The Japanese journal of neuropsychology

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ArticleTitle	Development and disorders of human communication: on the basic functions and neural mechanisms
Language	J
AuthorList	Toshio Inui
Affiliation	Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University
Publication	Japanese Journal of Neuropsychology: 27 (1), 8-18, 2011
Received
Accepted
Abstract	We discuss the neural basis of cognitive development and propose a developmental model of communication deficit. First, we showed that fetuses could acquire facial image without visual information, based on neural mechanisms underlying synaesthetic experiences and frequent hand movements directed to faces in the prenatal period, which were observed by four-dimensional (4D) ultrasonography. This will result in newborns' visual preference for faces and face-like stimuli. Contingency detection and contingency seeking are very important for cognitive development because the contingency criterion is very high by two months of age and infants are most interested in the maximum contingent object (i.e., their own body movement). Second, we theoretically showed that infants can learn the forward and inverse transformations in reaching movement by observing their randomly moving hand, and that infants begin to reach and pointing with hand. Finally, we investigate mechanisms underlying communication disorders from various viewpoints and propose a neural model that accounts for the deficits in autism and Williams syndrome.
Keywords	communication function, synesthesia, learning by fetus, acquisition of body schema, concurrent learning of forward and inverse transformation, reaching movement, cognitive development, autism, Williams syndrome