Waking-like brain function in embryos

Waking-like brain function in embryos - 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.