Scientists research on ‘mental teleportation’ using laser beams

Neuroscientists at the University College of London are studying the impact of memory on the “inner GPS system’ of the brain.

UCL researchers have conducted a study published in the journal Cell. As part of the study, scientists used laser beams to 'place cells' (a type of neuron) in mice. These cells are found in a brain region called the hippocampus.

By stimulating the place cells using the lasers, scientists were able to “reactivate (or retrieve) the memory of a location where the mice obtained a reward, which in turn "mentally teleported" the mice, causing them to act as if they were in the rewarded place,” according to a press release by UCL.

As part of the experiment, the mice were first placed in a location where they were given sugar water as a reward. The place cell activity was then recorded. The mice were then taken to another location where scientists performed targeted activation of the place cells to trigger a “mental teleportation” within the mice. The mice, believing that they had arrived in the place with the sugar water reward, started searching for the reward in the second location.

The study was meant to provide that place cell memory underlies how the brain navigates.

First author Dr Nick Robinson (UCL Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research) said: "These results provide direct causal evidence that mice use the information represented by place cell activity to guide their behaviour. In other words, place cells really do tell the mouse where it is, and mice actually 'listen' to their place cells when they make decisions. This provides new insights about how memories are stored in the brain, as well as new tools for manipulating these memories to influence behaviour."

According to Dr Robinson, this study could help in a better understanding of memory disorders such as dementia and Alzheimer's as well as help in new targets for therapeutic intervention.

Senior author Professor Michael Hausser (UCL Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research) said: “This study is a game-changer as it shows that we can use optical reading and writing of activity in specific neurons to manipulate memories, allowing us to better understand - and potentially improve - how neural circuit activity helps us to make decisions."

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