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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2023.05.25.542259

Prenatal experience with language shapes the brain

Mariani, B.·Nicoletti, G.·Barzon, G.·Barajas, M. C. O.·Shukla, M.·Guevara, R.·Suweis, S.·Gervain, J.
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Abstract

Human infants acquire language with striking ease compared to adults, but the neural basis of their remarkable brain plasticity for language remains little understood. Applying a scaling analysis of neural oscillations for the first time to address this question, we show that newborns electrophysiological activity exhibits increased long-range temporal correlations after stimulation with speech, particularly in the prenatally heard language, indicating the early emergence of brain specialization for the native language.

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Mariani, B., Nicoletti, G., Barzon, G., Barajas, M. C. O., Shukla, M., Guevara, R., Suweis, S., Gervain, J.. 2023-05-25. Prenatal experience with language shapes the brain. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.05.25.542259

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