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Neural language networks at birth
Perani D, Saccuman MC, Scifo P, Anwander A, Spada D, Baldoli C, Poloniato A, Lohmann G et al.. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2011-09-06
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
The ability to learn language is a human trait. In adults and children, brain imaging studies have shown that auditory language activates a bilateral frontotemporal network with a left hemispheric dominance. It is an open question whether these activations represent the complete neural basis for language present at birth. Here we demonstrate that in 2-d-old infants, the language-related neural substrate is fully active in both hemispheres with a preponderance in the right auditory cortex. Functional and structural connectivities within this neural network, however, are immature, with strong connectivities only between the two hemispheres, contrasting with the adult pattern of prevalent intrahemispheric connectivities. Thus, although the brain responds to spoken language already at birth, thereby providing a strong biological basis to acquire language, progressive maturation of intrahemispheric functional connectivity is yet to be established with language exposure as the brain develops.
Key findings
- In adults and children, brain imaging studies have shown that auditory language activates a bilateral frontotemporal network with a left hemispheric dominance.
Why it matters
This study looked at brain activity in 2-day-old infants and found that language-related brain regions respond to speech at birth, but the connections within each hemisphere are still immature. It does not test any treatment or prevention for Alzheimer's disease, so it has no direct implications for treating, curing, or preventing the disease.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 64/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a randomised controlled trial. Scored zero for sample size and effect reported because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: journal h-index 1,167 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 11 / 12 | A randomised controlled trial (from PubMed type “Randomized Controlled Trial”) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2011 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (pubmed indexes it as a clinical or observational study) |
| Randomised / blinded | 1 / 2 | Randomised (as stated in the record) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 534 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 31.4 citations a year over 17 year(s) since 2011 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 10.1× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 125 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Angela Dorkas Friederici: h-index 130 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | National Institute of Mental Health: institution h-index 907 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 4 institution(s) in 3 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 21896765) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 64 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Perani, D., Saccuman, M. C., Scifo, P., Anwander, A., Spada, D., Baldoli, C., et al. (2011). Neural language networks at birth. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1102991108
Vancouver
Perani D, Saccuman MC, Scifo P, Anwander A, Spada D, Baldoli C, et al. Neural language networks at birth. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2011. doi:10.1073/pnas.1102991108. PMID: 21896765.
BibTeX
@article{perani2011-21896765,
author = {Perani, D. and Saccuman, M. C. and Scifo, P. and Anwander, A. and Spada, D. and Baldoli, C. and Poloniato, A. and Lohmann, G. and others},
title = {{Neural language networks at birth}},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America},
year = {2011},
doi = {10.1073/pnas.1102991108},
pmid = {21896765},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1102991108}
}
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