This is Not a Fetus: Reshaping a Confusing Term: Investigating Prenatal Consciousness Requires New Words for Fetuses presented at ASSC 2026

Frohlich. J., Metaxas, D., Reggente, N.

Quick Summary

The word “fetus” collapses stages of prenatal development that are neurologically worlds apart. We argue that the study of prenatal consciousness requires new terminology, anchored not in convention but in a decisive change in brain organization. Around 24 weeks of gestation, thalamocortical synapses emerge, and for the first time sensory signals from the body and world can reach the cerebral cortex. This watershed divides prenatal life into two fundamentally different states.

We name them: Cortically Offline Fetuses (CoFFs, 10–23 weeks), whose cortex receives no afferent input and remains functionally isolated, admitting at most an anoetic consciousness—raw, undifferentiated experience without knowledge; and Cortically Online Fetuses (CoNFs, ≥24 weeks), in whom sensory integration becomes possible and a noetic consciousness—awareness of perceptual objects, and the potential for pain—likely emerges. The distinction aligns with neurodevelopmental milestones rather than an arbitrary cutoff.

We offer these as provisional terms, not final jargon. Clearer words, better science, better decisions.

Investigating Prenatal Consciousness Requires New Words for Fetuses presented at ASSC 2026