overview: Prolonged exposure to screens in infancy was associated with reduced autoregulation and brain immaturity at age 8.
sauce: Science and Technology Agency
From an early age, more and more children are exposed to mobile digital devices as a means of entertainment and recreation.
A longitudinal cohort study conducted in Singapore confirmed that excessive screen time in infancy was associated with adverse cognitive outcomes, which continues to be evident after age eight.
The research team examined data from 506 children enrolled in the Growing Towards Healthy Outcomes in Singapore (GUSTO) cohort study from birth.
When children were 12 months old, parents were asked to report the average amount of screen time consumed each weekday and weekend. Children were then classified into her four groups based on screen time per day: <1 hour, 1–2 hours, 2–4 hours, and >4 hours. At 18 months of age, brain activity was also collected using electroencephalography (EEG), a sensitive tool that tracks changes in brain activity.
In addition to electroencephalography, each child participated in a range of cognitive tests at age 9 that measure attention span and executive function (sometimes called self-regulatory skills).
The team first looked at the relationship between screen time and EEG brain activity. EEG measurements revealed that infants exposed to more screen time had more “low frequency” waves. This is a condition that correlates with a lack of cognitive arousal.
To investigate whether the observed changes in screen time and brain activity had adverse consequences later in childhood, the research team examined the same child at three time points (12 months, 18 months and 9 months). years) were analyzed for all data. More cognitive deficits were measured with greater altered brain activity and longer screen time.
Children with executive dysfunction often have difficulty controlling impulses and emotions, sustaining attention, following multi-step instructions, and completing difficult tasks.
A child’s brain grows rapidly from birth until early childhood. But the part of the brain that controls executive function, the prefrontal cortex, has been developing longer.
Executive functions include the ability to sustain attention, process information, and regulate emotional states. All of these are essential for learning and school performance. An advantage of this slow growth of the prefrontal cortex is that the permeation and formation of executive function skills can occur across grades up to higher education.
However, this same region of the brain responsible for executive function skills is highly vulnerable to long-term environmental influences.
This study points to excessive screen time as one of the environmental influences that can impede the development of executive function. It is suggested that there is a problem.
When viewing a screen, infants are exposed to a series of fast-paced movements, ongoing flashes of lights, and scene changes that require sufficient cognitive resources to comprehend and process. The brain becomes “overwhelmed” and leaves insufficient resources to mature cognitive skills such as executive function.
Researchers are also concerned that families who allow very young children to have hours of screen time often face additional problems. It includes stressors such as mood problems. More research needs to be done to understand the reasons behind excessive screen time in young children.
Further efforts are needed to distinguish direct associations between infant screen use and familial factors that predispose to early screen use of executive dysfunction.
The study was a collaboration of researchers from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine), A*STAR’s Singapore Institute of Clinical Sciences (SICS), the National Institute of Education, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, and McGill. was. University and Harvard Medical School.Published in JAMA Pediatrics January 31, 2023.
Lead author Dr. Evelyn Law of NUS Medicine and the Translational Neuroscience Program at SICS said: Dr. Law is also a Consultant in Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at Khoo Teck Puat – National University Children’s Medical Institute, National University Hospital.
Professor Chong Yap Seng, Dean of Medicine at NUS and Chief Clinical Officer of SICS, added:
“These results bring us one step closer to better understanding how environmental influences affect the health and development of children. will enable us to make more informed decisions to improve the health and potential of all Singaporeans.”
Professor Michael Meaney, Program Director of the Translational Neuroscience Program at SICS, said: brain.
About this technology and brain development research news
author: Charmaine Law
sauce: Institute of Science and Technology
contact: Sharmaine Loh – Agency for Science, Technology and Research
image: image is public domain
Original research: open access.
“Associations between screen use, EEG markers, and cognitive outcomes in infants’ Evelyn Law et al. JAMA Pediatrics
overview
Associations between screen use, EEG markers, and cognitive outcomes in infants
Importance
See also
There is increasing research evidence for an association between screen use in infants and negative cognitive outcomes related to attention and executive function. The nature, timing, and persistence of screen time exposure on neuronal function are currently unknown. Electroencephalography (EEG) enables elucidation of neural correlates associated with cognitive impairment.
Purpose
To examine associations between infant screen time, EEG markers, and school-age cognitive outcomes using mediation analysis with structural equation modeling.
design, setting, participants
This prospective mother-child cohort study included participants from the population-based study Growing Up in Singapore Toward Healthy Outcomes (GUSTO). The expectant mother was enrolled for her first trimester from June 2009 to December 2010. A subset of children who completed neurodevelopmental testing at age 12 months and her 9 years had electroencephalography at age 18 months. Data were reported from her three time points at 12 months, 18 months, and her 9 years. Using mediation analysis, we investigated how neural correlates are involved in the pathway from infant screen time to potential components of attention and executive function. Data for this study were collected from November 2010 to March 2020 and analyzed from October 2021 to May 2022.
Exposure
Parent-reported screen time at 12 months of age.
Main achievements and countermeasures
Power spectral densities from EEG were collected at 18 months of age. Children’s attention and executive function were measured with teacher-reported questionnaires and objective laboratory-based tasks at age 9 years.
result
In this sample of 437 children, the mean (SD) age at follow-up was 8.84 (0.07) years, and 227 children (51.9%) were male. Her mean (SD) daily screen time at 12 months was 2.01 (1.86) hours. Screen time at 12 months of age contributed to multiple measures of her 9-year attention and executive function (η20.03-0.16; Cohen d, 0.35-0.87). A subset of 157 children had electroencephalography at 18 months of age. Midfrontal and parietal EEG relative theta power and theta/beta ratio showed a graded correlation with 12 months of screen use (r= 0.35-0.37). In a structural equation model to explain household income, the central frontal to parietal theta/beta ratio partially mediated the association between infant screen time and executive function at school age (exposure-mediator β, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.22 to 0.59; mediator-result β, -0.38; 95% CI, -0.64 to -0.11), forming an indirect path accounting for 39.4% of associations.
Conclusion and relevance
In this study, screen use in infants was associated with changes in cortical EEG activity before age 2 years. Identified EEG markers mediated associations between screen time and executive function in infants. Further efforts are urgently needed to distinguish direct associations between infant screen use and familial factors predisposing to early screen use of executive dysfunction.
