Scientists read the “thoughts” of mice in their facial expressions

It’s relatively easy to read emotions on people’s faces – each one has its own clear and unmistakable signature. But what about thoughts?

“Reading Minds” conjures up images of futuristic scanning machines, but one recently published in Nature Neuroscience came to demonstrate that a simple video may be enough.

Using Machine Learning techniques, a team of researchers from the Champalimaud Foundation, in Portugal, showed that the facial movements of mice are a reflection of their hidden thoughts.

According to the study authors, this discovery could offer an unprecedented understanding of how the brain works, but it also raises the need for safeguard mental privacy.

The study shows that the problem solving strategies of mice can be deciphered from your facial movements underneath

According to the authors, this discovery is considered a proof of concept that Is it possible to read the mind through video recordings?potentially paving the way for new research and diagnostic tools.

“To our surprise, we discovered that we were able to obtain as much information about what the mouse was thinking as we could by recording the activity of dozens of neurons,” he said. Zachary MainePrincipal Investigator at the Champalimaud Foundation and lead author of the study, in a statement published on .

“Having such easy access to hidden content of the mindcould bring an important boost to brain research. However, it also highlights the need to start thinking about regulations to protect our mental privacy.

What do little mice think?

In a study published in 2023, the team of researchers had challenged mice, put them in a puzzle in which they had to discover which, of the two water sources presented, provided a sweet reward.

Since fresh water was made available alternately, the mice had to develop strategies to decide which source to choose.

“We knew that mice could solve this task using different strategies, and We were able to identify the strategy adopted according to their behavior”, explains Fanny CazettesPrincipal Investigator at the Center National de la Recherche Scientifique and first author of the study.

“We were hoping that the mice’s neurons would just reflect the strategy used, but the truth is that all the strategies were present at the same time, regardless of which one they were using at any given time.”

This discovery presented the team with a unique opportunity to make the connection between brain activity and facial movements. And it was then that they asked: “Could all the strategies present in the brain also be detected on the snout?”

The mirror of the mind

The team recorded the animals’ facial movements as well as the activity of neurons in your brain and analyzed this data using Machine Learning algorithms. The results were surprising: Facial movements were as informative as neuron populations.

Or co-author Davide ReatoAssociate Researcher at Aix Marseille University, highlighted that although these results are extraordinarily robust, the similarities found were even more surprising.

“Similar facial patterns, represented the same strategies in different mice. This suggests that the reflection of certain thought patterns in terms of facial movements can be stereotyped, much like what happens with emotions”, says Reato.

According to the authors, this study paves the way for studying the brain in a non-invasivewhich could help us better understand how the brain works in health and disease.

However, given the ubiquitous nature of video recordings in our society, the authors highlight the importance of consider protecting mental privacy of people.

“The study shows that videos are more than a recording of behaviors: they can be an open window into brain activity. And while this may be very exciting from a scientific point of view, it also raises questions about the need to safeguard our privacy”, he concludes. Alfonso Renartauthor of the study and Principal Investigator at the Champalimaud Foundation.