Abstract
Quantitative studies of neuronal dendritic patterns in language-related cortical areas reveal progressive changes as language facility develops in the infant. Histological development of the right (non-language-dominant) hemisphere appears precocious at birth, but is gradually overtaken and surpassed by the left (language-dominant) hemisphere as language capability develops. It is suggested that a critical time window exists for such changes during the first 6–8 years of life. However, gross changes in the perisylvian language zone are found in the fetus, in early hominids and in apes and may represent a much more primitive stage of preparation for hand and language function.
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Scheibel, A.B. (1993). Dendritic Structure and Language Development. In: de Boysson-Bardies, B., de Schonen, S., Jusczyk, P., McNeilage, P., Morton, J. (eds) Developmental Neurocognition: Speech and Face Processing in the First Year of Life. NATO ASI Series, vol 69. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-8234-6_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-8234-6_5
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