A human fetus development simulation: Self-organization of behaviors through tactile sensation

Recent progresses of ultrasound imaging technology have led observations of fetal intrauterine behavior and a perspective of intrauterine learning. Understanding fetal behavior in uterus is important for medical cares for prenatal infants, because the intervention like "nesting" or "swaddling" in NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) is based on a perspective of intrauterine learning. However, fetal behavior is not explained sufficiently by the perspective. In this study, we have proposed a hypothesis in which two fetal behaviors, Isolated leg/arm movements and hand and face contact, emerge within self-organization of interaction among an uterine environment, a fetal body, and a nervous system. through tactile sensation in uterus. We have conducted computer experiments with a simple musculoskeletal model in uterus and a whole body fetal musculoskeletal model with tactile for the hypothesis. We confirmed that tactile sensation induces motions in the experiments of the simple model, and the fetal model with human like tactile distribution have behaved with the two motions similar to real fetal behaviors. Our experiments indicated that fetal intrauterine learning is possibly core concept for the fetal motor development.