They concluded that the so-called California Verbal Learning Test was the most effective.

BBC: Memory test spots early Alzheimer's

Scanning their brains using functional magnetic resonance imaging, the scientists found that a region involved in language processing - the temporal lobe, part of the prefrontal cortex - was activated during verbal learning in rested patients.

BBC: Brain 'battles sleep deprivation'

Beginning soon after birth, the most supportive mothers teach the joy of living and learning, through lots of active, encouraging, verbal and nonverbal communication.

CNN: Commentary: What parents can do for their kids

This is done by examining the combined concentration of gray and white matter, or nerve cells and fiber tracts, in parts of the brain not normally used for verbal processing the hippocampus and cerebellum, normally associated with memory and motor learning.

WSJ: Wise Beyond Their Years: What Babies Really Know