Evidence of Top-Down Sensory Prediction in Neonates Within 2 Days of Birth.
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The authors' code
R · 154 lines · 7 KB · no license
- library(dplyr)
- library(reshape)
- library(ggplot2)
- library(gridExtra)
- library(grid)
- library(RColorBrewer)
- library(ggpattern)
- library(lsr)
- ## Experiment 1 data
- Main <- read.csv("Expt1_anonymized.csv", stringsAsFactors = F)
- Main <- filter(Main, HRF != "HbT")
- Main$Condition <- sub("SinglePresent", "sA+V+: short Audio-visual block", Main$Condition)
- Main$Condition <- sub("SingleOmitted", "A+V-: Visual absent block", Main$Condition)
- Main$Condition <- sub("TestBlock", "A+V+: Audio-visual block", Main$Condition)
- Main$Condition <- factor(Main$Condition,
- levels = c("A+V+: Audio-visual block",
- "A+V-: Visual absent block",
- "sA+V+: short Audio-visual block"))
- ## analysis
- ## t-tests
- Agg <- cast(Main, anonymizedName + Condition + HRF ~., mean, value = "Signal", subset = Time > 0 & Time <= 40)
- names(Agg)[4] <- "Signal"
- by(Agg, list(Agg$Condition, Agg$HRF), function(x){t.test(x$Signal, mu = 0)})
- # Cohen's d
- by(Agg, list(Agg$Condition, Agg$HRF), function(x){cohensD(x$Signal, mu = 0)})
- by(Agg, list(Agg$HRF), function(x){t.test(x[x$Condition == "A+V-: Visual absent block",]$Signal,
- x[x$Condition == "sA+V+: short Audio-visual block",]$Signal, paired = T)})
- # Cohen's d
- by(Agg, list(Agg$HRF), function(x){cohensD(x[x$Condition == "A+V-: Visual absent block",]$Signal,
- x[x$Condition == "sA+V+: short Audio-visual block",]$Signal, method = "paired")})
- by(Agg, list(Agg$HRF), function(x){t.test(x[x$Condition == "A+V+: Audio-visual block",]$Signal,
- x[x$Condition == "sA+V+: short Audio-visual block",]$Signal, paired = T)})
- # Cohen's d
- by(Agg, list(Agg$HRF), function(x){cohensD(x[x$Condition == "A+V+: Audio-visual block",]$Signal,
- x[x$Condition == "sA+V+: short Audio-visual block",]$Signal, method = "paired")})
- by(Agg, list(Agg$HRF), function(x){t.test(x[x$Condition == "A+V+: Audio-visual block",]$Signal,
- x[x$Condition == "A+V-: Visual absent block",]$Signal, paired = T)})
- # Cohen's d
- by(Agg, list(Agg$HRF), function(x){cohensD(x[x$Condition == "A+V+: Audio-visual block",]$Signal,
- x[x$Condition == "A+V-: Visual absent block",]$Signal, method = "paired")})
- ## figure
- myColors <- brewer.pal(6, "Set1")[c(1, 2, 4)]
- Agg <- cast(Main, Condition + Time + HRF ~., mean_se, value = "Signal")
- theme_set(theme_bw() + theme(axis.title = element_text(family = "Times"),
- axis.text = element_text(family = "Times"),
- strip.text = element_text(family = "Times"),
- legend.text = element_text(family = "Times")))
- # time series chart
- TimeSeries <- ggplot(Agg[Agg$Time <= 40, ], aes(Time, y, color = Condition, linetype = HRF)) +
- geom_abline(slope = 0, intercept = 0, linetype = 1, linewidth = .5) +
- geom_abline(slope = 90, intercept = 0, linetype = 1, linewidth = .5) + geom_line() +
- scale_x_continuous("Time (s)", expand = c(0, 0)) +
- scale_y_continuous("Changes of Hemoglobin Concentration (Mm mm)\nin Occipital Channels",
- limits = c(-.0015, .0018), expand = c(0, 0),
- labels = function(x) format(x, scientific = TRUE)) +
- scale_colour_manual(values = myColors) +
- scale_linetype_discrete() +
- guides(col="none") +
- facet_wrap("Condition", nrow = 3, strip.position = "top") +
- theme(axis.text.x = element_text(color = "black", size = 6),
- axis.text.y = element_text(color = "black", size = 6),
- axis.title = element_text(color = "black", size = 8, face = "bold")) +
- theme(panel.grid.minor = element_blank(),
- panel.grid.major.x = element_blank()) +
- theme(
- legend.position = c(.85, .78),
- legend.title = element_blank(),
- legend.box.just = "left",
- legend.direction="vertical",
- legend.text = element_text(color = "black", size = 6, face = "bold"),
- legend.key.width= unit(1, 'cm'),
- legend.key.height= unit(0.2, 'cm'),
- legend.key = element_rect(fill = "transparent", colour = "transparent"),
- legend.background = element_rect(fill = "transparent", colour = "transparent")) +
- theme(strip.text = element_text(color = "white",
- face = "bold", size = 6, hjust = 0, margin = margin(.03, 0, .03, 0.2, "cm")),
- strip.background = element_rect(color = "black", fill = "black"))
- # bar chart
- Agg <- cast(Main, anonymizedName + Condition + HRF ~., mean, value = "Signal", subset = Time > 0 & Time <= 40)
- Agg <- cast(Agg, Condition + HRF ~., mean_se, value = "(all)")
- bracket <- cast(Agg, HRF + Condition ~., max, value = "ymax")
- bracket <- bracket[c(2), ]
- bracket <- rbind(bracket, bracket, bracket, bracket)
- bracket$X <- c(2, 2, 3, 3)
- bracket$Y <- rep(c(.00008, .00008 + .00005, .00008 + .00005, .00008), 1)
- bracket$Y <- bracket$`(all)` + bracket$Y
- bracket1 <- bracket[1:4,]
- bracket1$HRF <- "HbO"
- Sig <- cast(Agg, Condition + HRF ~., max, value = "ymax")
- Sig$`(all)` <- Sig$`(all)` + .000165
- Sig$asterisk <- rep(c("*", ""), 3)
- Sig$x <- rep(1:3, each = 2)
- Sig[5,]$x <- 2.5
- Sig[5,]$`(all)` <- max(Sig$`(all)`) + .00003
- BarChart <- ggplot(Agg, aes(x = Condition, y = y, fill = Condition)) +
- geom_bar(stat = "identity", width = .7, position='dodge') +
- geom_errorbar(aes(ymin = ymin, ymax = ymax), width = .3, size = 0.4) +
- geom_text(aes(label = asterisk, x = x, y = `(all)`), size = 6, data = Sig) +
- geom_path(data = bracket1, aes(x = X, y = Y), size = .4) +
- scale_x_discrete("", labels = c("A+V+", "A+V-", "sA+V+")) +
- scale_y_continuous("Changes of Hemoglobin Concentration (Mm mm)\n in Occipital Channels", limits = c(-.0006, .0013),
- labels = function(x) format(x, scientific = TRUE)) +
- scale_fill_manual(values= myColors) +
- scale_linetype() +
- geom_abline(slope = 0, intercept = 0, linetype = 1, size = .5) +
- facet_grid(.~HRF) +
- theme(axis.text.y = element_text(color = "black", size = 6),
- axis.title = element_text(color = "black", size = 8, face = "bold"),
- axis.text.x = element_text(color = "black", face = "bold", size = 6, angle = 30)) +
- theme(panel.grid.minor = element_line(color = "white"),
- panel.grid.major = element_line(color = "white")) +
- theme(legend.position = "none",
- legend.title = element_blank(),
- legend.justification = c("left", "top"),
- legend.box.just = "left",
- legend.direction="vertical",
- legend.text = element_text(color = "black", size = 6, face = "bold"),
- legend.key.size = unit(2, "mm"),
- legend.background = element_rect(fill = "transparent", colour = "transparent"))+
- theme(strip.text = element_text(color = "white",
- face = "bold", size = 6),
- strip.background = element_rect(color = "black", fill = "black"))
- quartz("", 6.4, 3)
- Ml <- grid.arrange(TimeSeries, BarChart, widths = c(4, 2.4), ncol = 2)
- ggsave("Results_Expt1_hbobhr.pdf", Ml, dpi = 300)
Expt1_analysis.R, no license · at the source
Overview
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
- Department of Psychology, Colby College, Waterville, Maine, USA
- Department of Psychology, the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Abstract
Recent studies have demonstrated top‐down modulation in perceptual cortices in infants as young as 6 months. However, it is unclear when and how this ability emerges given conflicting evidence available. This study investigates top‐down perceptual modulation by focusing on a neural signature referred to as top‐down sensory prediction, where the prediction of upcoming sensory information is exhibited in the modulation of activity in perceptual cortices. We extended a paradigm previously used to identify top‐down sensory prediction in 6‐month‐old infants to neonates. Using functional near‐infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), we monitored occipital lobe activity in sleeping neonates held by their caregivers. The study consisted of a Learning session, where neonates were exposed to a novel auditory‐visual stimulus combination (A+V+), followed by sessions presenting occasional visual stimulus omissions (A+V−). Results showed that fNIRS channels over the occipital lobe, which were active during the Learning session, also responded to the unexpected visual omissions, indicating neonatal brains’ capability for top‐down sensory prediction. Experiment 2 confirmed that this response depended on learning the audiovisual association, ruling out non‐specific mechanisms such as heightened arousal or an increase in the visual response when a non‐specific auditory stimulus is presented. These findings offer the first evidence of top‐down modulation of visual responses in neonates, suggesting this capacity exists at birth, significantly earlier than previously thought. This study suggests that top‐down predictive processing is crucial for early perceptual and cognitive development.
Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.
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Availability: 1 check, the latest on 30 September 2026: the link answers (HTTP 200)
- 30 September 2026: the link answers (HTTP 200)
3 files
- Expt1_analysis.R, R, 154 lines
- Expt1v2.R, R, 54 lines
- Expt2_analysis.R, R, 139 lines
The paper's code and data availability statement is in the Data section.
Tracing map
Proposed by the machine: these links were found in the paper and verified at the source, without human review. The map will receive a Zenodo DOI once one of the paper's authors has validated it with their ORCID.
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Data
No dataset and no data link were found in the paper.
Data Availability Statement
Anonymized fNIRS data and corresponding analysis scripts can be found on the OSF website (https://
Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.
Versions
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Version 1, 30 September 2026: the first record
Recorded: type, language, journal, volume, issue, pages, dates, 3 authors, 11 MeSH terms, 7 funders, 64 references.
Cite
This paper
Xiao, N. G., Robertson, C. E., & Emberson, L. L. (2026). Evidence of Top-Down Sensory Prediction in Neonates Within 2 Days of Birth. Developmental science, 29(2), e70114. https://
BibTeX
@article{xiao2026evidenc
author = {Xiao, Naiqi G and Robertson, Claire E and Emberson, Lauren L},
title = {{Evidence of Top-Down Sensory Prediction in Neonates Within 2 Days of Birth}},
journal = {Developmental science},
year = {2026},
month = mar,
volume = {29},
number = {2},
pages = {e70114},
publisher = {Wiley},
issn = {1363-755X},
doi = {10.1111/
url = {https://
pmid = {41467615},
pmcid = {PMC12750968}
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
AU - Xiao, Naiqi G
AU - Robertson, Claire E
AU - Emberson, Lauren L
TI - Evidence of Top-Down Sensory Prediction in Neonates Within 2 Days of Birth
T2 - Developmental science
J2 - Dev Sci
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/
VL - 29
IS - 2
SP - e70114
SN - 1363-755X
PB - Wiley
DO - 10.1111/
UR - https://
LA - en
ER -
CSL-JSON
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"language": "en",
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