Babies feel the beat from birth

Babies have got rhythm - and that could help pinpoint possible problems, according to academics.

Their brains can detect subtle changes in musical beats and the pitch of notes, according to the findings of a ground-breaking research project led by the University of Plymouth.

The three-year European-funded project included a study in Hungary of how babies perceive the world when they are born.

Researchers there discovered that, even at such a tender age, they have a real sense of beat.

Project co-ordinator Dr Susan Denham, of the University of Plymouth, said the findings could be adapted for use in a variety of screening programmes in the future.

"This is one of the first studies of its type and what is perhaps most significant is that, not only do babies' brains register changes in beat, pitch and simple melodic patterns, but they do so more or less automatically, as they are fast asleep during these experiments.

"The results of this study mean that it could be possible to screen children at a much earlier age to identify potential cognitive problems which might lead to poor development."

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