Growing neurons in the laboratory has greatly expanded the possibilities of scientific research, allowing scientists to study in detail the mechanisms of memory and learning in a strictly controlled environment. Despite these advances, the problem of endowing cells with the desired properties remains. For example, in normal neuroplasticity, certain groups of neurons activate together and communicate with each other, but artificial neurons do so chaotically and incoherently. As a result, scientists cannot fully recreate the natural processes in nervous tissue, which slows the development and implementation of cellular technologies in medical practice.
In search of a solution, researchers at Tohoku University used microfluidic devices to recreate biological neural networks similar to those found in the nervous system. Experiments showed that these networks exhibit complex patterns of activity that can be retuned using stimulation tools.
Later, scientists were able to control the process by managing the degree of interaction between neurons.
"This is an important achievement that offers new opportunities to study the mechanisms of learning and memory," the authors said. They will now continue their research to study how new memories are formed and how the brain "requests" old ones from existing past experiences.
In another study, scientists previously found that exercise dramatically boosted neuron growth, with exercise stimulating cell growth fourfold in just a few days.
