Facial expressions of neonate infants in response to gustatory stimuli
Bergamasco, N.H.; Beraldo, K.E.
Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research 23(3-4): 245-249
1990
ISSN/ISBN: 0100-879X PMID: 2094539 Document Number: 350980
Ten male and five female neonates (median age, 43 h) were tested with sweet, sour, and bitter stimuli. Facial expressions were videotaped for at least 60 s and analyzed in order to 1) assess early discriminatory function, and 2) determine constancies in the components of facial expressions elicited by different gustatory stimuli in order to evaluate the possibility of obtaining characteristic patterns of facial movements for each stimulus. Specific sets of facial movements were observed for each taste modality, demonstrating that newborn infants respond characteristically to these stimuli and implying the functionality of the gustatory system hours after birth.