A study of freshwater snails shows that they have just two nerve cells that transmit information on whether they are hungry or not.
Escargot with dinner! #France #Paris #travel #travelblogger #snails 🐌 https://t.co/BHGQMZoZjK pic.twitter.com/p5TSbvNx7t
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Scientists at Sussex University discovered a circuit of two neurons that drive a snail’s decisions. The study, published in journal Nature Communications, say the simple circuit is sophisticated enough to influence artificial intelligence (AI) and how robots brains are designed.
#Snails Reveal How Two #Brain Cells Can Hold the Key to #Decision Making https://t.co/zY9DWjBrLT #behavioral #neuroscience #decisionmaking
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While the snails moved around at a pretty slow pace searching for lettuce, scientists monitored their behavior and then measured the activity in the snail's brain by using electrodes to record electrical changes in the individual neurons.
"Our study reveals for the first-time how just two neurons can create a mechanism in an animal's brain which drives and optimizes complex decision-making tasks," Professor George Kemenes who led the author says.
"It also shows how this system helps to manage how much energy they use once they have made a decision."
One neuron sends brain a message to say that food – in this case lettuce – is around.
"What goes on in our brains when we make complex behavioral decisions and carry them out is poorly understood," Professor Kemenes says, adding that the study’s findings could eventually help us design the 'brains' of robots based on the principle of using the fewest possible components necessary to perform complex tasks."
The study, 'A two-neuron system for adaptive goal-directed decision-making in Lymnaea' has been published in Nature Communications.
