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The soft murmurs of a baby’s early expressions, those gentle coos and babbles that warm the hearts of parents, might be more than just cute sounds—they could hold the secret to understanding the development of speech. A groundbreaking study led by Jeremy I. Borjon, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Houston, reveals that a baby’s heart rate plays a key role in the timing and quality of their first words.
Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Borjon’s study investigates the connection between a baby’s vocalizations and fluctuations in their heart rate. The research suggests that these heart rate fluctuations are synchronized with the production of speech, offering new insights into how infants develop communication skills and how speech disorders might emerge.
For infants, producing recognizable speech is more than just a cognitive feat—it’s a complex motor skill that requires the coordination of multiple muscles throughout the body. Borjon’s study shows that these movements are intimately tied to the autonomic nervous system, which regulates functions such as heart rate and breathing.
The study involved recording over 2,700 vocalizations from 34 infants aged 18 to 27 months while they interacted with caregivers. Although infants in this age group don’t typically speak full words, a small portion of their vocalizations could be recognized as words by naïve listeners. Borjon found that the timing of these vocalizations aligned with specific heart rate fluctuations.
“Vocalizations produced at the peak of a heart rate fluctuation were longer than expected by chance. Those produced just before the trough, when the heart rate decelerates, were more likely to be recognized as words,” Borjon explained.
The findings suggest that the relationship between vocalization and heart rate may offer critical insights into how babies learn to speak. As infants grow, their autonomic nervous system matures, and the coordination between heart rate and speech production evolves. These early experiences may be crucial for building the foundation for speech.
“The successful development of speech may depend on infants experiencing predictable ranges of autonomic activity throughout development,” Borjon said. “This could also offer a window into identifying early risk factors for atypical language development.”
Borjon’s research opens new doors for understanding the connection between the autonomic nervous system and language development. It also provides a potential roadmap for early interventions in children at risk of speech and communication disorders.
As the study highlights, the heart might be more than just a symbol of life—it could be the rhythm that drives the melody of language development.
For more details, the study can be found in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2419650121).
