3-month-old brain is as complex as an adult's?

Although not yet able to speak, three-month-old babies already have a brain organized for language development. Thanks to magnetic resonance imaging, French researchers have found that in the infant's brain complex mechanisms are similar to those in adults.

The research team from the French Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) listened to a mother tongue for 10 children aged 11 to 17 weeks within 2 seconds. This statement triggered a series of forehead and temporal regions, demonstrated in the brain that formed a complex organization similar to that of adults based on exchanges between regions that understand and speak.

The researchers were surprised to note that the region within the brain called 'Broca region' was more active when the sentence was repeated.

This phenomenon demonstrates that the Broca area is related early to memorization of language, while the child cannot speak.

According to the researchers, the Broca region can quickly control the learning of complex sequences needed for children to learn to speak later.