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Abstract:
Language development must go hand-in-hand with brain maturation. Little is known about how the brain develops to
serve language processing, in particular, the processing of complex syntax, a capacity unique to humans. Behavioral reports
indicate that the ability to process complex syntax is not yet adult-like by the age of seven years. Here, we apply a novel
method to demonstrate that the basic neural basis of language, as revealed by low frequency fluctuation stemming from
functional MRI data, differs between six-year-old children and adults in crucial aspects. Although the classical language
regions are actively in place by the age of six, the functional connectivity between these regions clearly is not. In contrast to
adults who show strong connectivities between frontal and temporal language regions within the left hemisphere,
children’s default language network is characterized by a strong functional interhemispheric connectivity, mainly between
the superior temporal regions. These data indicate a functional reorganization of the neural network underlying language
development towards a system that allows a close interplay between frontal and temporal regions within the left
hemisphere.
