Newborns learn even while asleep--study

Dana Byrd, a psychologist at the University of Florida who was part of the study stated, “We found a basic form of learning in sleeping newborns, a type of learning that may not be seen in sleeping adults.

“They are better learners, better ‘data sponges’ than we knew. While past studies find this type of learning can occur in infants who are awake, this is the first study to document it in their most frequent state, while they are asleep.

“Newborn infants’ sleep patterns are quite different to those of older children or adults in that they show more active sleep where heart and breathing rates are very changeable.

“It may be this sleep state is more amenable to experiencing the world in a way that facilitates learning.”

Experiment to gauge the learning ability of sleeping newborns
In a bid to gauge the mental intelligence of newborns, the researchers designed a simple experiment for 26 infants.

Researchers used a machine to record the electrical brain wave activity of the sleeping infants and used a video camera to capture their facial expressions.

As a part of the study, the investigators played a tune followed by gently blowing air on the babies’ eyelids. The process was repeated nine times.

Observations by researchers
The researchers noted that after around 20 minutes, around 24 of the babies squeezed their eyes in response to the tune anticipating the air puff.

Also, it was observed that the brain waves of the infants had changed.

The researchers thus theorize that infants learn and respond from outside stimulations even when they are sleeping.

Implications of the study
According to the researchers, the eyelid movement of the sleeping babies reflects the normal function of the cerebellum, a part of the brain that plays a vital role in the developmental of disorders.

Experts hope the findings will not only help identify babies at risk of autism and dyslexia but also lead to further research in these neurological disorders.

Byrd stated, "This methodology opens up research areas into potentially detecting high risk populations, those who show abnormalities in the neural systems underlying this form of learning. These would include siblings of individuals with autism and siblings of those with dyslexia."

The results have been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.