When does memory begin? We can’t consciously call up images from our infancy, but we surely learn important, lasting associations at very early ages. New work suggests this type of memory begins even in the womb.

In a study published in July in Child Development, researchers from the Netherlands reported short-term memory in 30- to 38-week-old fetuses. First they put a vibrating, honking device on the abdomens of 93 preg­nant women. The fetuses quickly “habituated”—that is, they figured out that the noise was not dangerous. When they heard it again 10 minutes later, they did not squirm and their heart rates did not escalate. “It’s like getting used to a New York train sta­tion,” says lead author J. G. Nijhuis, a professor of obstetrics at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. “It is a learning capability to distinguish safe from unsafe stimuli. It is a primitive form of memory.”

The 34-week-old fetuses even recalled the sound four weeks later. “What this study clearly says is at least beginning at 30 weeks and pos­sibly before that, the fetal brain is starting to lay down short-term memo­ries and might even be laying down some long-term memories,” says Rahil Briggs, director of Healthy Steps at Montefiore Medical Center and assis­tant professor of pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. “This is a sensitive period of development.”

Fetuses habituate in other ways, too. Substance-abusing moms give birth to drug-addicted babies. A study found that the babies of mothers who watch a popular Spanish-language soap opera while pregnant calm down when they hear the show’s theme music. And anecdotally, some dads who read to fetuses in the womb think their babies are born recognizing their voices, says pediatrician Tanya Remer Altmann, a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The bottom line: be conscientious around the baby-to-be. “The environ­ment in utero, and extra utero, is very important,” says pediatrician Dimitri Christakis, director of the Center for Child Health, Behavior and Develop­ment at Seattle Children’s Hospital. After all, the brain triples in size in the first two years of life. And perhaps even younger fetuses develop memories—researchers will investigate that pos­sibility next.

Note: This story was originally printed with the title "Recall in Utero"

7 Comments

1. 1. EvolvingApe 11:36 AM 1/14/10

   Wow! Great, this makes a 38-week old fetus barely the equal of a leech :)
   
   Habituation is hardly what most would recognize as "memory."
   Leeches do it (http://psycnet.apa.org/index.cfm?fa=buy.optionToBuy&id=1973-04054-001&CFID=5431004&CFTOKEN=16841874). Even nematodes with 300 neurons can do it....
   
   Misleading title, as well as pretty misleading conclusions.
   

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2. 2. bkau 02:20 AM 1/15/10

   I remember both before being born and the process of being born. I'm 54. Put me with those who definitely believe that a baby is capable of conscious thought before and during birth.

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3. 3. xponen 02:27 AM 1/15/10

   great! this give us more reason to take care, or to make sure that expectant mother receive much much societal privilege. The baby remember everything, the stress the mother had, the sound, the food, the chemical...
   
   Maybe expectant mother ought to be given longer maternal leaves. The mother deserve it, the future generation deserve it.

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4. 4. steveig in reply to EvolvingApe 01:04 PM 1/15/10

   Read Dianetics:The Modern Science Of Mental. This gives scientifically proven evidence that there are prenatal memories. I recall things that occurred during and before birth....even before the 34 week period. Habituation is not proper terminology. It is memory...and not a good one of a vibrating honking device...pretty cruel treatment of the baby.

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5. 5. steveig in reply to steveig 01:08 PM 1/15/10

   Correct book title: Dianetics: The Modern Science Of Mental Health.

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6. 6. pratandon 09:49 PM 1/17/10

   Indian mythology relates incidences where yet to be be born recall what there parents have been conversing during the period of pregnancy. They even acquire certain skills because of this. Not scientific but still amazing.

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7. 7. chassysweet 05:29 PM 5/6/12

   Finally! Since I was a child I had nobody to talk to about my experiences on this topic, but now I can actually find others who have memories of pre-birth, during birth memories! I am elated! The very few times I tried talking about this tabu subject, I was laughed at, and called crazy so, I learned very early not to say anything. I have search for an credible outlet, scientifically documented site where I could learn more about me, and my experiences. Thanks so much.

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