Prenatal experience with language shapes the brain

2023/11/22 by Benedetta Mariani, Giorgio Nicoletti, Giacomo Barzon +5 · 1 voice · 3 citations
Psychology · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Neuroscience · #Language Development and Disorders #Animal Vocal Communication and Behavior #Neuroscience and Music Perception

paper · pdf · doi:10.1126/sciadv.adj3524

openalex publication_date 2023/11/22 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

Human infants acquire language with notable 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 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.

Citations

• Mosaic organization of DNA nucleotides
• Critical period effects in second language learning: The influence of maturational state on the acquisition of English as a second language

Cited by

• Perception of native vs. non-native language and non-speech sounds in one-week-old neonates: An fNIRS study
• Prenatal linguistic exposure shapes language brain responses at birth
• Third‐order self‐embedded vocal motifs in wild orangutans, and the selective evolution of recursion

Discussions

• Mariani et al. (2023). Parental experience with language shapes the brain. Science Advances doi.org/10.1126/scia... [bsky, 3 points, 0 comments]

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