After five short minutes of learning, human and mouse brain neurons placed in a laboratory box were able to play the video game Pong, the virtual version of table tennis.
- Neurons are the basic cells of nervous tissue.
- They are able to receive, analyze and produce information through the transmission of a bioelectrical signal called nerve impulses.
- The human brain has about 86 billion of them.
Neurons do not need to be placed in a human brain to have their own intelligence. A team of researchers has discovered that 800,000 neurons in vitro can together perform tasks directed towards a common goal. In this case, playing Pong, one of the very first video games dating from the early 70s, inspired by table tennis.
The results of their study were published on October 12 in the journal Neuron.
Neurons have a form of intelligence of their own
Neurons from human stem cells and embryonic mouse brains were first connected to a computer chip, made up of 22,000 tiny electrodes. This chip was used to send electrical inputs to neurons and detect their outputs during the game of Pong. The neurons thus received signals when their virtual “racquet” touched the ball, as if they themselves were this racket. The researchers monitored the activity of neurons and their responses using electrical probes that recorded “spikes” on a grid. According to them, their study demonstrates that neurons have the ability to respond to stimuli and adapt in real time to changes in their environment.
“We have shown that we can interact with living biological neurons in ways that cause them to change their activity, leading to something akin to intelligence”explains in a communicated one of the authors, Dr. Brett Kagan, chief scientific officer of biotech start-up Cortical Labs. The goal of this startup is to build a new generation of biological computer chips.
“The magnificent and pioneering aspect of this study is based on endowing neurons with sensations and above all the ability to act on their environment”says another co-author, neuroscience professor Karl Friston. “Cultures have learned to make their environment more predictable and to act accordinglyhe continues. It’s remarkable because, unlike an animal, these mini-brains have no sense of reward and punishment.” to learn.
This study could expand our understanding of how the brain works
Brett Kagan adds that they didn’t just use Pong in their experiments. They also tested this game that appears when the internet connection is not available on your Google browser: a small dinosaur that you can make jump over obstacles. With it, the researchers have so far obtained good preliminary results, but the work is not yet complete.
Brett Kagan’s team will then reproduce the experiment with alcohol to see its effects on neurons and observe whether, after being returned “drunk”, “they play the game less well, like when people drink”, explains the scientist. The researchers believe that future studies can use this research to improve disease modeling, discover new drugs and expand our current understanding of brain function and intelligence development.
“This is the start of a new frontier in understanding intelligence.concludes Dr. Kagan. It touches on fundamental aspects not only of what it means to be human, but also what it means to be alive and intelligent, to process information and to be sentient in an ever-changing dynamic world.”
