The Power of Talking to Babies for Brain Development

The amount of adult speech children are exposed to in their early years may help to shape the structure of their brains, according to researchers. They found a relationship between the amount of adult speech children are exposed to and the concentration of a substance in the brain – known as myelin – that surrounds nerves and makes signals more efficient. The team used a device fitted inside a vest to record the amount of speech 87 children aged about six months and 76 aged about 30 months were exposed to at home. The team then invited 84 of the children into hospital, where they fell asleep in a special quiet room. The team then used the MRI scans to measure the amount of myelin in the children’s brains.