An individual senses the world and reflects feedbacks via independent behaviors. Such precise collaboration of the sensory and behavioral systems is fundamental to survival and evolution. When a sensory modality is altered, the behavioral system has the potential to fit in a substitute modality. However, the specific dynamics of human behaviors in response to sensory loss remain largely unknown due to the paucities of representative situations and large-scale samples. Here, the investigators focused on thousands of human infants who suffered varying degrees of visual stimuli deficiency in early stages, while their behavioral systems remained sensitive and thus retained high behavioral plasticity. Having access to this unique population provides an unprecedented opportunity to investigate the effect of diverse visual conditions on the behavioral system.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
4,196
A standardized apparatus, scenario, and procedure was applied to record all the behavioral phenotypes with minimized background interference and stimulation. For each standardized procedure, the guardian sits in the chair, holding the infant facing the stage. Each infant is given a few minutes to adapt to the surroundings and to be calm before recording. No hints or simulations are permitted during the entire process. The recording process lasted for over 5 minutes to ensure that behavioral phenotypes could be completely recorded.
Zhognshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University
Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
Behavioral dynamics
Eyeball movement (strabismus, nystagmus, and incongruous binocular movement); hand-related behaviors (eye rubbing, pressing, and poking); fixation-related behaviors (compulsive light gazing, compensatory head position, motionless fixation, and poor fixation); and eyelid reaction (frequent blinking, squint, and frown). Five experienced ophthalmologists identified the behaviors independently, and 2 professors with over 10 years of experience in pediatric ophthalmology department were consulted in cases of disagreement.
Time frame: baseline
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