Scientists succeed in remotely controlling fruit fly brains

Researchers at Rice University in Houston, USA, have demonstrated a method to remotely control fruit flies, or Drosophila, by influencing their brains. During the experiment, when commands were sent to specific neurons in the flies' brains, the insects performed the desired action within just one second. This was reported in Nature Materials a study published in the journal.

During the experiment, scientists introduced iron oxide nanoparticles into the flies' brains that heat up under the influence of a magnetic field. Through this, their genes were modified. The study was conducted in a specially equipped chamber, with an electromagnet placed underneath and a video camera installed at the top.

To control the flies, researchers used an ion channel sensitive to the rate of temperature change in neurons. As the flies moved and crawled inside the chamber, the magnetic field was altered. As a result, the nanoparticles introduced into the brain heated up and activated the necessary neurons.

The video camera recorded that the genetically modified flies partially spread their wings half a second after the magnetic signal was given. Experts usually interpret this movement as a mating signal in these creatures.

Study author Jacob Robinson emphasized that this result is an important step in the field of neurotechnology.

“Remote control of selected neural circuits using magnetic fields is a primary goal of neurotechnology. Our work is an important step forward in studying the brain,” he said.

The team is currently working on methods to restore vision in humans through remote brain stimulation. The authors hope that this technology, which allows for the precise activation of specific brain areas, could form the basis for treating many diseases, including neurological disorders, without surgery in the future.

Furthermore, this technology could help create wireless headsets that allow direct communication between the brain and a computer. Scientists note that for such devices to approach the precision of the brain's natural signals, the response time must be reduced to a few hundredths of a second.