Perception of native vs. non-native language and non-speech sounds in one-week-old neonates: An fNIRS study.

Background: Early infant phonological and non-phonological perceptual abilities are crucial for future language learning. Previous studies have focused on the changes in the cerebral cortex of infants and toddlers during speech perception, while the changes in the cerebral cortex during non-speech perception remain poorly understood.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate cortical activation patterns and differences in full-term healthy newborns under different speech and non-speech stimuli by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS).