Deseret News – Herb Scribner
“According to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, babies who hear their mother’s heartbeat and voice show stronger signs of development in their auditory cortex, which, among other functions, is a part of the brain primarily known for helping people hear. “Larger auditory cortices usually result in better hearing and language development later on in an infant’s life, so the scientists plan on tracking these babies’ progress,” according to PBS…But reading to children isn’t the only practice parents can adopt to improve their babies’ brain development. They can also show more emotional support to their loved ones. According to a study from researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, children with mothers who show them high levels of affection see a larger growth in the hippocampus, a section of the brain that often deals with one’s long-term memory, than those whose mothers showed them less attention.”(more)