Waking-like brain function in embryos
1,422 views · Published 3 May 2012 · 5:01 · Indexed 4 October 2026
Channel: Cell Press · 2012 · Science & Technology
When in development do brains "wake up" for the first time? Balaban, Desco, and Vaquero (Current Biology, May 3, 2012) addressed this question using noninvasive molecular brain imaging. At the youngest ages, chicken embryos showed a lot of spontaneous behavioral movements, and their higher-brain regions were inactive. At about 80% of the way between conception and birth, activity in higher-brain regions appears, showing states resembling sleep. At this stage, it becomes possible to "wake up" their brains by playing loud, meaningful sounds to them. This work shows that embryo brains can function in a waking-like manner earlier than previously thought, and, like adult brains, have neural circuitry that monitors the environment to selectively wake the brain up during important events. Check out the paper at http://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(12)00317-X. And read more great research at http://www.cell.com/current-biology/home.
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