Prolonged Exposure to a Visual Pattern May Promote Behavioral Organization in Preterm Infants

Abstract

The article reports a study documenting preterm infants' responses to visual patterns placed in their incubators in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and the effects of long-term exposure to the patterns. In the first experiment, 20 preterm infants were exposed to a visual pattern in two conditions, stationary and rotating, during two successive exposure periods. Regardless of condition, the majority of infants looked longer at the visual display during the second exposure period and experienced decreased heart rates and quiet, alert states. In a second experiment, visual patterns placed in 9 preterm infants' incubators on transfer to the intermediate side of the NICU remained in the incubator until discharge. An additional 9 infants served as controls. Infants exposed to the visual patterns experienced fewer state changes and stronger visual skills than infants in incubators without visual displays. These findings, although tentative because of the relatively small sample sizes, suggest that visual patterns may promote behavioral organization and visual skills in preterm infants.

Preterm infants born at less than 31 weeks’ gestation have improved growth in cycled light compared with continuous near darkness

“…Auditory outcomes were evaluated to ensure the safety of CL because premature stimulation of one sensory system is known to influence the development of other sensory systems. 23,24 The finding of a higher BAER failure rate in the infants receiving CL at 32 weeks versus 36 weeks was unexpected. Because infants receiving CL from birth and at 36 weeks did not differ in BAER failure rates and there were no significant differences on later testing between the infants receiving CL at 32 weeks and CL at 36 weeks, these failure differences may be related to false-positives or problems with testing rather than a true maturational difference in auditory development.…”

“…Light exposure earlier than normal for an organism can facilitate some aspects of intersensory development. 23,24 It is also possible that ND is harmful to the retina. In healthy adults, retinal oxygen consumption is increased in darkness, with a concurrent increase in retinal blood flow to increase oxygen delivery.…”

Effects of perinatal visual stimulation on preference, growth, and mortality in African clawed frogs (Xenopus Laevis)

“…For example, premature infants are often incubated in environments characterized by bright lights and frequent noises. The impact of these environments on sensory system development and subsequent behavior has been of increasing concern to both parents and practitioners, but only recently has it been examined in a systematic fashion (Als, 1995;Dieter & Emory, 1997;Duffy, Als, & McAnulty, 1990;Gottfried, 1990;Marshall-Baker et al, 1998;Mouradian & Als, 1994). Duffy et al (1990) looked at the relationship between gestational age at birth and postnatal measures of behavioral and electrophysiological variables, administered at 42 weeks postconception.…”

“…Kiuchi, Nagata, Ikeno, and Terakawa (2000) documented fetal heart rate accelerations in response to a flashlight placed on pregnant females' abdomens. Marshall-Baker, Lickliter, and Cooper (1998) demonstrated that premature infants who had been exposed to prolonged visual stimulation exhibited decreased heart rate and quiet, alert states during the stimulus presentation, indicating a lowered level of arousal.…”

Neuromotor development and visual acuity in premature infants submitted to early visuo-motor stimulation.

“…Increased alertness and decreased length of hospitalization were the results of another program, which performed auditory, tactile, visual and vestibular interventions in 37 children for 15 minutes, twice daily, 5 days a week, until discharge from the hospital (White-Traut et al, 2002). Another study of preterm infant responses to stationary and rotational visual patterns placed in the incubators in the neonatal intensive care unit showed that visually stimulated infants experienced fewer state changes in the sleep-wakefulness cycle and stronger visual skills (fixation and tracking) than unstimulated infants (Marshall-Baker, Lickliter, & Cooper, 1998). These findings suggest that visual patterns may promote behavioral organization and visual skills in preterm infants.…”