Growing neurons in the laboratory has significantly expanded the capabilities of scientific research, allowing scientists to study memory and learning mechanisms in detail in a strictly controlled environment. Despite these advances, the challenge of endowing cells with the desired properties remains. For example, during 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 natural processes in neural tissue, which slows the development and implementation of cell-based technologies in medical practice.
In search of a solution, researchers from 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 activity patterns that can be reconfigured using stimulation tools.
Subsequently, scientists were able to control the process by managing the degree of interaction between neurons.
"This is an important achievement that offers new avenues for studying the mechanisms of learning and memory," the authors stated. They will now continue their research to explore how new memories are formed and how the brain "requests" old ones from existing past experiences.
In another study, scientists previously found that physical exercise dramatically enhances neuronal growth. In fact, exercise stimulated cell growth fourfold in just a few days.
