The research group of Keio University Faculty of Letters Psychology Laboratory and others reported for the first time in the world that newborns 2 to 7 days old strengthen the frontal-temporal brain function connection by listening to the mother's speech.It was shown that the mother tongue, which had already learned the mother tongue from the fetal period, promoted the formation of language circuits by the familiar mother's voice, and activated the brain circuits necessary for social communication such as voice recognition of others.
This research group includes Mariko Uchida, a researcher at Keio University Faculty of Letters Psychology Laboratory and Keio University Baby Lab, Professor Yasuyo Minagawa, Assistant Professor Takeshi Arimitsu, Professor Takao Takahashi, Department of Pediatric Science, Keio University School of Medicine, and Chuo University. , Keio University Tokyo participated.
In this study, near-infrared spectroscopy of brain activity and brain function coupling when presenting a voice spoken to an infant by the voice of a mother or the voice of another to 37 newborn babies who were in a Japanese environment during the fetal period. Measured by method.As a result, it was found that in the mother's voice, the language circuit before and after the left brain and the circuit related to the recognition of the voice before and after the right brain, that is, the circuit related to the communication function, were strengthened.These suggest that the newborn recognizes the mother's voice, which is frequently heard during the fetal period, and then performs other treatments such as attachment and emotion.
This showed the importance of talking to the caregiver in infancy from a brain science perspective.However, it is considered that similar brain circuits may be activated by communication not only with the mother but also with a specific caregiver who is familiar with the child after birth.To show this point scientifically, brain function experiments using the voice of the father are currently being conducted.
Paper information:[Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience] Maternal speech shapes the cerebral frontotemporal network in neonates: a hemodynamic functional connectivity study
