Brain Organoids Communicate: A Step Toward "Organoid Intelligence"

Scientists have connected two organoids together with an axon bundle, to study how brain areas communicate. They sent signals back and forth and responded to external stimulation.
Learn about: axons, white matter, re-entry, optogenetics, myelination, entrainment, short-term potentiation
CORRECTIONS/CLARIFICATIONS:
As the pinned comment points out, there are many different kinds of neurons, and two pairs of organoids may not have the same cellular makeup. This natural variation between neurons might also account for the different post-stimulation behavior of the organoids from different cell lines.
Greg Dunn's Neuro Art: USE CODE "BRAIN" AT CHECKOUT FOR 10% OFF
www.gregadunn.com/product-cat...
Support the channel: / ihmcurious
Books and audiobooks mentioned (I will get a small commission at no cost to you to support the channel)
- A Universe of Consciousness: How Matter Becomes Imagination (By Gerald Edelman and Giulio Tononi) amzn.to/4aLBZED
- Sync: How Order Emerges from Chaos in the Universe, Nature, and Daily Life, (By Steven Strogatz) amzn.to/3UyJM3o
The paper (open access) www.nature.com/articles/s4146...
Osaki et al., 2024: Complex activity and short-term plasticity of human cerebral organoids reciprocally connected with axons

[@MrKoffeeKup]

There are actually quite a few thousand different types of brain cells so its very likely we are growing very different organoid clusters even if they all look the same.

[@ihmcurious]

Great point. The variation in cell types could also explain the different behavior they saw in the study, even if both people's neurons are generally similar and they followed the same steps to grow both pairs of organoids.

[@Privacityuser]

Is about microbiome (diversity) making the tools avalable for diferatiation Go to 🏞 🏞 rivers and take an evolution bathtub 🛁 🛁!!! gahahahahahah

[@Privacityuser]

@@ihmcurious Is about microbiome (diversity) making the tools avalable for diferatiation Go to rivers and take an evolution bathtub !!! gahahahahahah

[@BootyRealDreamMurMurs]

So genetics play a huge role in what kind of cluster will likely form and develop, evident by "mental inheritance" where a child born from an artistic parent will likely grow up to be an artist themselves or a singer parent having a child gifted with the same similar skillsets. Meanwhile environment adds a variety to how these likely tendencies will develop, going back to the artist parent, depending how similar the parent and child, when disimilar, the child might end up becoming an animator or a sculptor while the parent a traditional painter.

[@popkinbobkin]

listen man I like those brain organoid guys, maybe they're not the brightest you know, but they seem really chill, like playing pong, driving robots, firing synchronically, having fun and stuff. the only thing that separates them from my buddies now is that they don't drink beer yet. definetly would hang out

[@therealsmellystudios]

My homunculus "What is my purpose" Me "You swipe youtube shorts"

[@chloefox9322]

You know, that unironically is probably what I would do. I wouldn't be proud of it, but I would do it.

[@user-rb8zl2me1j]

This was so easy to digest as a layman, incredible work! The potential implications of the mentioned “bridge” and the “stimulation synchronization” are so relevant to my work in software integration. I have been thinking all week about how much of “integration” boils down to unfurling the meaning of “communication”, and have been trying to draw from nature as much as I can. I would be so fascinated to hear the findings of this study applied to our understanding of Synesthesia.

[@GatileoGatilei]

Science gives me such a strong desire to experience the future

[@JNJNRobin1337]

its all fun and games until an organic computer becomes sentient

[@Wobbothe3rd]

It's still fun and games then too

[@JNJNRobin1337]

@@Wobbothe3rd yeah but what even would it do, how would the science teams react, what about the news stories

[@EdT.-xt6yv]

Or for certain illnesses?

[@alkeryn1700]

that myelin sheath watercolor is amazing!

[@ismaeldescoings]

Wow, you really gave yourself a completely different appearance! Your body language is a lot less distracting overall, I like this change. Your videos are just awesome as always, I'm so glad someone out there is breaking down all the advancements in this fascinating topic! Thank you, and keep it up!

[@borkbork4286]

Good work ihm ❤

[@poppysilver]

i love this stuff

[@GeoffryGifari]

Seems like digital computer, new analog computer, and brain organoids are gonna converge

[@thezikaz]

So glad youtube put this video in my recommended videos. Subbed, Rang, Liked!

[@ninjuhdelic]

thanks for breaking it down for us

[@IhmHomeFarm]

This is great work! And you kind of match the neurons🙂.

[@holybiscuits7714]

bro the sponsor was so random i thought it was a bit for the video but it was fr LMFAO 😭

[@TonyLouis9345]

Fascinating research.

[@minefacex]

I can't wait for my personal humunculus maid.

[@faceofdead]

amazing video!!

[@8888Rik]

This is absolutely fascinating. I was just thinking about how the "emergent property" theory of consciousness, or of anything really, is just empty metaphysics unless a mechanism, increasing complexity for instance, can be found to account for the property in question. And example of this is the recent niobium-titanium-tantalus alloy that is durable at both extremely high and extremely low temperatures: this was completely unexpected, i.e., an "emergent property".. However, an explanation was found in the crystalline structure of the alloy. So maybe, as these experiments with organoids and axons progresses with the addition of more connected organoids, some progress may be made in the (distant) future as organoid complexes approach the billions and eventually even trillions. This won't be in my lifetime, of course; I'm 71.

[@sabelch]

fascinating!

[@andregustavo2086]

Could you make a video explaining the point differences between each of the most prominent theories of mind?

[@GeoffryGifari]

Is organoids building a network the most likely outcome? If you give them the chance would they definitely connect with each other?

[@GeoffryGifari]

also, imteresting that synchronization spontaneously happens when they connect instead of their signals destructively interfere

[@sandysand3097]

Seeing a face to that voice feels so unreal haha jelly

[@effervescentrelief]

Sounds like we will someday print custom structured organoid computer processors.

[@Phuktup3]

Omg hell yes, this is awesome. A virus that codes for photon sensitivity…. So cool!

[@hanumananky]

we have our own brain organoids all throughout our body and nervous system, we can offload a lot of thinking to our bodies if we learn how to control our minds.

[@coreymckay5202]

Videos like these make me think twice about the idea that the universe is sentient (mainly that the universe and neurons follow universal patterns and potentially behaviours). Maybe this bridge could allow for a way to harness the quantum effects on such small scales intertwining the harmonious, energy packed nature of life with the capability of computers if given a large enough pair of "brains". Of course, the question becomes: what would we use these possibly sentient "machines" for? What if all intelligent life in the universe inevitably comes to understand the nature of life as an information system? Are we already effectively a geological & biological sentient machine that computes through the substrate of human culture and the external world?

[@shadee0_106]

i assume neurons are sentient when enough are present, these seem easy to simulate but since we dont know how to simulate them.. what if we teach an ai to simulate neurons since AIs can teach itself anything assuming the AI is large enough(since an AI is just a math function), would that make an ai sentient?

[@popkinbobkin]

nice

[@tentative_flora2690]

The closing remark of a biological ChatGPT. Yeah I have been wondering that. Especially wondering what happens if you artificially train the organoids with the structure and model of ChatGPT and implant that into the language center of a brain. How hard would it be to learn to access all that information. And would it be like chatting with ChatGPT but in your head, or would it be more like just being able to instantly answer just about any question?

[@Intelligenthumour]

I guess I'm curious now as to how the white matter pathways form in the first place if something like a narrow corridor encourages them to form. Is there some kind of process in the early natal development of the brain that leaves narrow restrictions between brain regions? I also wonder if being able to replicate those conditions in some people with brain damage, specifically to the white matter portions of the brain, could encourage those pathways to reform.

[@Azyraasr]

The brain revolution is the next cheap sci-fi trope

[@user-if1ly5sn5f]

2:06 yeah, the brain is sharing the differences. Being close like 1 may be faster but the division isn’t there anymore so the complexity isn’t as complex as 2 with arm and sharing through and kinda like language, more arms can mean more combos or variables to exchange but also the stability of the variables since the exchange isn’t so close that the change is close in relation. Imagine using words with a lot of variables compared to less words but more stability. Maybe. Idk I’m just thinking.

[@jawadmansoor6064]

simulating organoids would be first step towards simulating brain, but how complex are they, how complicated are the connections between simplest structure (two organoids), how many connections are there between them and how many more are redundant (reaching out, not being part of the structure under study)? is it possible to simulate them with consumer grade GPUs?

[@ihmcurious]

I don't how many connections there are. But we can't even simulate a single neuron 100%, with consumer grade GPUs or anything else. Neurons are way more complicated than we understand, and real neural networks are much more sophisticated than current so-called AI "neural networks".

[@berry4862]

Can't we map input and output behavior of neurons and hence deduce a learning algorithm that we could replicate with computers? Currently, artificial neural networks are trained with a very inefficient and unbiological algorithm. A more local algorithm would change the world. What's difficult about mapping the full behavior of neurons?

[@smellthel]

Natural Super Intelligence sounds wild, but really seems possible when you think about it.

[@dot1298]

will these organoid connectomes ever reach a complexity where they could develop a sense of self?

[@ihmcurious]

Depends what you mean by a sense of self. It's hard to imagine that ethics boards would allow something like a human sense of self to be knowingly created. But if you consider animals to have a sense of self, we use them in research all the time, so it's easier to imagine that being allowed. We probably have a long way to go before that's possible, but it's definitely possible in theory.

[@ValidatingUsername]

Imagine someone thought a dendrite was quantum tunnelling through a wormhole 😊😂

[@barrydaemi6287]

Another awesome video! (^.^)

[@vinniepeterss]

❤

[@effervescentrelief]

I really wonder if there are actual thoughts happening in these organoids.

[@InfectedEnnui]

the amount of potential suffering that could be caused by this line of research is immeasurable.

[@mimimo6901]

Dont be selfish!! Think about people who commit suicide because of their depression and painful memories !!!

[@InfectedEnnui]

@@mimimo6901 not sure what you're implying here

[@piciguzpjenti7986]

What suffering?

[@piciguzpjenti7986]

This isn't 20th century.

[@liquidvicinity]

♥

[@gregoryallen0001]

quAntum tunneling via MICROSCOPIC BLACK HOLES i mean idk but this is my feeling lol.. a disturbance in the force

[@AbdUlrahman-po1xk]

the Organoides is then rubbed against the shlime ,then the shlime is connected ,then we cut the shlime and the Organoides is extracted, interesting

[@cronchulus5489]

I worry over the ethical implications, stemming from creating and exploiting what could be truly alive creatures albeit incredibly simpler

[@dehrk9024]

biological chatgpt, that would be me :3

[@llaammeerr2506]

Biologically powered, or atleast partially, chatgpt would be definitely interesting to see

[@user-lp9mg1gh2e]

i'd like a pet brain :D i'd name him brian

[@Hector-bj3ls]

The future is going to be weird

[@josephc8440]

I’ve always said the only artificial sentience will be from a massive brain organoid

[@mimimo6901]

??so scientists can erase fear and painful memories now ?

[@ihmcurious]

No, we don't know enough about how specific memories are encoded. But you could theoretically wipe out most of your fear response by removing your amygdala.

[@mickmickymick6927]

why didn't I become a neuroscientist. Oh yeah cause I'm dumb lol

[@ashengrayheather]

True. I tried though...

[@xeqqail3546]

why didn't I become a neuroscientist. I have no money and confidence :)

[@effervescentrelief]

Great… the AI overlords will use this tech to control us.

[@aelinwhitehorn3526]

is this guy ai generated?

[@ihmcurious]

I'm organoid-based

[@aelinwhitehorn3526]

@@ihmcurious u blink like twice in the whole video😭

[@ihmcurious]

When I'm not on video I'm soaking my eyeballs in saline solution

[@aelinwhitehorn3526]

@@ihmcurious 🤣

[@aelinwhitehorn3526]

@@ihmcurious ppm?

[@aniksamiurrahman6365]

Why do you sounds like AI commentator?

[@ihmcurious]

AI sounds like me. Brains are OG.

[@ONDANOTA]

Let's remove an arm. Are you still a person? Yes, you are. Same for legs, liver, eyes etc. Let's remove a brain. Are you still a person? No. Hence a brain organoid is a person to me. With human rights and everything

[@drdca8263]

What about the nerves in e.g. the spinal chord? That being said, I uh, also have concerns about all this. I’d feel more comfortable if they used some non-human animal as the cell source for these, especially if it was some animal which we could be especially confident doesn’t have rights, like insects, though I suppose those would be less information. I understand that the results wouldn’t be like, quite as informative about human brains?

[@PedanticAntics]

Loved everything about this except the bobble-head in the bottom right. Very distracting and added nothing. Otherwise, very accessible and well-composed.

[@Privacityuser]