Before kids obtain the ability to smoothly track a moving object with their eyes, there is a brief period in infancy when this skill is out of reach. Visual tracking, a crucial milestone in our cognitive development, begins to develop about one month after birth.
In a recent publication in the journal Brain and Cognition, Patricia Silveira, an associate professor in McGill’s Department of Psychiatry, explored the relationship between visual tracking abilities in newborns and several factors, including the mother’s biological features, the surrounding environment, and neuromotor development in the infant. Various existing studies suggest that early development of visual tracking has a positive correlation with cognitive skills in the long run.
“I was always fascinated by the fact that you could check fine motor skills in newborns just by observing the way they could [visually] track a stimulus. In a way, you were testing their future capacity for handling objects, and could even predict things like cognition and more elaborated executive functions,” Silveira said in an interview with The Tribune.
Silveira was interested in investigating how the physical characteristics of both the infant and their surrounding environment were correlated with better eye-tracking capabilities.
She collected data from 51 pairs of mothers and their newborns through a series of home visits in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
“Maternal behaviour and this interaction with the baby is something that drastically influences development. But for this particular ability, it didn’t make a difference,” Silveira said. “The visual ability of the baby was much more linked to metabolic and nutritional aspects.”
When the mother’s breast milk had a higher concentration of proteins, the children tended to have a poorer capacity to track visually. However, breast milk with a higher concentration of prolactin and thyroxine—two hormones known for their involvement in child development—was correlated with better visual tracking capabilities.
Although Silveira’s study was conducted in Brazil, she made efforts to ensure the study was applicable to a global population.
“All the instruments that we use are instruments that exist in many different countries and are validated tools. For example, Coding Interactive Behaviour is classic for assessing maternal behaviour. So is the Alberta Infant Motor Scale, which is actually a Canadian tool, but it’s used in Brazil and many other places,” she explained.
In addition to Silveira’s research, there are numerous pediatric studies being conducted in Canada. One example is McGill’s Montreal Antenatal Well-Being Study, a national initiative which examines how different factors affect the likelihood of mothers developing mental health problems during and after pregnancy.
What differentiates Silveira’s research from the other studies is its focus on collecting in-depth data. The smaller sample size enabled her and her team to collect significantly more detailed information. During home visits, they were able to observe the mother-infant relationship and the living environment, and collect biological samples.
“We don’t have extensive numbers, but we have a very detailed phenotype, which can be an interesting way to look at the research question as well,” Silveira explained.
As both a pediatrician and a researcher, Silveira has long been involved in ground-breaking natal and perinatal studies. The significance of her work can be partially attributed to the philosophy that guides her.
“I think it’s very important to provide support to families and children very, very early and set them up for a good trajectory in life. What motivates me is to really make an impact for the lives of young children,” Silveira said.
Silveira’s work sheds light on the many factors that influence early visual motor skills. Continuing her dedication to her work and her drive to support families, Silveira plans to conduct larger prospective studies to confirm these findings and identify potential biomarkers for early neurodevelopmental outcomes in newborns.
