‘Consciousnessoids’: clues and insights from human cerebral organoids for the study of consciousness

Human cerebral organoids (HCOs) are three-dimensional lab-grown models of early brain development that already show electrical activity, sensitivity to light, and the ability to connect to spinal cord tissue to trigger muscle contraction. At 10 months, their network activity resembles preterm babies' EEG patterns. Given rapid progress, HCOs might become a living laboratory for studying consciousness and testing neuroscientific theories. The author proposes research lines to investigate conscious states using HCOs and discusses ethical issues that may require strict regulation.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Abstract Human cerebral organoids (HCOs) are an in vitro three-dimensional model of early neural development, aimed at modelling and understanding brain development and neurological disorders. In just a few years, there has been a rapid and considerable progress in the attempt to create a brain model capable of showcasing the structure and functions of the human brain. There are still strong limitations to address, including the absence of vascularization that makes it difficult to feed the central layers of organoids. Nevertheless, some important features of the nervous system have recently been observed: HCOs manifest electrical activity, are sensitive to light stimulation and are able to connect to a spinal cord by sending impulses that make a muscle contract. Recent data show that cortical organoid network development at 10 months resembles some preterm babies’ electroencephalography (EEG) patterns. In the light of the fast pace of research in this field, one might consider the hypothesis that HCOs might become a living laboratory for studying the emergence of consciousness and investigating its mechanisms and neural correlates. HCOs could be also a benchmark for different neuroscientific theories of consciousness. In this paper, I propose some potential lines of research and offer some clues and insights so as to use HCOs in trying to unveil some puzzles concerning our conscious states. Finally, I consider some relevant ethical issues regarding this specific experimentation on HCOs and conclude that some of them could require strict regulation in this field.