Summary: Researchers provided robust evidence supporting the controversial “critical brain hypothesis” through a project called DishBrain. This experiment, involving 800,000 human neural cells playing Pong, reveals how neurons shift into a “neural critical” state when informed about the surrounding environment, enabling cascades of brain activity. This state lies between the extremes of epileptic excitation and a comatose stall. The findings hint at profound insights into brain function and potential treatments for neurological disorders. Key Facts: DishBrain, a collection of 800,000 human neural cells, was utilized to support the critical brain hypothesis by demonstrating how neurons shift into a “neural critical” state. This “neural critical” state enables complex behaviors, existing between the extremes of epileptic activity and signal stalling. While criticality helps understand neural responses, it alone doesn’t drive learning; a feedback loop with additional action consequence information is essential. https://neurosciencenews.com/neuron-processing-critial-brain-23879/
Critical dynamics arise during structured information presentation within embodied in vitro neuronal networks https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-41020-3
