Consciousness in the cradle: on the emergence of infant experience

Abstract

Highlights The study of infant (and fetal) consciousness is emerging as a distinctive research focus in the science of consciousness. Converging evidence from studies of functional network connectivity, attention, multimodal integration, and cortical responses to global oddballs suggests that consciousness is likely to be in place in early infancy and may even occur before birth. Recent research is beginning to provide clues about both the content and structure of infant consciousness.