Snails Make Complex Decisions Using Just Two Brain Cells: Study

Learning about snails' decision making process could help scientists develop smarter robot brains, a first-of-its-kind study has found.

A team of scientists at the University of Sussex have discovered that snails make use of just two brain cells to take complex decisions- one cell which tells the snail if it is hungry, and the other which lets it know if food is near.

"Our study reveals for the first time how just two neurons can create a mechanism in an animal's brain which drives and optimises complex decision making tasks. It also shows how this system helps to manage how much energy they use once they have made a decision," said lead researcher George Kemenes, Professor at the University of Sussex in Britain.

For the study, the scientists attached electrodes to the snails' brains to measure electrical activity in the brain while the creature was searching for food. It was found that the snail used controller and motivator neurons to determine whether or not it would eat.

While, the controller type neuron offered information about the presence of food, the second neuron transmitted signal to the brain if the animal was actually hungry. In fact, the two neurons acting in the simple circuit helps the snail save energy by reducing brain activity when there was no food present.

The researchers claim that replicating the simple yet effective circuit in the field of robotics could lead to smarter, quicker decision making robots.

"Our findings can help scientists to identify other core neuronal systems which underlie similar decision making processes. This will eventually help us design the 'brains' of robots based on the principle of using the fewest possible components necessary to perform complex tasks," continued Professor Kemenes.

The study titled "A two-neuron system for adaptive goal-directed decision making in Lymnaea" has been published in the journal Nature Communications.