Neurones in a dish learn to play computer game

Hundreds of thousands of human neurones growing in a dish coated with electrodes have been taught to play a version of the classic computer game Pong. In doing so, the cells join a growing pantheon of Pong players, including pigs taught to manipulate joysticks with their snout and monkeys wired to control the game with their minds. The gamer cells respond to electrical signals from the electrodes, which both stimulate the cells and record changes in neuronal activity. Researchers then converted the stimulation signals and the cellular responses into a visual depiction of the game.