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.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.

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.