Language development

Summary

Language development in humans is a process starting early in life. Infants start without knowing a language, yet by 10 months, babies can distinguish speech sounds and engage in babbling. Some research has shown that the earliest learning begins in utero when the fetus starts to recognize the sounds and speech patterns of its mother's voice and differentiate them from other sounds after birth. Typically, children develop receptive language abilities before their verbal or expressive language develops. Receptive language is the internal processing and understanding of language. As receptive language continues to increase, expressive language begins to slowly develop. Usually, productive/expressive language is considered to begin with a stage of pre-verbal communication in which infants use gestures and vocalizations to make their intents known to others. According to a general principle of development, new forms then take over old functions, so that children learn words to express the same communicative functions they had already expressed by proverbial means. Children learn syntax through imitation, instruction, and reinforcement. The instruction proposal is when the parent tries to correct the child, but ultimately the child does not apply it. There is key evidence against this because for example if the kid is saying "Want other one spoon," the parent will instruct the idea to say the right thing by stating, "You mean, you want the other spoon. Then the kid will respond and say "yes, I want other one spoon." Then the parent will say "Can you say "the other spoon." The kid will say "Other... one... spoon." Then the parent will try again and break it up for them. First they will get the child to say "other" and then say "spoon." Then after the child repeats it back to them, they will say "other... spoon" with a pause, but then the child will say the entire thing again and repeat it the wrong way, thus stating, "now give me other one spoon." From this, we can see that the child is unable to understand language and grammar.

Official source

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_development

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Neurexins are transmembrane synaptic cell adhesion molecules involved in the development and maturation of neuronal synapses. In the present study, we report that Nrxn3 beta is processed by the metalloproteases ADAM10, ADAM17, and by the intramembrane-cleaving protease.-secretase, producing secreted neurexin3 beta (sNrxn3 beta) and a single intracellular domain (Nrxn3 beta-ICD). We further completed the full characterization of the sites at which Nrxn3 beta is processed by these proteases. Supporting the physiological relevance of the Nrxn3 beta processing, we demonstrate in vivo a significant effect of the secreted shedding product sNrxn3 beta on the morphological development of adult newborn neurons in the mouse hippocampus. We show that sNrxn3 beta produced by the cells of the dentate gyrus increases the spine density of newborn neurons whereas sNrxn3 beta produced by the newborn neuron itself affects the number of its mossy fiber terminal extensions. These results support a pivotal role of sNrxn3 beta in plasticity and network remodeling during neuronal development.

Nature Publishing Group2016

Morphological development of thick-tufted layer v pyramidal cells in the rat somatosensory cortex

Henry Markram, Yun Wang, Sandrine Romand

The thick-tufted layer V pyramidal (TTL5) neuron is a key neuron providing output from the neocortex. Although it has been extensively studied, principles governing its dendritic and axonal arborization during development are still not fully quantified. Using 3-D model neurons reconstructed from biocytin-labeled cells in the rat somatosensory cortex, this study provides a detailed morphological analysis of TTL5 cells at postnatal day (P) 7, 14, 21, 36, and 60. Three developmental periods were revealed, which were characterized by distinct growing rates and properties of alterations in different compartments. From P7 to P14, almost all compartments grew fast, and filopodia-like segments along apical dendrite disappeared; From P14 to P21, the growth was localized on specified segments of each compartment, and the densities of spines and boutons were significantly increased; From P21 to P60, the number of basal dendritic segments was significantly increased at specified branch orders, and some basal and oblique dendritic segments were lengthened or thickened. Development changes were therefore seen in two modes: the fast overall growth during the first period and the slow localized growth (thickening mainly on intermediates or lengthening mainly on terminals) at the subsequent stages. The lengthening may be accompanied by the retraction on different segments. These results reveal a differential regulation in the arborization of neuronal compartments during development, supporting the notion of functional compartmental development. This quantification provides new insight into the potential value of the TTL5 morphology for information processing, and for other purposes as well.

2011