Population receptive field tuning properties of visual cortex during childhood 2016-2019

Dekker, Tessa and Schwarzkopf, Sam and de Haas, Ben and Nardini, Marko and Sereno, Marty (2020). Population receptive field tuning properties of visual cortex during childhood 2016-2019. [Data Collection]. Colchester, Essex: UK Data Service. 10.5255/UKDA-SN-854114

There are many reports of improved precision of basic visual visuospatial perception in childhood, but it is unclear to which extent this depends on greater precision of information in the system, or more efficient read-out of this information by higher-order brain areas that form decisions and responses. The aim of this study was to investigate if spatial tuning functions of populations of neurons in visual cortex are adult-like or are still developing / becoming more precise from the age of 6 years onward.

Data description (abstract)

The aim of this study was to investigate if spatial tuning functions of populations of neurons in visual cortex are adult-like or are still developing / becoming more precise from the age of 6 years onward. We found no significant differences in pRF tuning properties. There are many reports of improved precision of basic visual visuospatial perception in childhood, but it is unclear to which extent this depends on greater precision of information in the system, or more efficient read-out of this information by higher-order brain areas that form decisions and responses. Results from pRF model fits combined with cortical surface measures are reported here.

Data creators:

Creator Name	Affiliation	ORCID (as URL)
Dekker Tessa	University College London	https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3616-2859
Schwarzkopf Sam	University of Auckland
de Haas Ben	Justus Liebig University
Nardini Marko	Durham University
Sereno Marty	San Diego Sate University

Sponsors:

Economic and Social Research Council

Grant reference:

ES/N000838/1

Topic classification:

Science and technology
Health
Psychology

Keywords:

functional magnetic resonance imaging, child development, vision, spatial vision, population receptive fields

Project title:

Using economic theory to understand children's risky visuomotor decisions

Grant holders:

Tessa Dekker

Project dates:

From	To
1 January 2016	31 August 2019

Date published:

12 May 2020 11:26

Last modified:

12 May 2020 11:27

Coverage and Methodology

Collection period:

Date from:	Date to:
1 January 2016	31 August 2019

Geographical area:

London

Country:

United Kingdom

Data collection method:

Sample: We tested 13 children aged 6-9 years (mean age = 8.7 (SD=0.8)), 17 children aged 9-12 years (mean age = 11.4 (SD=0.7)), and 7 adults (mean age = 11.4 (SD=0.7)). These all had normal or corrected to normal vision, and no known neurological abnormalities. They were recruited via local data-bases of volunteers, so this was an opportunity sample.
Design and Procedure: We measured functional MRI BOLD responses whilst children and adults viewed a simultaneous ring and wedge-shaped checkerboard traversing the screen they were viewing in the scanner (~14 degrees eccentricity). We then fit the BOLD response in the visual cortex with pRF two different types of pRF models, a bivariate gaussian (mu and sigma), and a difference of Gaussian (mu (centre), sigma1 (surround), sigma2 (suppression)). We also computed for each voxel in visual cortex what the eccentricity and polar angle were. We used polar angle to manually delineate retinotopic regions of interest (V1, V2v & V2d, V3v, V3d, V3a, V4). We computed cortical magification factor for each voxel.

Observation unit:

Individual

Kind of data:

Numeric

Type of data:

Experimental data

Resource language:

English

Access and Administration