Over 6,000 hours of linguistic data were studied, captured by small recording devices worn by 163 participating newborns and toddlers for three days.
In a groundbreaking study, scientists have revealed the profound impact of spoken language on the neurological development of toddlers.
The research, done at the University of East Anglia (UEA), discovered that the more toddlers are engaged in conversation, the more their brains mature, fostering critical growth in early childhood.
The study, published in the prestigious Journal of Neuroscience, involved an extensive investigation into the correlation between speech exposure and the level of myelin, a substance known to enhance the speed and efficiency of electrical impulses in the brain, in language-related areas of the toddlers’ brains.
The more the toddlers were exposed to speech, the higher the amount of myelin in their brains, the researchers found.
The study meticulously analysed over 6,000 hours of language data, captured by small recording devices that 163 participating babies and toddlers wore for three days.
The data, which included words spoken by the children and adults, was then correlated with brain scans taken while the children were asleep. The scans measured myelin presence in the brain, providing a direct link between speech exposure and myelin levels.
This increased myelin is believed to boost more advanced language processing abilities, said the lead researcher, Professor John Spencer, from UEA’s School of Psychology.
“Imagine a hosepipe with many holes in it. Myelin acts like duct tape for the hosepipe, insulating the neural fibres and enhancing the ‘signal’ from one brain area to the next,” he explained.
The research suggests that toddlers’ brains, which reach approximately 80% of adult brain volume by the age of two, are rapidly moulded by their environments.
Significantly, the study is one of the first to indicate that listening to speech is tied to brain structure at an early developmental stage.
Spencer pointed out that similar associations were previously observed in four to six-year-olds, but this study uncovers this connection at an even earlier age, with findings extending to six-month-old infants.
As the study has paved new roads in understanding the neurological development of children, it also sends a clear message to caregivers.
“Talk to your baby, your toddler, your child. They are not just listening, but your language input is actually shaping their brains,” encouraged Spencer, underlining the vital importance of verbal communication in early childhood development.
