteria in the small intestine are crucial for fat absorp…
Read more
Variation in a gene affects how some women store fat – and ups thei…
Read more
Why alcohol, sugar lead to thirst
Read more
Protocols
Integration of Kupffer cell…
By newseditor
Posted 18 Mar
A mouse DRG genetic toolkit…
By newseditor
Posted 17 Mar
An optogenetic method for t…
By newseditor
Posted 13 Mar
Profiling native pulmonary…
By newseditor
Posted 08 Mar
Neuromuscular organoids mod…
By newseditor
Posted 06 Mar
Publications
Synaptopathy: presynaptic c…
By newseditor
Posted 18 Mar
Allergic Rhinitis
By newseditor
Posted 18 Mar
ALK upregulates POSTN and W…
By newseditor
Posted 18 Mar
PRODH safeguards human naiv…
By newseditor
Posted 18 Mar
Secretin-dependent signals…
By newseditor
Posted 17 Mar
Presentations
Hydrogels in Drug Delivery
By newseditor
Posted 12 Apr
Lipids
By newseditor
Posted 31 Dec
Cell biology of carbohydrat…
By newseditor
Posted 29 Nov
RNA interference (RNAi)
By newseditor
Posted 23 Oct
RNA structure and functions
By newseditor
Posted 19 Oct
Posters
A chemical biology/modular…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Aug
Single-molecule covalent ma…
By newseditor
Posted 04 Jul
ASCO-2020-HEALTH SERVICES R…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-HEAD AND NECK CANCER
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-GENITOURINARY CAN…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar