Schaadt, G. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2025

Fetal Dehydroepiandrosterone from Hair Samples at Birth Predicts Language Development

ObjectiveSex hormones testosterone and estradiol have been related to childrens language development. Expanding the focus on dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), which has not yet been considered as a biological marker of language ability, may provide novel insights, as emerging evidence suggests that fetal DHEA plays a critical role in the organization of the neonatal brain, potentially shaping later language development. The present study investigated whether fetal DHEA, compared to fetal testosterone, is associated with infant language development. Design and methodsDHEA and testosterone concentrations were measured in newborn hair strands (n = 63) collected two weeks after birth, capturing fetal long-term hormone secretions during the third trimester of pregnancy. At six months of age, childrens language abilities were assessed using the German version of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development. Results. Linear regression analysis revealed fetal DHEA levels to be significantly associated with language abilities at six months of age, with lower DHEA levels corresponding to higher language scores. Control analyses assessing general cognitive abilities showed no association of fetal DHEA levels with infant cognitive function. Testosterone levels were not associated with language. ConclusionsThe current study identifies fetal DHEA levels extracted from newborn hair samples as a potential biological factor influencing infant language development.

developmental biology↗

bioRxiv2019

Seven-year-olds’ recollection of non-adjacent dependencies after overnight retention

Becoming a successful speaker depends on acquiring and learning grammatical dependencies between neighboring and non-neighboring linguistic elements (non-adjacent dependencies; NADs). Previous studies have demonstrated childrens and adults ability to distinguish NADs from NAD violations right after familiarization. However, demonstrating NAD recall after retention is crucial to demonstrate a lasting effect of NAD learning. We tested 7-year-olds NAD learning in a natural, non-native language on one day and NAD recall on the next day by means of event-related potentials (ERPs). Our results revealed ERPs with a more positive amplitude to NAD violations than correct NADs after familiarization on day one, but ERPs with a more negative amplitude to NAD violations on day two. This change from more positive to more negative ERPs to NAD violations possibly indicates that childrens representations of NADs changed during an overnight retention period, potentially associated with childrens NAD learning. Indeed, our descriptive analyses showed that both ERP patterns (i.e., day one: positive, day two: negative) were related to stronger behavioral improvement (i.e., more correct answers on day two compared to day one) in a grammaticality judgment task from day one to day two. We suggest these findings to indicate that children successfully built associative representations of NADs on day one and then strengthened these associations during overnight retention, revealing NAD recall on day two. The present results suggest that 7-year-olds readily track NADs in a natural, non-native language and are able to recall NADs after a retention period involving sleep, providing evidence of a lasting effect of NAD learning. HighlightsO_LI7-year-olds non-adjacent dependency learning in a foreign language tested C_LIO_LIChildren gave grammaticality judgments while electroencephalography was recorded C_LIO_LIBrain responses revealed childrens learning of non-adjacent dependencies C_LIO_LIBrain responses after overnight retention showed different polarity C_LIO_LIChildrens recall of dependencies after sleep associated with representation change C_LI

neuroscience↗