Understanding light in the late term human fetus: Proof of concept for social research techniques
Lead Research Organisation:
Lancaster University
Department Name: Psychology
Abstract
Recently it has been determined that a human fetus lives in an environment which is not dark. This joint project between Lancaster and Durham Universities, seeks to understand how human fetuses respond to aspects of the world related to social information. The aim of this project is to send light to the fetus. Within that light, we will present shapes which are face-like in shape. A human fetus will have never seen a face before. When a baby is first born, she will look at faces more than any other form of visual stimulus. We are aiming to understand if this is something that is learned quickly after birth, or if human genes mean that we look at faces more than anything else. If there is a genetic basis for this behavior, we will find that fetuses will look at a face-like stimulus more when we present it in an upright orientation when compared to showing this to them upside down.
Before we do this, we need to first understand how light moves through skin, muscle and fat. We want the light to be the same for all fetuses, which means we need to create a device that can take into account these factors for every individual mother and fetus.
Investigating how human fetuses understand things before they are born will tell us about the relationship between early learning and the environment. This work may also tell us how the understanding of social information related to other people changes in early development.
This project has potential impacts and benefits related to our understanding of early learning. This has implications for our understanding of the development of different forms of developmental disorders that have a social deficit, such as autism. This is because the ability to process aspects of social information is often impaired in those diagnosed with autism. Therefore, in order to map the parameters of autism, we first need to understand how these systems work in typically developing populations, including the role of the environment for early learning and what babies prefer to look at.
Before we do this, we need to first understand how light moves through skin, muscle and fat. We want the light to be the same for all fetuses, which means we need to create a device that can take into account these factors for every individual mother and fetus.
Investigating how human fetuses understand things before they are born will tell us about the relationship between early learning and the environment. This work may also tell us how the understanding of social information related to other people changes in early development.
This project has potential impacts and benefits related to our understanding of early learning. This has implications for our understanding of the development of different forms of developmental disorders that have a social deficit, such as autism. This is because the ability to process aspects of social information is often impaired in those diagnosed with autism. Therefore, in order to map the parameters of autism, we first need to understand how these systems work in typically developing populations, including the role of the environment for early learning and what babies prefer to look at.
Planned Impact
Who will Benefit from this Research?
The primary target audience of this research will be academics who focus on developmental psychology. Other groups which may benefit from this research are the wider community, particularly pregnant women and new mothers. The final group who will benefit from this research are clinicians in obstetrics.
How will They Benefit from this Research?
Traditionally, academics focussing on fetal development have had little engagement with academics who focus on postnatal development. This work will directly link these two research groups and bridge this divide. This work will show how these methods can resolve issues that confront infancy researchers. The wider community also has a substantial interest in research involving our understanding of early development.
The question of the development of fetal orientation to a light source representing a schematized face is of interest both theoretically and practically to the wider community. We expect the results of this study to be of interest to pregnant women especially as increased understanding of late term fetal development is actively linked to early bonding and prosocial dyadic attachment mechanisms.
This work may also have interest for clinicians in obstetrics and gynaecology as well as radiographers. The techniques to be used to measure facial expressions and other forms of fetal behaviour, such as orientation of stimuli, are reasonably well mapped. These have not, to date, been applied to experimental scenarios which have involved 4d-2d measures. The rationale for selecting these measures, together with the technical aspects of how these data have been collected, is likely to generate interest from the clinical perspective.
The primary target audience of this research will be academics who focus on developmental psychology. Other groups which may benefit from this research are the wider community, particularly pregnant women and new mothers. The final group who will benefit from this research are clinicians in obstetrics.
How will They Benefit from this Research?
Traditionally, academics focussing on fetal development have had little engagement with academics who focus on postnatal development. This work will directly link these two research groups and bridge this divide. This work will show how these methods can resolve issues that confront infancy researchers. The wider community also has a substantial interest in research involving our understanding of early development.
The question of the development of fetal orientation to a light source representing a schematized face is of interest both theoretically and practically to the wider community. We expect the results of this study to be of interest to pregnant women especially as increased understanding of late term fetal development is actively linked to early bonding and prosocial dyadic attachment mechanisms.
This work may also have interest for clinicians in obstetrics and gynaecology as well as radiographers. The techniques to be used to measure facial expressions and other forms of fetal behaviour, such as orientation of stimuli, are reasonably well mapped. These have not, to date, been applied to experimental scenarios which have involved 4d-2d measures. The rationale for selecting these measures, together with the technical aspects of how these data have been collected, is likely to generate interest from the clinical perspective.
Organisations
Publications
Dunn K
(2015)
The functional foetal brain: A systematic preview of methodological factors in reporting foetal visual and auditory capacity.
in Developmental cognitive neuroscience
Reissland N
(2016)
Do fetuses move their lips to the sound that they hear? An observational feasibility study on auditory stimulation in the womb.
in Pilot and feasibility studies
Reid VM
(2017)
The Human Fetus Preferentially Engages with Face-like Visual Stimuli.
in Current biology : CB
Reid VM
(2017)
The Human Fetus Preferentially Engages with Face-like Visual Stimuli.
in Current biology : CB
Reid VM
(2018)
Response to Scheel et al.
in Current biology : CB
Reid VM
(2018)
The Human Fetus Preferentially Engages with Face-like Visual Stimuli.
in Current biology : CB
Donovan T
(2020)
Fetal eye movements in response to a visual stimulus.
in Brain and behavior
Description | This project has explored three different methods of presenting shapes through light to the late-term fetus, in order to assess fetal visual processing. In the first (A), light is presented in the peripheral field of the fetus and held constant for a total of 45 seconds per trial. Trials consisting of different shapes are alternated and counterbalanced. In the second (B), light is presented using a procedure akin to the first. The light intensity is constantly varied within a trial. In these two designs, accumulated looking time towards the light is measured. In the final design (C), the light is presented in the peripheral field of the fetus and then moved away for approximately 7 seconds. This is repeated up to five times per shape presented. In response, the number of trials in which the fetus makes a head turn in order to track the light is measured. We have established that the human fetus will orient towards, and track shapes around the uterus that are presented through light. This work has therefore provided evidence of measurable behavioural responses in the late-term fetus using 4D ultrasound technology. Of the experiments designed, the largest response rate (allowing enough data for statistical analysis) was found in response to the methods presented in experiment B, followed by experiment C with the lowest response rate found in experiment A. In a study of fetal processing of number, sets of 2 and 3 dots of light were presented in an alternating manner continuously to the side of the fetus for a length of 45 seconds per trial (design B). Significantly more fetuses looked towards than away from the 2-dot set. There was no significant difference in looking towards and away from the 3-dot set. Therefore, this shows a differential response to different number sets. Using design C, three dots in the configuration of eyes and a mouth within a face, or, the same three dots inverted, were presented to the side of the fetus before being moved away for approximately 7 seconds. In this study, more fetuses followed the upright face-like stimuli then the inverted face-like stimuli. The procedure used to obtain this yielded a high attrition rate, therefore, additional data collection must be completed in order to statistically verify fetal capacities to process face-like stimuli. This project has established two new research networks and collaborations. The primary investigator is currently working with Dr Robert Young within the Physics department at Lancaster University to improve on the light source designed within this project so that more complex visual stimuli can be presented to the fetus through maternal tissue. An application for a patent for this light source has been submitted (New UK patent applicant number 1520076.9). Research collaboration has also been established with Dr Tim Donovan within the Medical Imaging Unit at Cumbria University. This collaboration has been reinforced by a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow award to Dr. Kirsty Dunn at Lancaster, who will be working on fetal perceptual and cognitive mechanisms with Dr, Donovan. This grant has produced four peer reviewed outputs. The primary article was published in 2017 in Current Biology and induced substantial international media coverage. |
Exploitation Route | This project has the possibility of opening up an entire new area of research, specifically by encouraging the use of developmental procedures and techniques to measure abilities found in newborn infants but with a fetal population. This generates the possibility of further understanding the origins of development, as well as the developmental trajectory, of abilities in the transition from late gestation to the beginnings of postnatal life. The findings of this project have clearly been of great interest to the wider community, as determined by responses to national/international news coverage of the research. Projects of in this field can help families to understand more about how a late term fetus can respond to changes to light in the environment. The novelty of the approach and the implications of the work have resulted in coverage in locations such as Scientific American, New Scientist, USA Today, The Daily Telegraph, amongst other periodicals and press. |
Sectors | Education,Healthcare,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology,Other |
URL | http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/babylab/ |
Description | A patent has been applied for with view to developing links with medical imaging companies for IP exploitation. |
First Year Of Impact | 2014 |
Sector | Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology,Other |
Impact Types | Cultural |
Description | Early Career Fellowship |
Amount | £93,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | The Leverhulme Trust |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 01/2018 |
End | 12/2020 |
Description | Media engagement due to research outputs |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Ongoing media activity related to the research outputs of this grant. The media coverage of this research has been substantial, with multiple outlets covering the research outputs across the globe. This in turn sparked major social media discussion of this research field and the implications of this research. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017,2018 |
URL | https://cell.altmetric.com/details/20930205 |