Natural infant-directed speech facilitates neural tracking of prosody

NeuroImage, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 251, P. 118991 - 118991

Published: Feb. 12, 2022

Infants prefer to be addressed with infant-directed speech (IDS). IDS benefits language acquisition through amplified low-frequency amplitude modulations. It has been reported that this amplification increases electrophysiological tracking of compared adult-directed (ADS). is still unknown which particular frequency band triggers effect. Here, we compare at the rates syllables and prosodic stress, are both critical word segmentation recognition. In mother-infant dyads (n=30), mothers described novel objects their 9-month-olds while infants' EEG was recorded. For IDS, were instructed speak children as they typically do, for ADS, if speaking an adult. Phonetic analyses confirmed pitch features more prototypically in IDS-condition ADS-condition. Neural assessed by speech-brain coherence, measures synchronization between envelope EEG. Results revealed significant coherence syllabic stress rates, indicating infants track ADS rates. We found significantly higher rate but not rate. This indicates benefit arises primarily from enhanced stress. Thus, neural sensitive parents' adaptations during natural interactions, possibly facilitating higher-level inferential processes such continuous speech.

Language: Английский

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Language acquisition and speech rhythm patterns: an auditory neuroscience perspective

Royal Society Open Science, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 9(7)

Published: July 1, 2022

All human infants acquire language, but their brains do not know which language/s to prepare for. This observation suggests that there are fundamental components of the speech signal contribute building a language system, and neural processing mechanisms use these components, shared across languages. Equally, disorders acquisition found all languages, with most prevalent being developmental disorder (approx. 7% prevalence), where oral comprehension production is atypical, dyslexia written atypical. Recent advances in auditory neuroscience, along modelling from an amplitude modulation (AM, intensity or energy change) perspective, have increased our understanding both disorders. Speech rhythm patterns turn out be sensory linguistic processing. The rhythmic routines typical childcare many cultures, parental practice singing lullabies infants, ubiquitous presence BabyTalk (infant-directed speech) enhance AM brain.

Language: Английский

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Your turn, my turn. Neural synchrony in mother–infant proto-conversation

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 378(1875)

Published: March 6, 2023

Even before infants utter their first words, they engage in highly coordinated vocal exchanges with caregivers. During these so-called proto-conversations, caregiver–infant dyads use a presumably universal communication structure—turn-taking, which has been linked to favourable developmental outcomes. However, little is known about potential mechanisms involved early turn-taking. Previous research pointed interpersonal synchronization of brain activity between adults and preschool-aged children during Here, we assessed caregivers at 4–6 months age ( N = 55) face-to-face interaction. We used functional-near infrared spectroscopy hyperscanning measure dyads' microcoded also measured infants’ inter-hemispheric connectivity as an index for maturity later vocabulary size attachment security outcomes potentially The results showed that more frequent turn-taking was related neural synchrony, but the strength relation decreased over course proto-conversation. Importantly, positively associated infant size, not security. Taken together, findings shed light on facilitating preverbal stress importance emerging child language development. This article part discussion meeting issue ‘Face2face: advancing science social interaction’.

Language: Английский

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Neural Tracking in Infancy Predicts Language Development in Children With and Without Family History of Autism

Neurobiology of Language, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 3(3), P. 495 - 514

Published: Jan. 1, 2022

During speech processing, neural activity in non-autistic adults and infants tracks the envelope. Recent research indicates that this tracking relates to linguistic knowledge may be reduced autism. Such tracking, if present already infancy, could impede language development. In current study, we focused on children with a family history of autism, who often show delay first acquisition. We investigated whether differences sung nursery rhymes during infancy relate development autism symptoms childhood. assessed speech-brain coherence at either 10 or 14 months age total 22 high likelihood due 19 without analyzed relationship between these their vocabulary 24 as well 36 months. Our results showed significant 10- 14-month-old infants. found no evidence for later symptoms. Importantly, stressed syllable rate (1-3 Hz) predicted vocabulary. Follow-up analyses only 10-month-olds but not 14-month-olds indicated possible groups. Thus, early is related

Language: Английский

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Gaze onsets during naturalistic infant-caregiver interaction associate with ‘sender’ but not ‘receiver’ neural responses, and do not lead to changes in inter-brain synchrony

Scientific Reports, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 13(1)

Published: March 2, 2023

Temporal coordination during infant-caregiver social interaction is thought to be crucial for supporting early language acquisition and cognitive development. Despite a growing prevalence of theories suggesting that increased inter-brain synchrony associates with many key aspects interactions such as mutual gaze, little known about how this arises Here, we investigated the role gaze onsets potential driver synchrony. We extracted dual EEG activity around naturally occurring in N = 55 dyads (mean age 12 months). differentiated between two types onset, depending on each partners' role. 'Sender' were defined at time when either adult or infant made shift towards their partner was already looking them (mutual) not (non-mutual). 'Receiver' Contrary our hypothesis found that, naturalistic interaction, both non-mutual associated changes sender, but receiver's brain increases above baseline. Further, mutual, compared inter Overall, results suggest effects are strongest intra-brain level, 'sender' 'receiver' gaze.

Language: Английский

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Proactive or reactive? Neural oscillatory insight into the leader–follower dynamics of early infant–caregiver interaction

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 120(15)

Published: April 4, 2023

We know that infants' ability to coordinate attention with others toward the end of first year is fundamental language acquisition and social cognition. Yet, we understand little about neural cognitive mechanisms driving infant in shared interaction: do infants play a proactive role creating episodes joint attention? Recording electroencephalography (EEG) from 12-mo-old while they engaged table-top their caregiver, examined communicative behaviors activity preceding following infant- vs. adult-led attention. Infant-led appeared largely reactive: were not associated increased theta power, marker endogenously driven attention, did increase ostensive signals before initiation. Infants were, however, sensitive whether initiations responded to. When caregivers joined attentional focus, showed alpha suppression, pattern predictive processing. Our results suggest at 10 12 mo, are routinely yet. They do, anticipate behavioral contingency, potentially foundational mechanism for emergence intentional communication.

Language: Английский

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Emergence of the cortical encoding of phonetic features in the first year of life

Nature Communications, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 14(1)

Published: Dec. 1, 2023

Even prior to producing their first words, infants are developing a sophisticated speech processing system, with robust word recognition present by 4-6 months of age. These emergent linguistic skills, observed behavioural investigations, likely rely on increasingly neural underpinnings. The infant brain is known robustly track the envelope, however previous cortical tracking studies were unable demonstrate presence phonetic feature encoding. Here we utilise temporal response functions computed from electrophysiological responses nursery rhymes investigate encoding features in longitudinal cohort when aged 4, 7 and 11 months, as well adults. analyses reveal an detailed acoustically invariant emerging over year life, providing neurophysiological evidence that pre-verbal human cortex learns categories. By contrast, found no credible for age-related increases acoustic spectrogram.

Language: Английский

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Neural sampling of the speech signal at different timescales by children with dyslexia

NeuroImage, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 253, P. 119077 - 119077

Published: March 9, 2022

Phonological difficulties characterize individuals with dyslexia across languages. Currently debated is whether these arise from atypical neural sampling of (or entrainment to) auditory information in speech at slow rates (<10 Hz, related to rhythm), faster rates, or neither. MEG studies adults suggest that affects modulations the neurophysiological gamma band, phoneme-level representation. However, dyslexic have had years reduced experience converting graphemes phonemes, which could itself cause gamma-band activity. The present study was designed identify specific linguistic timescales English children may show entrainment. Adopting a developmental focus, we hypothesized would prosodic and syllable-level exaggerated infant-directed carried primarily by amplitude <10 Hz. recorded naturalistic story-listening paradigm. modulation bands different types were derived directly materials, lagged coherence multiple temporal spanning 0.9-40 Hz computed. Group differences speech-brain between control most marked corresponding stress (<5 our materials), (12-40 Hz). Functional connectivity analyses showed network groups both hemispheres, showing significantly global efficiency. Global efficiency correlated children's oral language development reading development. These data characterized slower rates. They also throw new light on nature band reported adults.

Language: Английский

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Atypical delta-band phase consistency and atypical preferred phase in children with dyslexia during neural entrainment to rhythmic audio-visual speech

NeuroImage Clinical, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 35, P. 103054 - 103054

Published: Jan. 1, 2022

According to the sensory-neural Temporal Sampling theory of developmental dyslexia, neural sampling auditory information at slow rates (<10 Hz, related speech rhythm) is atypical in dyslexic individuals, particularly delta band (0.5–4 Hz). Here we examine underlying mechanisms using a simple repetitive paradigm. Fifty-one children (21 control [15M, 6F] and 30 with dyslexia [16M, 14F]) aged 9 years or without watched listened as 'talking head' repeated syllable "ba" every 500 ms, while EEG was recorded. Occasionally "out time", temporal delay calibrated individually adaptively for each child so that it detected around 79.4% time by button press. Phase consistency (rate stimulus delivery), theta (speech-related) alpha (control) bands evaluated group. Significant phase found both groups bands, demonstrating entrainment, but not band. However, showed different preferred significantly reduced compared children, only. Analysis pre- post-stimulus angular velocity group phases revealed an response The delta-band pre-stimulus (−130 ms 0 ms) appeared be faster It concluded responding beat-based stimuli may provide unique marker dyslexia. automatic nature this enable new tools diagnosis, well opening avenues remediation.

Language: Английский

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Neural envelope tracking predicts speech intelligibility and hearing aid benefit in children with hearing loss

Hearing Research, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 439, P. 108893 - 108893

Published: Oct. 4, 2023

Language: Английский

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