Prenatal brain connectivity and postnatal language: how familial risk and prenatal speech exposure shape early language skills.

ABSTRACT: The maturation of the auditory-language brain network begins before birth, driven by gene-environment interactions. We investigated the association between familial and environmental factors and the foetal development of this network, as well as the predictive value of this association for postnatal language outcomes. Using prenatal resting-state fMRI, we examined 25 foetuses to identify functional connectivity within the auditory-language network. Postnatal language was assessed longitudinally between 1 and 3 years using the Bayley-III scale. Familial risk for language disorders and prenatal speech exposure were quantified using a newly developed questionnaire. First, hierarchical clustering on foetal functional connectivity confirmed that an auditory-language network can be identified in

SUBMITTER: Cara C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12475424 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature