Human brain organoids have been trained to play a Pac-Man-style video game when provided with sensory feedback.
April 1, 2026
Original Paper
Long-Term Potentiation and Closed-Loop Learning in Paired Brain Organoids for CNS Drug Discovery
bioRxiv · 2025.07.03.663054
The Takeaway
This represents a leap from simple 2D cell cultures to 'organoid intelligence,' showing that 3D clusters of lab-grown human brain tissue can process information and learn to navigate digital environments through reinforcement.
From the abstract
Learning and memory, central to cognitive function and critical targets for drug discovery in neurological disorders, fundamentally rely on synaptic plasticity, such as long-term potentiation (LTP). We developed an embedded electrode array (EEA) capable of supporting paired CNS-3D brain organoids, derived from human, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), that were interconnected via guided axonal growth, as a novel functional biomarker model for probing learning-related plasticity in vitro. Us