Neural encoding of vocalic sounds in newborns

Abstract

Spoken language is the most prevalent form of human communication, and the similar development of speech perception pathways across individuals around the globe suggests a universal biological basis for language acquisition.^1-3 However, the functional maturity state of human innate speech perceptual abilities is not well established yet. Is the newborn brain ready to encode the sounds of language in all their complexity already at birth? Or, rather, do the underlying neural mechanisms need to be stimulated during the first months of life to mature? If so, what kinds of speech sound information can newborns process in an adult-like manner at birth, and what kinds they cannot? The answer to all these questions may provide relevant information to guide appropriate early interventions to alleviate future language impairments.