Functional connectivity for language and music processing at birth
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1
Vita Salute San Raffaele University and Division of Neuroscience San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Italy
Newborns’ brain is sensitive to music and language stimuli since the first hours of life as shown by recent imaging studies. Language and music activates an adult-like brain pattern, dominantly in the left temporal regions for language, but also involving the right hemisphere, and with a clear right hemispheric prevalence for music. The present study measured the functional connectivities within the language and music activated networks in 1 to 3 days newborns using low frequency fluctuation (LFF) analysis to define the default networks and their functional relationship to see whether activated systems in newborns are supported by an efficient functional connectivity comparable to the one demonstrated in adults. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was used to determine the specific network’s structural links. For language, at difference with adults, LFF analyses of brain activations in newborns indicate a very weak intrahemispheric connectivity, but strong connectivities between the two hemispheres. DTI analyses demonstrated the lack of crucial left intrahemispheric anatomical connections. These results underline the role of the interplay between the two hemispheres’ neural competences during language perception very early in life as a precursor of the progressive language system development and hemispheric specialization. For music, there was a strong right hemispheric connectivity and an increased interhemispheric connectivity when music presented structural violations. Thus, although the brain responds to the characteristics of music and spoken language already at birth, thereby providing strong evidence for a full neural predisposition, progressive maturation of intra-hemispheric structural and functional connectivity are yet to be established as the brain develops.
Keywords:
DTI analyses,
language acquisition,
newborns
Conference:
XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI), Palma, Mallorca, Spain, 25 Sep - 29 Sep, 2011.
Presentation Type:
Symposium: Oral Presentation
Topic:
Symposium 16: Maturation of brain structure and language development
Citation:
Perani
D
(2011). Functional connectivity for language and music processing at birth.
Conference Abstract:
XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI).
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2011.207.00564
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Received:
14 Nov 2011;
Published Online:
28 Nov 2011.
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Correspondence:
Dr. Daniela Perani, Vita Salute San Raffaele University and Division of Neuroscience San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy, daniela.perani@hsr.it