Does talking to an unborn baby or playing music while they are in utero affect the child's development? According to a study from the University of Helsinki in Finland that focused on 33 pregnant mothers, along with their children after they were born, the children's brains reacted to the sounds that had been played for them while in utero.
The lead author on the paper said: "If we know better how language develops very early, we may one day be able to develop interventions for babies with abnormal development."
Researchers played a CD with made up words like tatata or tatota played in different ways using different pitches starting at the 29th week of pregnancy until the children were born.
When these same sounds were played for the children after they were born, it caused a strong reaction in their brains compared to subjects who hadn't listened to the sounds in utero.
This shows that babies can hear and remember things that are happening while they are still in the womb. Hopefully, the study will help researchers figure out how the fetal brain functions with hearing and language.
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