The "mini-brain" brain waves bred in a petri dish produce a pattern similar to that of premature babies.

For scientists, the human brain is still largely a "black box" with so many unsolved mysteries that many brain-related diseases lack satisfactory treatment.
using life science technology to achieve brain-like structures by simulating the human brain may be one of the most effective ways to gain insight into the human brain, potentially contributing to the treatment of brain diseases.
even such research could inspire the construction of artificial neural networks, which could drive the development of artificial intelligence technology.
of course, exploring the ethical bottom line of related research will become a new topic.
The "mini brain" grown in a laboratory dish, the first spontaneous brain wave that resembles a human brain, looks similar to that of a premature baby, according to a recent online report in the journal Nature.
this advance may help scientists study early brain development.
a team led by Alison Muutry, a neuroscientist at the University of California, San Diego, to induce human stem cells to form tissue from the cortex, the brain region that controls cognition and interprets sensory information.
they bred hundreds of brain organs over a 10-month period and tested cells in each brain to confirm that the gene set of their expression was the same as in the normally developed human brain.
team continued to record electroencephalograms (EEGs) of surface activity in these "mini brains."
six months later, they found that the "mini-brain" discharged more than any other brain-like organ created before, and that the EEG pattern was unexpected.
in mature brains, neurons form synchronous networks that discharge at predictable rhythms, but the "mini brain" shows irregular electroencephalogram patterns, similar to the chaotic bursts of synchronous electrical activity seen in the developing brain.
comparing these rhythms with electroencephalograms of premature babies, found that the brain waves of the "mini brain" were similar to those of babies born at 25 to 39 weeks of pregnancy.
Muutry points out that this "mini-brain" is not really human, it does not contain all the cell types found in the cortex and is not connected to other brain regions.
, the team is working to develop a "mini-brain" for longer periods of time to see if it continues to mature.
the researchers also plan to connect these structures to the likeorgans that simulate the brain or other parts of the body to see if they work like the normal cortex.
, said Song Hongjun, a developmental neuroscientist at the University of Pennsylvania, believes that while the work is still in its early stages, similarities with electroencephalograms of premature babies suggest that organs such as "mini-brains" could eventually be used to study brain development disorders, such as epilepsy or autism.
use organs to study how EEG patterns originated, and ultimately to understand how EEG rhythms occur in the developing human brain.
ethical concerns about the "mini-brain", Muutri said the current study is still in its infancy and would consider stopping the project if there was evidence that the "mini-brain" was self-conscious.
Source: Science Daily.