A Mouse Startled by a Robot Spider... Brain Lights Up with a 'Spark'

Development of a Swarm Brain Research System to Uncover the Secrets of Collective Intelligence
Introducing a New Concept to Simultaneously Observe Brain Activity and Behavior
Discovery of the Neuroscientific Causes of Collective Defense Behavior Against External Attacks

The amygdala brainwaves of a mouse are being displayed with LED lights.

[Asia Economy Reporter Junho Hwang] Ants and honeybees form colonies to gather food and protect themselves from predators. Birds and fish also live in groups. This phenomenon is called collective intelligence, but the principles behind the manifestation of collective intelligence remain shrouded in mystery. It is difficult to obtain real-time information such as brainwaves when living animals exhibit collective intelligence. A domestic research team has developed a 'real-time wireless brainwave measurement·analysis system (CBRAIN)' that provides a clue to unraveling the secret of animal collective intelligence, which has remained an unsolved challenge in neuroscience. Dr. Jihyun Choi from the Brain Science Research Institute at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology and Dr. Seonggyu Lee from the Intelligent Sensor Research Lab at the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute jointly developed this system, and announced on the 14th that their related research results were published in the international academic journal Science Advances.

Observing Animal Brain Signals with LEDs

Overview diagram of CBRAIN monitoring brain activity of clustered mice

CBRAIN detects animal brain signals in real time and lights up LEDs, similar to how a group of fireflies flash simultaneously. Researchers can visually observe the emotions and thoughts of animals through this system.

The research team used this system to observe a group of mice. They introduced a spider-shaped robot larger than the mice into the group equipped with CBRAIN to study collective behaviors exhibited under threat situations. CBRAIN was attached to emit light in response to alert signals generated in the basolateral amygdala, a part of the brain that regulates fear. They then analyzed the differences between when a mouse confronted the spider robot alone and when it confronted it together with its peers using deep learning and other methods.

Potential Application in Human Social Brain Research

The behavior of mice in response to threat factors and the occurrence of gamma waves in the amygdala were observed simultaneously.

The LEDs on the mice lit up simultaneously as the spider robot entered the cage. However, when eight mice were grouped together, the frequency of alert signals was lower than when a single mouse was alone. Additionally, mice outside the group showed strong alert signals, whereas those inside the group exhibited signals similar to when they were calm. The research team interpreted this as a social buffering effect where being with peers reduces alert signals and eases tension, which corresponds to role division for efficient defense of the entire group.

Dr. Jihyun Choi, principal researcher at KIST, said, "Because the CBRAIN system represents brain signals as flickering light, it can be directly utilized not only by neuroscientists but also by researchers in various fields such as ecology, statistics, and artificial intelligence, contributing to interdisciplinary research outcomes." She added, "CBRAIN can also be applied to human social brain research, potentially aiding studies on sociality and related brain disease treatments."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.