Scientists discover how to “teleport” brains with the help of lasers in a groundbreaking study

The brain can be “teleported” by aiming laser beams at it, a study said. Neuroscientists at University College London have conducted experiments on mice in an attempt to find out more about the “hidden workings of memory” and how a person’s “internal GPS” works.

The study published in the journal Cell explained that laser beams could be directed into the hippocampus, which is the area responsible for memory and learning to stimulate neurons called “local cells.” Cells are activated when a sentient being such as an animal or human enters a new environment and stores the location in memory, as reported by the Daily Telegraph.

“Teleport” brain with the help of lasers

The scientists decided to keep the mice in one place and give them a sugar water reward. The creatures were then taken elsewhere and laser beams were used to activate the cells of the place that were storing the memory of the first location. The researchers were able to reactivate the memory of the place when the mice were given a reward that saw the creatures “mentally teleported” in the first position.

The research revealed that the mice tried to find the sugar water as they thought they were in the first position and not the second. The findings give a deeper insight into how memories are stored, and UCL scientists believe the findings may ultimately help us develop new therapies for conditions like dementia and Alzheimer’s, which affect memory.

First author, Dr Nick Robinson of the UCL Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, said: “These findings provide direct causal evidence that mice use information represented by local cellular activity to guide their behavior. In other words. , the local cells really tell the mouse where it is, and the mice actually “listen” to their cells when they make decisions. This provides new insights into how memories are stored in the brain, as well as new tools to manipulate these memories to influence behavior “.

He also said that memory disorders such as dementia and Alzheimer’s represent a major cost to society. This work may lead to a better understanding of disease, he added. Senior author, Professor Michael Hausser of the UCL Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research, said: “This study is a game changer as it shows that we can use optical reading and writing activities in specific neurons to manipulate memories. , allowing us to better understand – and potentially improve – how neural circuit activity helps us make decisions. “