The way language is organised in an adult brain is an outcome of years of maturation of the nervous system in constant interaction with its environment. However, very little is known about the development of neural processes related to auditory language perception. The study will chart the time-course of development of accoustic, phonological and semantic functions in spoken language during childhood. The possible link between neural activation and cognitive skills of children will be also examined. The influence of native language on the early stages of speech perception in the brain will be examined by comparing the results between British and Finnish children.  (Funded by the Academy of Finland)

  Further reading:

 Parviainen T, Helenius P, Poskiparta E, Niemi P, Salmelin R (2006) Cortical sequence of word perception in beginning readers.  J Neurosci. 26(22):6052-61.