Harnessing Intelligence from Brain Cells In Vitro

Harnessing intelligence from brain cells in vitro requires a multidisciplinary approach integrating wetware, hardware, and software. Wetware comprises the in vitro brain cells themselves, where differentiation from induced pluripotent stem cells offers ethical scalability; hardware typically involves a life support system and a setup to record the activity from and deliver stimulation to the brain cells; and software is required to control the hardware and process the signals coming from and going to the brain cells. This review provides a broad summary of the foundational technologies underpinning these components, along with outlining the importance of technology integration. Of particular importance is that this new technology offers the ability to extend beyond traditional methods that assess primarily the survival and spontaneous activity of neural cultures. Instead, the focus returns to the core function of neural tissue: the neurocomputational ability to process information and respond accordingly. Therefore, this review also covers work that, despite the relatively early state of current technology, has provided novel and meaningful understandings in the field of neuroscience along with opening exciting avenues for future research.