Neurons Embodied in a Virtual World: Evidence for Organoid Ethics?
AJOB Neuroscience March 24, 2022 Brett J. Kagan, Daniela Duc, I. Stevens et al.
Neural organoids—lab-grown three-dimensional neural tissues—have advanced neurophysiology but raise ethical concerns. Sawai et al. (2022) proposed policies to regulate this technology, focusing on how to assess phenomenological consciousness in organoids and applying the precautionary principle. This commentary situates those proposals within broader research, highlighting recent evidence that human brain cells grown in a dish can engage in enactive learning when embodied in a virtual world via real-time closed-loop electrophysiological stimulation and recording (Kagan et al. 2021).