Infant Brains Tick at 4Hz – Resonance Properties of the Developing Visual System

Neural rhythms of the infant brain are not well understood. Testing the rhythmic properties of the adult visual system with periodic or broadband visual stimulation elicited neural resonance phenomena at ∼10Hz alpha rhythm. Here, we extend this approach to reveal the inherent rhythmic properties of the infant brain. Eight-month-olds ( N = 42) were presented with visual stimuli flickering at discrete frequencies (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 15, 20, and 30Hz) and broadband (i.e., aperiodic) stimulation, while recording a high-density electroencephalogram (EEG). As predicted, infants’ visual system entrained to the harmonics of the periodic stimulation frequencies (first to third). In addition, a 4Hz rhythm emerged independent of stimulation frequency. Critically, the impulse response function (IRF) of the broadband sequence revealed a perceptual echo of visual information at 4Hz. This echo lasted for about 1 second (i.e. four cycles), extended into frontal sensors, and selectively resonated the 4Hz component of the input signal. In a complementary adult assessment, we confirm an alpha response upon periodic and broadband stimulation in the present paradigm for the mature visual system. To conclude, perturbing the infant visual system elicited a neural response and resonant activity at the 4Hz theta rhythm, which contrasts with the 10Hz alpha rhythm found in the adult visual system. Neural processing dynamics are thus essential to understand early brain development in full.