Biology subjects

Rambosson, I.

Publications and source records attributed to Rambosson, I..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Distinct experience-dependent reorganization of rhythmic syllable tracking in 6-month-old term and preterm infants

Preterm birth is associated with an increased risk of later language difficulties, yet whether and how prematurity alters the brain's ability to track the rhythmic structure of speech has remained understudied. Using EEG, we tracked neural entrainment to delta- and theta-rate syllable sequences produced by the infant's mother or an unfamiliar speaker in term and preterm 6-month-old infants, modeling how oscillatory responses evolved over the course of a testing session. Term infants progressively strengthened frequency-matched delta tuning over bilateral frontal regions; preterm infants did not. This divergence took two distinct forms: a change in frequency selectivity over left frontal channels, where term infants sharpened and preterm infants blurred, and a shift in band weighting in other regions. The frontal delta difference emerged only for the unfamiliar speaker. Preterm birth thus alters how frequency-specific tuning is refined during exposure, identifying a candidate neural pathway with implications for early language learning.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2026

Delta rhythm and voice familiarity organize neural entrainment in the infant brain

The delta frequency band (~0.5-3.5 Hz) represents a phylogenetically conserved tempo of biological communication, and neural entrainment to this timescale would be a key mechanism through which the brain might generate temporal predictions. While entrainment at different levels has been characterized in adults, the mechanisms of auditory temporal prediction remain poorly studied across developmental trajectories, particularly regarding the roles of stimulus rhythmicity, frequency specificity, and voice familiarity. Using high-density EEG, we examined neural entrainment in thirty 6-month-old infants exposed to vocally rhythmic syllables produced by their mother or a stranger at delta (2 Hz) or theta (4 Hz) rates, as well as a non-rhythmic control. Auditory temporal regularity elicited a broad frontotemporal entrainment response. Critically, delta-band entrainment was frequency-specific across frontal and temporal clusters, with right-frontal selectivity progressively strengthening throughout the entrainment period as expected if this region actively refines a temporal model of the input rather than passively resonating to it; no significant theta-band specificity was observed. Entrainment was further shaped by voice familiarity: the left temporal cortex entrained selectively to the mother's voice, whereas the right frontal cluster responded selectively to the stranger's voice. This is consistent with an implementation in which familiarity-based processing within mid-temporal language-related regions interfaces with novelty-sensitive frontal mechanisms, and reflects the ongoing updating of internal predictive models rather than passive sensory registration. The co-occurrence of frequency-specific delta entrainment and experience-dependent hemispheric asymmetries reveals a neural functional network for hierarchical temporal predictions, shaped by early auditory experience and already in place at 6 months.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2025

The origins of time: a systematic review of the neural signatures of temporal prediction in infancy

From birth, individuals interpersonal dimension is underpinned by progressive learning of social interaction rules, their variations rooted in the temporal prediction of sensory events, and the inferences made about the organization of the social world. How this dimension is progressively structured during infancy and articulated at the neural level is a critical question for cognitive and affective neurosciences. This systematic review aims to define the neural signatures of temporal prediction in newborns and infants and to discuss them in the context of the development of proximal cognitive and affective neural functions. Eight peer-reviewed studies were included, with 228 infants from birth to 9 months of age. Studies have shown that the neural signatures of temporal prediction in infants exhibit a broad cerebral localization, including the anterior and medial parts of the brain, particularly in the frontal and central areas. Temporal prediction mechanisms emerge before birth and range from early sensory-driven responses to more complex top-down processes within the first year of life. While current data do not support a clear longitudinal interpretation, these abilities appear to be shaped by both biological predispositions and experiential factors, with interactive rhythmic and musical activities potentially contributing to their development.

neuroscience↗