NEW RESEARCH shows that newborns have far more sophisticated brain activity than previously thought. It is now believe that babies are equipped with a key collection of neuron-networks, right from the time of birth.
The researchers found that the “resting state” networks mainly develop after 30 weeks — in the third trimester — and are largely complete by the time most babies are born.
Resting state networks are connected systems of neurons in the brain that are constantly active, even when a person is not focusing on a particular task, or during sleep. The researchers found that in babies, these networks were at an adult-equivalent level at the normal time of birth. One particular resting state network identified in babies, called the default mode network, has been thought to be involved in introspection and daydreaming.
Professor David Edwards, lead author of the study from the MRC Clinical Sciences Centre at Imperial College London, said: “Our study shows that babies’ brains are more fully formed than we thought. If earlier research about the function of these networks is right, then being a foetus is a lot more fun than any of us can remember — lying there happily introspecting and thinking about the future“
The intricacies and the mystery of the brain is truly turning out to be “mind boggling” as neuroscientists churn out such new interesting findings rapidly. Each of these studies is linked to each other and focused on collectively understanding the brain’s activity and its development.
Today’s research was result of the collaboration between Imperial College London and UK’s public healthcare trust, the NHS. MRI scans of brains of 70 babies, born at between 29 and 43 weeks of development, were used to come to the conclusions. The results of the study are published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.