Development of hue selectivity in the visual cortex of infants

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K23388
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: 0110:Psychology and related fields
• Research Institution: Chuo University
• Principal Investigator: Yant Jiale 中央大学, 研究開発機構, 機構助教 (80844703)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-08-30 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 乳児 / 色相選択性 / 定常状態視覚誘発電位

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Recent studies in primates and in human have indicated the existence of neurons in the visual cortex that selectively respond to hues off the cardinal axes of cone-opponent color space (intermediate colors). However, it is unclear when and how the hue selectivity develops in the early developmental stage of the visual system. In the present study, we measured hue selectivity of brain activity in infants using steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs). Eight test hues were chosen from a hue circle in an equiluminant plane defined by the cone-opponent color space. The SSVEP response amplitudes in 30 5-6-months old infants were recorded. Our results revealed that infant’s SSVEP responses were more likely to be dominated by cone-opponent representation, in contrast to adults’ SSVEP responses in which amplitudes were significantly larger in intermediate hues (magenta and lime-green; Kaneko, Kuriki & Andersen, 2020).

Free Research Field

知覚心理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

近年乳児の色覚に関する研究が進み、低次レベルと高次レベルの色情報処理経路の発達について、ある程度解明されてきたが、色情報処理の中間レベルにあたる視覚野に色相選択性が存在するかは、研究手法が確立されていないため、全く明らかにされていない。本研究は、成人で確立された刺激の呈示手法を用い、5‐6ヶ月児における視覚野の色相選択性が発達していることを明らかにした。この成果は、乳児向けの視覚呈示ディスプレイの開発に役に立つと考えられる。