title: Syllabic discrimination in premature human infants prior to complete formation of cortical layers.
abstract: The ontogeny of linguistic functions in the human brain remains elusive. Although some auditory capacities are described before term, whether and how such immature cortical circuits might process speech are unknown. Here we used functional optical imaging to evaluate the cerebral responses to syllables at the earliest age at which cortical responses to external stimuli can be recorded in humans (28- to 32-wk gestational age). At this age, the cortical organization in layers is not completed. Many neurons are still located in the subplate and in the process of migrating to their final location. Nevertheless, we observed several points of similarity with the adult linguistic network. First, whereas syllables elicited larger right than left responses, the posterior temporal region escaped this general pattern, showing faster and more sustained responses over the left than over the right hemisphere. Second, discrimination responses to a change of phoneme (ba vs. ga) and a change of human voice (male vs. female) were already present and involved inferior frontal areas, even in the youngest infants (29-wk gestational age). Third, whereas both types of changes elicited responses in the right frontal region, the left frontal region only reacted to a change of phoneme. These results demonstrate a sophisticated organization of perisylvian areas at the very onset of cortical circuitry, 3 mo before term. They emphasize the influence of innate factors on regions involved in linguistic processing and social communication in humans.
authors: Institut National de la Santé et de Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U1105, GRAMFC, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, CHU Amiens, F80000 Amiens, France.
authors: Mahdi
authors: M
authors: Mahmoudzadeh
authors: Ghislaine
authors: G
authors: Dehaene-Lambertz
authors: Marc
authors: M
authors: Fournier
authors: Guy
authors: G
authors: Kongolo
authors: Sabrina
authors: S
authors: Goudjil
authors: Jessica
authors: J
authors: Dubois
authors: Reinhard
authors: R
authors: Grebe
authors: Fabrice
authors: F
authors: Wallois
mesh_terms: D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D013060:Speech / Q000502:physiology; D014831:Voice