Researchers were able to confirm that sensations from the rat's whiskers were being processed by the human brain cells. They also engineered cells that were sensitive to a colored light, then taught the rat to associate the light with a reward.
He says the first step was to create the brain tissue using what are known as pluripotent stem cells. They're derived from skin samples, and can be coaxed into developing into almost any kind of cell in the body. But instead of just working in a dish, Pasca's team transplanted the cells onto the brain of a living rat. They soon watched as blood vessels connected, and the human neurons began to grow.
"And we've discovered that it starts to connect with the, with the some of the circuitry of the rat. And so for instance, it receives input from the thalamus, which is a very important structure in the middle of the brain, which relays information from sensors. So because we put it in the region of the brain that processes information from whiskers," explains prof. Pasca.
Researchers were able to confirm that sensations from the rat's whiskers were being processed by the human brain cells. Later they engineered cells that were sensitive to a colored light, then taught the rat to associate the light with a reward. Behavior, again being processed through the human brain cells.
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