University of Virginia scientists have demonstrated that neurons in the brain that have been supplemented with a synthetic gene can be remotely manipulated by a magnetic field. In the team’s studies on zebrafish embryos, the embryos responded to a magnetic field by twirling, which they generally do in response to pressures in the water. Fish were randomly selected from their groups for behavioral analysis. Mice without the Magneto gene did not display any behavioral changes in the presence of magnets. Their hypothesis: that the Magneto-carrying mice would scramble for the magnetized side because the open ion channels in their striata would give them a dopamine-like rush of pleasure. Likewise, when the magnetic field was turned off, the mice did not display any particular preference for that area of the cage. Indeed, they found that all six of the Magneto mice preferred to spend their time on the magnetized side of the chamber while all but one of the control mice kept to the non-magnetized end. The magnetized and unmagnetized arms were transposed for each cohort to ensure that there was no preference for either side in the testing chamber. Our method may be one possible approach.” 
 
 He emphasized, however, that at present the method is being used to better understand brain development, function and pathology.
– Scientists at the University of Virginia were able to control the brains of living mice using magnetic fields, essentially harnessing the power of mind control, according to a study published this week in Nature Neuroscience. Researchers created a synthetic gene—dubbed Magneto, obviously—that is sensitive to magnetic fields and put it into a handful of mice, a university press release explains. Ars Technica reports scientists then created a magnetic field to simulate a dopamine-like response in the genetically altered mice—basically the mice felt as happy as if they had just been given a treat. “This is, to our knowledge, the first demonstration of bona fide magnetic control of the nervous system,” Ars Technica quotes the researchers as saying. Until this newfound power is hijacked by a super villain, scientists hope to use it to study how the brain works and test out "magneto-genetic" therapies for people with brain disorders. Ali Deniz Güler, the study's lead author, called their results a "dream tool." In the immediate future, researchers can use it to figure out what pathways in the brain do what in terms of feelings and behaviors, IEEE Spectrum reports. In the future, it could be used to control neural networks that aren't functioning properly, potentially treating conditions like schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease. (Dogs apparently mastered magnetic fields long ago, using the one created by Earth for pooping.)