A VEP study in sleeping and awake one‐month‐old infants and its relation with social behavior

Abstract

With the present study we aimed to analyze the relationship between infants' behavior and their visual evoked-potential (VEPs) response. Specifically, we want to verify differences regarding the VEP response in sleeping and awake infants and if an association between VEP components, in both groups, with neurobehavioral outcome could be identified. To do so, thirty-two full-term and healthy infants, approximately 1-month of age, were assessed through a VEP unpatterned flashlight stimuli paradigm, offered in two different intensities, and were assessed using a neurobehavioral scale. However, only 18 infants have both assessments, and therefore, these is the total included in both analysis. Infants displayed a mature neurobehavioral outcome, expected for their age. We observed that P2 and N3 components were present in both sleeping and awake infants. Differences between intensities were found regarding the P2 amplitude, but only in awake infants. Regression analysis showed that N3 amplitude predicted an adequate social interactive and internal regulatory behavior in infants who were awake during the stimuli presentation. Taking into account that social orientation and regulatory behaviors are fundamental keys for social-like behavior in 1-month-old infants, this study provides an important approach for assessing physiological biomarkers (VEPs) and its relation with social behavior, very early in postnatal development. Moreover, we evidence the importance of the infant's state when studying differences regarding visual threshold processing and its association with behavioral outcome.

Vagal modulation of 1‐month‐old infants to auditory stimuli is associated with self‐regulatory behavior

“…However, for the purposes of this study, we selected Orientation and Regulation of State domains. Both domains are assumed to reflect adjusted social‐like characteristics in young infants since orienting (behavioral interactive characteristics) and regulatory abilities are suggested to be basic competences associated with the infant's ability to attend to and modulate their behavior in order to respond adequately to the surrounding environmental interactions (Brazelton & Nugent, ; Calkins, ; Cruz, Crego, Ribeiro, Goncalves, & Sampaio, ; Sprangler et al, ). We used the vagal response as a physiological marker correlated with adjusted social behavior in young infants (higher scores in these NBAS domains) since these two domains are associated with social features displayed by very young infants (Brazelton & Nugent, ; Lester et al, ) and the RSA measure is frequently used as an indicator of social engagement (Porges, ).…”

Visual evoked potentials are similar in polysomnographically defined quiet and active sleep in healthy newborns

“…Wakefulness is characterized by strong diffuse motor activity, open eyes and irregular breathing and a fourth behavioral state, indeterminate state, gradually disappears with age. Hence, the presence of different electrical activity during QS and AS in the newborn suggests a different brain response to visual stimulation during QS and AS; however, even though VEPs have often been studied in newborns to assess neurodevelopment and identify abnormal development of the visual pathways (Cruz et al, 2015; McGlone et al, 2013; Kato and Watanabe, 2006), not all studies in newborns have taken into account the behavioral state of infants when recording VEPs, thus the effect of sleep states on neonatal VEPs remains unclear.…”

“…Some studies in newborns have carried out VEPs recording only during wakefulness (Roy et al, 2004; Kraemer et al, 1999), some others differentiated between wakefulness and sleep and found significant differences in amplitude and latencies between the two states but did not analyze AS and QS separately (Cruz et al, 2015; Benavente et al, 2005; Tsuneishi et al, 1995). Those studies separating VEPs in QS and AS, based only on behavioral observation found no differences between the two states (Shepherd et al, 2000; Mercuri et al, 1995).…”

“…The early detection of abnormal development of the central nervous system of at-risk newborns is crucial for successful early intervention (Harmony et al, 2016;Spittle et al, 2015).VEPs have often been used because they are objective, sensitive to structural and functional brain damage, and do not require patient cooperation (Huang et al, 2016;McGlone et al, 2013). In newborns, a normal visual evoked response indicates adequate neural maturation of the cerebral cortex, according to the newborn's age (Cruz et al, 2015;Kato and Watanabe, 2006). Therefore, besides the significance of analyzing the effect of sleep upon brain response to visual stimulation, it is important to obtain better, more reliable, characterizations of VEPs in normal, full-term newborns in AS and QS.…”

Neonatal eyelid conditioning during sleep

“…Neonates process information while asleep. For example, they actively respond to auditory and visual stimuli while asleep (Cheour et al, 2002; Cruz, Crego, Ribeiro, Goncalves, & Sampaio, 2015; deRegnier, Nelson, Thomas, Wewerka, & Georgieff, 2000; Kotilahti et al, 2010; Sambeth, Ruohio, Alku, Fellman, & Huotilainen, 2008). Event related potential (ERP) studies show a differential response to mother’s voice versus a stranger’s voice (deRegnier et al, 2000) and a mis-match response to fearful versus angry voices (Zhang et al, 2014).…”