ArticleNeuron2022
In vitro neurons learn and exhibit sentience when embodied in a simulated game-world.
Article in Neuron, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 132 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
132 citing papers in PubMed.
- Wireless bioelectronic control architectures for muscle-powered biohybrid robotic systems.APL bioengineering · 2026Article
- Hemoglobin-based oxygen carrier: what we have learned and where we are heading?Protein & cell · 2026Article
- RIFT: A Fractal-Holographic Theory of Consciousness and Autopoietic Control.Brain sciences · 2026Article
- Three-dimensional microelectrode arrays forBiomedical engineering letters · 2026Review
- Science and Videogames: From Scientific Dissemination to Knowledge Production.American journal of human biology : the official journal of the Human Biology Council · 2026Article
- Organoid intelligence: a promising paradigm for autism spectrum disorder research.Molecular psychiatry · 2026Review
- Neuromorphic Devices and Computing for Sensing, Memory, and Control.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Review
- CASCADE: criticality avalanche spike cross-platform analysis detection engine, a multi-manufacturer MEA bash analysis pipeline.Bioinformatics (Oxford, England) · 2026Article
- Ethics and Regulation of Human Brain Organoid Research: Recommendations from the Asia Pacific Neuroethics Working Group.Asian bioethics review · 2026Article
- The electrofluidic brain as a basement layer for neural computation.Communications biology · 2026Review
- Counterfactual Reasoning as the Missing Link Between Statistical AI and Human Cognition: A Cognitive Science Perspective.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- How to Foster Challenging Interdisciplinary Collaborations: Can Philosophy Support Neuroscientists?The European journal of neuroscience · 2026Review
- Physical Implementation of Optical Material-Based Neural Networks Processing Enabled by Long-Persistent Luminescence.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Microelectrode Arrays Technology for Brain-on-a-Chip Applications.Biosensors · 2026Review
- An integratediScience · 2026Article
- Engineered Living Systems With Self-Organizing Neural Networks: From Anatomy to Behavior and Gene Expression.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Neural reservoir control of a bio-hybrid soft arm.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- Wnt activation and dual SMAD inhibition for induction and maintenance of hindbrain-like neural stem cell from hiPSCs.Cell reports methods · 2026Article
- Janus Synapses as Modular Neurointerfaces.ACS applied materials & interfaces · 2026Review
- Ethical concerns about embodied brain organoids shaped by foundational distinctions and perceptions of consciousness.Scientific reports · 2026Article
72 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Commented on by
- Commented on by
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Integrating neurons into digital systems may enable performance infeasible with silicon alone. Here, we develop DishBrain, a system that harnesses the inherent adaptive computation of neurons in a structured environment. In vitro neural networks from human or rodent origins are integrated with in silico computing via a high-density multielectrode array. Through electrophysiological stimulation and recording, cultures are embedded in a simulated game-world, mimicking the arcade game "Pong." Applying implications from the theory of active inference via the free energy principle, we find apparent learning within five minutes of real-time gameplay not observed in control conditions. Further experiments demonstrate the importance of closed-loop structured feedback in eliciting learning over time. Cultures display the ability to self-organize activity in a goal-directed manner in response to sparse sensory information about the consequences of their actions, which we term synthetic biological intelligence. Future applications may provide further insights into the cellular correlates of intelligence.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.