<p>I love this question. While I don't have a definitive answer, I can help with some known factors of child development.</p>

<p>There are studies suggesting that the parents' voices and repeated music is heard in the womb by the fetus and responded to after birth.</p>

<p>Specific studies (see: <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2013/08/babies-learn-recognize-words-womb" rel="nofollow">http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2013/08/babies-learn-recognize-words-womb</a>) classify the <strong>third trimester</strong> (last three months) of development in the womb to be the key point at which sensory hearing and brain function/classification is active, thus suggesting the brain is "turned on" during or prior to the last trimester.</p>

<p>I would love to hear further studies from others that clarify this point.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-02-28T23:35:08.730Z
2016-02-28T23:35:08.730Z
Lee Tyler
<p>I suspect that a boolean thinking is somewhat a mismatch to the biological processes that govern fetus development - it's all much more of a gradient than light switches.</p>

<p>What is to become the brain starts forming around 16 days after conception. By around week 6, neurons start to communicate and we can detect fetus movements.</p>

<p>It is around week 15 that the sense of touch starts to develop, shortly followed by an extremely crude hearing sense.</p>

<p>It is around week 30 that the actual global network which is a prerequisite for consciousness is sufficiently formed and shows synchrony. But as far as consciousness goes, many other aspects of it cannot be observed (not conclusively at least). What we do know is that at birth processes that could carry the hallmarks of consciousness are extremely slow compared to those of adults.</p>

<p>Perhaps another important milestone is placed two months after birth, where there's strong evidence showing a capacity to hold information for a few seconds, ie, short-term memory.</p>

<p>So as initially suggested, the whole thing doesn't quite switch itself on - it is rather progressive in nature.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-01T22:00:48.620Z
2016-03-01T22:00:48.620Z
Izhaki
<p>auditory and sensory systems if you will are 'on' from within womb visual stimuli confirms all those sounds with visual feedback after birth while sensory information starts to form memories along with those new images.  </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-01T01:53:21.277Z
2016-03-01T01:53:21.277Z
jai 
<p>I am pursuing Computational Neuro-Science and learning about human Brain. After some reading I got this doubt that when does the brain actually gets switched on? Does it happen right in the mother's womb or when the baby comes out? or Is it wrong on my part to assume that the brain gets switched on one particular moment?  </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-02-25T17:18:30.647Z
Can you define "on"?
Seanny123
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-02-25T19:31:46.817Z
when I say "on" I meant from what moment it started to process information obtained from surroundings.(I think the moment we come out of the mother's womb but correct me if I am wrong.)  I think this holds a key to know when consciousness forms in the human being
Madhav Gumma
<theoretical-neuroscience>
When does the brain 'switch on'?
Madhav Gumma
# When does the brain 'switch on'?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-02-25)

I am pursuing Computational Neuro-Science and learning about human Brain. After some reading I got this doubt that when does the brain actually gets switched on? Does it happen right in the mother's womb or when the baby comes out? or Is it wrong on my part to assume that the brain gets switched on one particular moment?

**Tags:** theoretical-neuroscience

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Can you define "on"?  
> **username_0**: when I say "on" I meant from what moment it started to process information obtained from surroundings.(I think the moment we come out of the mother's womb but correct me if I am wrong.)  I think this holds a key to know when consciousness forms in the human being  

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## 3 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2016-02-28. Score: 3

I love this question. While I don't have a definitive answer, I can help with some known factors of child development.

There are studies suggesting that the parents' voices and repeated music is heard in the womb by the fetus and responded to after birth.

Specific studies (see: <http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2013/08/babies-learn-recognize-words-womb>) classify the **third trimester** (last three months) of development in the womb to be the key point at which sensory hearing and brain function/classification is active, thus suggesting the brain is "turned on" during or prior to the last trimester.

I would love to hear further studies from others that clarify this point.


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### Answer by username_3 on 2016-03-01. Score: 3

I suspect that a boolean thinking is somewhat a mismatch to the biological processes that govern fetus development - it's all much more of a gradient than light switches.

What is to become the brain starts forming around 16 days after conception. By around week 6, neurons start to communicate and we can detect fetus movements.

It is around week 15 that the sense of touch starts to develop, shortly followed by an extremely crude hearing sense.

It is around week 30 that the actual global network which is a prerequisite for consciousness is sufficiently formed and shows synchrony. But as far as consciousness goes, many other aspects of it cannot be observed (not conclusively at least). What we do know is that at birth processes that could carry the hallmarks of consciousness are extremely slow compared to those of adults.

Perhaps another important milestone is placed two months after birth, where there's strong evidence showing a capacity to hold information for a few seconds, ie, short-term memory.

So as initially suggested, the whole thing doesn't quite switch itself on - it is rather progressive in nature.


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### Answer by username_4 on 2016-03-01. Score: -1

auditory and sensory systems if you will are 'on' from within womb visual stimuli confirms all those sounds with visual feedback after birth while sensory information starts to form memories along with those new images.


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