BOLD Response Selective to Flow-Motion in Very Young Infants |
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| Authors: | Laura Biagi Sofia Allegra Crespi Michela Tosetti Maria Concetta Morrone |
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| Affiliation: | 1. IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation, Calambrone, Pisa, Italy.; 2. Department of Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy.; 3. CERMAC and Neuroradiology Unit, San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy.; 4. Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.; University of Oregon, UNITED STATES, |
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| Abstract: | In adults, motion perception is mediated by an extensive network of occipital, parietal, temporal, and insular cortical areas. Little is known about the neural substrate of visual motion in infants, although behavioural studies suggest that motion perception is rudimentary at birth and matures steadily over the first few years. Here, by measuring Blood Oxygenated Level Dependent (BOLD) responses to flow versus random-motion stimuli, we demonstrate that the major cortical areas serving motion processing in adults are operative by 7 wk of age. Resting-state correlations demonstrate adult-like functional connectivity between the motion-selective associative areas, but not between primary cortex and temporo-occipital and posterior-insular cortices. Taken together, the results suggest that the development of motion perception may be limited by slow maturation of the subcortical input and of the cortico-cortical connections. In addition they support the existence of independent input to primary (V1) and temporo-occipital (V5/MT+) cortices very early in life. |
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