Functional Neuroimaging of Speech Perception in Infants

TLDR

Human infants begin to acquire their native language in the first months of life. The study aimed to identify which brain regions support language processing in 3‑month‑old infants. Functional MRI was used to record brain activity evoked by normal and reversed speech in awake and sleeping infants. Left‑lateralized regions such as the superior temporal and angular gyri were active in infants, with additional right prefrontal activation seen only in awake infants during normal speech, indicating that precursors of adult language areas are present before speech production.

Abstract

Human infants begin to acquire their native language in the first months of life. To determine which brain regions support language processing at this young age, we measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging the brain activity evoked by normal and reversed speech in awake and sleeping 3-month-old infants. Left-lateralized brain regions similar to those of adults, including the superior temporal and angular gyri, were already active in infants. Additional activation in right prefrontal cortex was seen only in awake infants processing normal speech. Thus, precursors of adult cortical language areas are already active in infants, well before the onset of speech production.