The newborn human infant is not conscious if we consider verbal reportability as a hallmark of human consciousness. Furthermore he (she) cannot retain what no longer is or anticipate what as yet is not (Bergson).
However the neonate fulfils some of the criteria being conscious:
1. Seeing, hearing, smelling and noxious stimulation are not only perceived by the sensory organs but also processed at a cortical level, according to recordings by nearinfrared spectroscopy (NIRS).
2. The newborn infant is aroused at birth possibly due to activation of the nordrenergic neurons at birth (locus coeruleus). From about 25 weeks the infant is awake for short periods and low-voltage fast activity patterns can be recorded by EEG.
3. The newborn shows some kind of self-awareness, since he (she) reacts by the rooting reflex when stimulated by the mother but not by him (her)self.
4. The newborn reacts with positive emotions when breastfeeding or listening to harmonic music and with negative emotions when tasting something bitter or seeing a sad face.
5. The newborn can imitate the grimaces of an adult.
6. He (she) can remember rhymes and jingles from fetal life and experiences of pain.
7. The newborn prefers to listen to normal forward speech than to backward speech or noise.
Thus the newborn fulfils some of the criteria of being conscious at least at a minimal level. This begins from around the 25th gestational week when the sensory neurons start to become connected with the cortex via thalamus.
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