Rhythmic visual stimulation as a window into early brain development: A systematic review

  • Moritz Köster*
  • , Alicja Brzozowska
  • , Anna Bánki
  • , Markus Tünte
  • , Emma Kate Ward
  • , Stefanie Hoehl
  • *Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview Articlepeer-review

Abstract (may include machine translation)

Rhythmic visual stimulation (RVS), the periodic presentation of visual stimuli to elicit a rhythmic brain response, is increasingly applied to reveal insights into early neurocognitive development. Our systematic review identified 69 studies applying RVS in 0- to 6-year-olds. RVS has long been used to study the development of the visual system and applications have more recently been expanded to uncover higher cognitive functions in the developing brain, including overt and covert attention, face and object perception, numeral cognition, and predictive processing. These insights are owed to the unique benefits of RVS, such as the targeted frequency and stimulus-specific neural responses, as well as a remarkable signal-to-noise ratio. Yet, neural mechanisms underlying the RVS response are still poorly understood. We discuss critical challenges and avenues for future research, and the unique potentials the method holds. With this review, we provide a resource for researchers interested in the breadth of developmental RVS research and hope to inspire the future use of this cutting-edge method in developmental cognitive neuroscience.

Original languageEnglish
Article number101315
Pages (from-to)1-18
JournalDevelopmental Cognitive Neuroscience
Volume64
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2023
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Early brain development
  • Higher cognition
  • Neuromodulation
  • Steady-state visually evoked potentials (SSVEPs)
  • Visual system

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