Vincent Reid
The ability to pay attention to changes in the environment is essential for learning, and this capacity develops throughout life. Most research starts at birth, leaving fetal development largely unexplored. Recent advances show that fetuses in the third trimester can respond to visual stimuli, such as light, and even prefer face-like patterns. While auditory habituation (getting used to repeated sounds) is well documented, we know very little about visual habituation before birth. This project builds on previous work using ultrasound and light stimuli to study fetal vision and aims to understand how attention changes during an experimental session. Knowing these patterns could help identify normal development and potentially indicate fetal health.
The main goal is to determine how long a fetus can maintain attention and how this changes over time. Researchers will test whether fetuses show patterns like habituation (losing interest in repeated stimuli) or gradual engagement. The study will classify fetal eye movement responses into different profiles based on models from infant research. This will help define what “typical” attention looks like in the third trimester and may lead to methods for detecting fetal sleep states.
The team will analyze 100 existing ultrasound scans of fetuses aged 33–36 weeks. During these scans, light stimuli were presented to encourage eye movements. Using a technique called Dynamic Time Warping, actual eye movement data will be compared to seven hypothesized attention profiles (e.g., continuous engagement, habituation, no response). The analysis will use Chi-Square tests to see if certain patterns occur more often. Māori engagement is central to the project, with protocols based on Kaupapa Māori principles and active collaboration with local Māori communities.
Fetuses and newborns have limited attention spans—they tire quickly when focusing on things. We know fetuses can respond to light and sound, but we don’t know how long they stay engaged. This research studies eye and head movements in fetuses exposed to light during ultrasound scans. Understanding these patterns could help detect attention-related problems early and improve care after birth. The findings will also guide future studies to fit within the fetus’s optimal response window.
This research will establish baseline knowledge about fetal eye movements and attention. These findings could lead to diagnostic tools for detecting abnormal attention patterns, which may indicate health risks such as oxygen deprivation after fetal surgery. Clinicians could use this information to plan early interventions, assisted deliveries, or postnatal care. Ultimately, this work lays the foundation for clinically relevant assessments of fetal wellbeing.
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