Development Of Visuospatial Abilities Research Articles

The hidden face of hemispherectomy: Visuo-spatial and visuo-perceptive processing after left or right functional hemispherectomy in 40 children

Functional hemispherectomy results in good outcomes in cases of refractory epilepsy and constitutes a unique situation in which to study cerebral plasticity and the reorganization of lateralized functions of the brain, especially in cases of infancy or childhood surgery. Previous studies have highlighted the remarkable ability of the brain to recover language after left hemispherectomy. This leads to a reorganization of language networks toward right hemisphere, causing limitation in the development of visuo-spatial abilities, known as a crowding effect in the right hemisphere. Deficits in nonverbal functions have also been described as a more direct consequence of right hemipherectomy, but the results from case studies have sometimes been contradictory. We conducted a group study which may effectively compare patients with left and right hemispherectomy and address the effects of the age of seizure onset and surgery. We analyzed the general visuo-spatial and visuo-perceptive abilities, including face and emotional facial expression processing, in a group of 40 patients aged 7–16 years with left (n = 24) or right (n = 16) functional hemispherectomy. Although the groups did not differ, on average, in general visuo-spatial and visuo-perceptive skills, patients with right hemispherectomy were more impaired in the processing of faces and emotional facial expressions compared with patients with left hemispherectomy. This may reflect a specific deficit in the perceptual processing of faces after right hemispherectomy. Results are discussed in terms of limited plasticity of the left hemisphere for facial and configural processing.

The development of visuospatial abilities and their impact on laparoscopic skill acquisition: a clinical longitudinal study

ObjectivesTo investigate how visuospatial abilities develop and influence intraoperative laparoscopic performance during surgical residency training programmes.BackgroundLaparoscopic surgery is a challenging technique to acquire and master. Visuospatial ability is an important attribute but most prior research have predominantly explored the influence of visuospatial abilities in lab-based settings and/or among inexperienced surgeons. Little is known about the impact of visuospatial profiles on actual laparoscopic performance and its role in shaping competency.MethodA longitudinal observational cohort study using a pair-matched design over 27 months. At baseline, visuospatial profiles of 43 laparoscopic surgeons of all expertise levels and 19 control subjects were compared. The development of visuospatial abilities and their association with intraoperative performance of 18 residency surgeons were monitored during the course of their laparoscopic training.ResultsLaparoscopic surgeons significantly outperformed the control group on the measure of spatial visualisation (U = 273.0, p = 0.03, η2 = 0.3). Spatial visualisation was found to be a significant predictor of laparoscopic expertise (R2 = 0.70, F (1.60) = 6.788, p = 0.01) and improved with laparoscopic training (B = 4.01, SE = 1.83, p = 0.02, 95% CI [0.40, 7.63]). From month 6 to 18, a strong positive correlation between spatial visualisation and intraoperative depth perception (r = 0.67, p < 0.01), bimanual dexterity (r = 0.60, p < 0.01), autonomy (r = 0.78, p < 0.01) and the total score (r = 0.70, p < 0.01) were observed but a strong relationship remained only with autonomy (r = 0.89, p < 0.01) and total score (r = 0.80, p < 0.01) at 18 months.ConclusionIn this longitudinal cohort study, visuospatial abilities associate with laparoscopic skills and improve with training. Spatial visualisation may be characteristic of laparoscopic expertise as it has clear association with competency development during laparoscopy residency training programme.

Long-Term Effect of Computer Game Addiction on the Development of Visuospatial Abilities in Children

There are evidences that children with computer game addiction have a risk for delay in the development of neurocognitive abilities. In our previous research we have shown that 8-year-old children with computer game addiction have weakness in visuospatial abilities (Kiselev, 2020). Do these children have long-term effect of game addiction on visuospatial abilities? The goal of this research is to reveal the impact of computer game addiction on the development of visuospatial abilities in children using the longitudinal approach.

Effects of a 6 Brick Duplo Block guided play intervention on pre-literate learners’ visual perception

Background: Literature reveals that guided play promotes the development of visuospatial abilities essential for learning to read, write and do mathematics. However, most of these findings have focused on older children who are already literate, and the tests and the instruments used were designed for children in Western contexts. Aim: As there is little data on the development of visuospatial abilities in pre-literate children in African contexts, this study set out to explore the effects of using a guided block play intervention on the development of these abilities in pre-literate children. Setting: The study was carried out in two classrooms (one experimental and the other comparative) in each of two schools, one in South Africa and one in Kenya. Methods: The study used a pre- and post-test, quasi-experimental, mixed-methods approach. The intervention and test used, namely, the Visual Perception Aspects Test, were designed and validated in African contexts. Results: The data revealed that using the 6 Brick Duplo Block guided play approach statistically significantly accelerated the development of visuospatial abilities in pre-literate children in the experimental groups over those in the control groups (no intervention). The data also revealed that the greatest improvements were made among children who had few prior opportunities to engage in guided play using physical manipulatives. Conclusion: The overall findings of the study suggest that the development of aspects of visuospatial perception is accelerated when teachers use this approach to facilitate guided play. This finding has implications for promoting the development of reading, writing and numeracy skills in pre-literate children.

X-Chromosome Insufficiency Alters Receptive Fields across the Human Early Visual Cortex.

Here, we investigated processing by receptive fields, a fundamental property of neurons in the visual system, using fMRI and population receptive field (pRF) mapping in 20 human females with monosomic Turner syndrome (TS) (mean age, 10.3 ± 2.0 years) versus 22 age- and sex-matched controls (mean age, 10.4 ± 1.9 years). TS, caused by X-chromosome haploinsufficiency in females, is associated with well-recognized effects on visuospatial processing, parieto-occipital cortical anatomy, and parietal lobe function. However, it is unknown whether these effects are related to altered brain structure and function in early visual areas (V1-V3) versus downstream parietal cortical regions. Results show that girls with TS have the following: (1) smaller volume of V1-V3, (2) lower average pRF eccentricity in early visual areas, and (3) sparser pRF coverage in the periphery of the visual field. Further, we examined whether the lower volume of early visual areas, defined using retinotopic mapping, in TS is due to smaller surface area or thinner cortex. Results show that girls with TS had a general reduction in surface area relative to controls in bilateral V1 and V2. Our data suggest the possibility that the smaller cortical surface area of early visual areas in girls with TS may be associated with a lower number of neurons, which in turn, leads to lesser coverage of the peripheral visual field compared to controls. These results indicate that X-chromosome haploinsufficiency associated with TS affects the functional neuroanatomy of early visual areas, and suggest that investigating pRFs in TS may shed insights into their atypical visuospatial processing.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Turner syndrome is caused by the absence of one of the two X-chromosomes in females. Using functional neuroimaging and population receptive field mapping, we find that chromosome dosage variation (X-monosomy) associated with Turner syndrome affects the functional neuroanatomy of the visual cortex. Specifically, girls with Turner syndrome have smaller early visual areas that provide lesser coverage of the peripheral visual field compared with healthy controls. Our observations provide compelling evidence that the X-chromosome affects not only parietal cortex, as described in previous studies, but also affects early visual areas. These findings suggest a paradigm change in understanding the effect of X-monosomy on the development of visuospatial abilities in humans.

Mindfulness training during pregnancy has positive effect on development of visuospatial abilities in children

Mindfulness training during pregnancy has positive effect on development of visuospatial abilities in children

A Battery For The Assessment of Visuo-Spatial Abilities Involved in Drawing Tasks

Drawing ability is a complex cognitive process that involves different aspects of visuo-spatial skills. To date, the link between these functions has not been deeply investigated because of the absence of a standardized test that globally analyzes the basic aspects of visuo-spatial processes. The aim of this study was to examine the dimensionality, reliability, and validity of a new battery assessing basic visuo-spatial abilities implied in drawing tasks. A total of 370 children (aged 4–11 years) participated in the study. In order to analyze the psychometric properties of the battery subscales, data were analyzed with a Rasch model and compared with other standardized tests. For each subscale items were compared and ordered on the latent trait, and the misfitting items eliminated. The results of this study provide evidence for the reliability and validity of the battery, and indicate that the battery can be a valid tool for researchers interested in investigating the development of visuo-spatial abilities and the relationship between basic visuo-spatial abilities and general cognitive abilities.

Perinatal dioxin exposure and later effects––a review

Negative effects of perinatal exposure to background levels of dioxins and PCBs in Europe and the USA have been documented. Four facets of development are reviewed in this paper: 1. Brain development and thyroid hormone metabolism. 2. Hepatic effects. 3. Hematopoietic system effects. 4. Lung function. Effects on IQ and behaviour have been documented in children on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Non-dioxin-like PCBs, measured in maternal and cord blood and current plasma samples have been implicated. Interference with thyroid hormone metabolism in the mother, in the foetus and in the newborn baby could be responsible for these effects on brain development. During early gestation the foetus is completely dependent on maternal thyroxine (T4). Lower T4 levels in the mother, caused by dioxins and PCBs, might negatively influence (early) brain development. It is plausible that the intrauterine dependency on maternal T4 and the high T4 need shortly after birth makes both these periods vulnerable for environmental influences. Effects of dioxin exposure on thyroid hormone metabolism have been described in the period shortly after birth. These effects are no longer found after two years of age indicating a transient effect. In animal studies, in utero exposure has led to effects on brain development due to abnormal induction of liver enzymes. This induction resulted in lower testosterone and estrogen levels, interfering with brain development in the vulnerable period of language development and the development of visuo-spatial abilities. In humans this developmental period occurs around the thirtieth week of pregnancy. Follow-up studies in puberty and adolescence of the different cohorts studied is necessary to evaluate these negative influences. Damaging effects on the liver found shortly after birth have proven to be transient. Effects on the haematopoietic system are clear immediately after birth, for instance on white blood cells and thrombocytes. An increase in middle ear infections (otitis media) in relation to current levels of PCBs at the age of 4 years was described in the Rotterdam study. Negative effects on lung function in the sense of increased obstruction was found after 8 years in relation to perinatal exposure to dioxins in the Zaandam study. This rather new finding might explain the sharp increase in lung problems in children in the Western world.

Visuo-spatial processing in congenitally blind people: is there a gender-related preference?

Several studies have shown that blind and sighted individuals are equally able to generate and process visuo-spatial images. However, differences emerge when active manipulation of information is required. A similar distinction has been reported in studies investigating gender-related preferences in visuo-spatial tasks indicating a male advantage in active tasks only. The present study investigates gender-related visuo-spatial preference in congenitally blind people by using active and passive working memory tasks. The results show significant effects due to gender and blindness; nevertheless, gender effects are more pronounced in the blind group and maximised in the active task. These data are interpreted within a theoretical framework that accounts for the different factors modulating the development of visuo-spatial abilities.