Is there evidence of the development of fetal facial expressions?

Fetal development is marked by movement patterns reflecting neurological maturation which progresses in a predictable manner in healthy fetuses (Allen, 2005). The rate of neurological development is dependent on genetics and the inter-uterine environment as well as fetal activity. Fetal facial movements are essential not only for the normal development of oral-motor function (e.g. the ability to feed) but also facial expression (e.g.the ability to communicate). However, there is little research on the development of fetal facial expressions in the womb.This talk presents preliminary findings from recent research using 4-D fetal ultrasound scans on a number of fetuses. We examine whether or not there is evidence that fetal facial movement becomes more complex over time, and also whether the individual muscular movements coalesce into ”gestalts” or particular facial expressions such as cry-face or smile-face. We also present methodological details showing the analysis of such data.