Dataset Information

Spatiotemporal neural dynamics of word understanding in 12- to 18-month-old-infants.

ABSTRACT: Learning words is central in human development. However, lacking clear evidence for how or where language is processed in the developing brain, it is unknown whether these processes are similar in infants and adults. Here, we use magnetoencephalography in combination with high-resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging to noninvasively estimate the spatiotemporal distribution of word-selective brain activity in 12- to 18-month-old infants. Infants watched pictures of common objects and listened to words that they understood. A subset of these infants also listened to familiar words compared with sensory control sounds. In both experiments, words evoked a characteristic event-related brain response peaking ?400 ms after word onset, which localized to left frontotemporal cortices. In adults, this activity, termed the N400m, is associated with lexico-semantic encoding. Like adults, we find that the amplitude of the infant N400m is also modulated by semantic priming, being reduced to words preceded by a semantically related picture. These findings suggest that similar left frontotemporal areas are used for encoding lexico-semantic information throughout the life span, from the earliest stages of word learning. Furthermore, this ontogenetic consistency implies that the neurophysiological processes underlying the N400m may be important both for understanding already known words and for learning new words.

SUBMITTER: Travis KE

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3138516 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Spatiotemporal neural dynamics of word understanding in 12- to 18-month-old-infants.

Travis Katherine E KE Leonard Matthew K MK Brown Timothy T TT Hagler Donald J DJ Curran Megan M Dale Anders M AM Elman Jeffrey L JL Halgren Eric E

Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991) 20110105 8

Learning words is central in human development. However, lacking clear evidence for how or where language is processed in the developing brain, it is unknown whether these processes are similar in infants and adults. Here, we use magnetoencephalography in combination with high-resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging to noninvasively estimate the spatiotemporal distribution of word-selective brain activity in 12- to 18-month-old infants. Infants watched pictures of common objects and lis ...[more]

PMID: 21209121

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Project description:BackgroundMetabolic programming of glucose homeostasis in the first 1,000 days of life may impact lifelong metabolic and cardiovascular health. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices may help measure the impact of dietary intake on glucose rhythms and metabolism in infants during the complementary feeding period.ObjectivesDemonstrate the feasibility of CGM to measure and quantify glucose variability in response to infant feeding and to evaluate associations between macronutrient meal composition and glucose variability.MethodsThe "FreeStyle Libre Pro®" device interstitial glucose meter was applied to the anterior thigh of 10 healthy 6-12-month-old infants. Parents recorded food intake, time of feeding, and used daily dairies to record sleep time and duration. Descriptive statistics were employed for food intake, sleep and key glycemic parameters over three full days. Mixed linear models were used to assess glycemic changes.ResultsMid-day, afternoon, and evening feeds contained >30 g carbohydrate and induced higher 2-h iAUC (3.42, 3.41, and 3.50 mmol/L*h respectively) compared to early and mid-morning feedings with ≤25 g carbohydrates (iAUC 2.72 and 2.81 mmol/L*h, p < 0.05). Early morning and evening milk feedings contained approximately 9 g of fat and induced a longer time to reach maximal glucose value (Tmax; 75 and 68 min, respectively) compared to lower fat feedings (2.9-5.9 g; Tmax range: 34-60 min; p < 0.05). Incremental glucose value at time of food intake (C0) increased significantly from 0.24 ± 0.39 mM in early morning to 1.07 ± 0.57 mM in the evening (p < 0.05). Over the day, 70% of glucose values remained within the normal range (3.5-5.5 mmol/L), 10% were between 5.5-10 mmol/L, and 20% were < 3.5 mmol/L.ConclusionOur data support the feasibility of using CGM to measure glucose in 6-12-month-old infants. The observation of possible diurnal glucose variability and typical glucose values may have implications for future studies investigating metabolic adaptation to nutritional intake in early life.

Dataset Information

Spatiotemporal neural dynamics of word understanding in 12- to 18-month-old-infants.

Publications

Spatiotemporal neural dynamics of word understanding in 12- to 18-month-old-infants.

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