Researchers have taught brain cells grown in a lab how to play the 1970s video game Pong.
As reported in the BBC, researchers working in the company Cortical Labs explained how they have grown the first-ever “sentient” brain in a dish.
“We could find no better term to describe the device,” Dr Kagan told the outlet. ”It is able to take in information from an external source, process it and then respond to it in real time.”
While these mini-brains are being made for quite some time, this is the first time ever that it has been plugged into a video game. The team assembled the mini-brain from stem cells and mouse embryos, numbering 800,000. It was then connected to the game using electrodes which revealed what side the ball was on and its distance from the paddle. The cells, impressively, produced electric activity in response.
The story also appeared in December 2021. At the time, Dr Kagan explained, saying that they refer to the mini-brains as living in the Matrix.
Kagan now hopes that the technology can be used to help in research related to Alzheimer’s.
“When people look at tissues in a dish, at the moment they are seeing if there is activity or no activity,” Kagan said. “But the purpose of brain cells is to process information in real time. Tapping into their true function unlocks so many more research areas that can be explored in a comprehensive way.”
The company’s next plans? Making the mini-brains drunk with alcohol as it plays Pong.
