| TITLE | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geometry and brain template of biological motion: a study using the imprinting procedure | ||||
| OBJECT | ||||
| Human subjects vividly perceive a live motion of human individual, if a set of finite number of moving point lights were strategically arranged such that each light represents a major joint of the body, a phenomenon widely known as the Johansson’s biological motion (BM). Since the BM was found, intensive studies have so far revealed that humans not only “read and specify” the sex, age and the individual, but also “infer” the emotional states. Furthermore, recent studies suggested a possibility that even newborn babies prefer the BM images, and that autism is linked with an impaired attention to the BM stimuli. Despite the BM in human is supposed to have been shaped through evolutionary processes, the BM was not firmly shown in non-human primates and non-primate animals, simply because of limited evidence for the BM perception in these animals thus hindering progress in our understanding of the underlying neural bases. In the present study, we focus on the behaviors of newly-hatched domestic chicks that are visually naïve and perfectly inexperienced. We have already found that (1) chicks show little preference to a BM stimulus over a comparable non-BM stimulus, but (2) once exposed to motion picture (not necessarily of a BM property) according the imprinting procedure, they reveal an intensive BM preference. These finding suggest that (1’) chicks have an innate template for BM, and (2’) imprinting procedure permissively induces the BM preference and the induction is not an instructive learning process. In this study using chicks, we will try to “disclose” (A) geometric features of moving point light images that are invariant as being preferred by the imprinted (thus aroused) chicks, (B) localize the brain regions involved in the BM preference, and (C) draw the abstract rules of neural dynamics responsible for the BM recognition. | ||||
| NAME | AFFILIATION | SPECIALTY | ROLE | |
| Leader | MATSUSHIMA, Toshiya | Hokkaido University | Behavioral ecology, Cognitive neuroscience | Design, execution, and analysis behavioral and neural studies, writing scientific papers for publication |
| Collaborator | HOMMA, Koichi J. | Teikyo University | Biochemistry, Molecular biology, Neuroscience | Experimental study on the molecular basis of the brain template for biological motion |
| Collaborator | VALLORTIGARA, Giorgio | University of Trento | Cognitive science, Experimental psychology | Ddesign of behavioral tasks for visual perception of biological motion |
| TITLE | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Problem solution through trial and error in the macaque prefrontal cortex | ||||
| OBJECT | ||||
| Facing an unknown problem, human and animals can provide appropriate responses by learning new knowledge to link relevant sensory stimuli to arbitrarily goal-directed actions. For the formation of such an intellectual, knowledge-based learning, the repetition of trial-and-error behaviors and their outcomes are essential. To elucidate underlying neural mechanisms, we train monkeys to perform a cognitive behavioral task in which they have to seek for new task-relevant knowledge through trial-and-error behaviors and record the single unit activity from the lateral prefrontal cortex of the monkeys performing this task. | ||||
| NAME | AFFILIATION | SPECIALTY | ROLE | |
| Leader | OGAWA, Tadashi | Kyoto University | Neurophysiology | Supervisor, neurophysiological experiments, data analysis |
| Collaborator | KUMADA, Takatsune | Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) | Psychology | Psychophysical experiments, data analysis |
| TITLE | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neural mechanisms underlying facilitative actions of the posterior pituitary hormones upon social interactions. | ||||
| OBJECT | ||||
| The objective of this study is to clarify how vasopressin or oxytocin, the posterior pituitary hormones, facilitate social interaction. Vasopressin receptor-deficient or oxytocin receptor-deficient mice show deficits in social behaviors. Administration of vasopressin or oxytocin has been shown to facilitate social behaviors. However, underlying neural mechanisms remain to be clarified. In the present study, we will investigate neural actions of vasopressin and oxytocin by using various kinds of methods including local microinjections of drugs, microdialysis and transgenic mice. | ||||
| NAME | AFFILIATION | SPECIALTY | ROLE | |
| Leader | ONAKA, Tatsushi | Jichi Medical University | Physiology | To perform physiological experiments and be responsible for this study |
| Collaborator | TAKAYANAGI, Yuki | Jichi Medical University | Molecular biology | To perform molecular biological experiments. |
| TITLE | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neural mechanisms for generation and modulation of social need | ||||
| OBJECT | ||||
| Social need guides behaviors on the basis of communication with others, while materialistic need on the basis of interaction with the non-human environment. However, the neural basis of generation is largely unknown. In order to uncover the neural basis of social need, we measure the brain activity during human subjects are performing task that can regulate the social and materialistic needs. Furthermore, we will make clear the way how the representation of social need is modulated in the brain through increase in self-esteem by experience-based learning programs. | ||||
| NAME | AFFILIATION | SPECIALTY | ROLE | |
| Leader | MATSUMOTO, Knji | Tamagawa University | Cognitive neuroscience | Organizing all |
| Collaborator | NAMBA, Katsumi | Tamagawa University | Physical and health education | Running experience-based learning programs |
| TITLE | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Role of Dopaminergic system in development and execution of song behavior in the Bengalese finch | ||||
| OBJECT | ||||
| The male Bengalese finches sing highly complex songs with grammatical structure. Since juvenile birds learn their own songs by imitating their father’s tutor songs, it is widely accepted that social interaction is required for acquisition of crystallized singing behavior. In addition, previous studies have provided evidences that courtship singing by matured male songbird is associated with activation or inactivation of several song nucleus where neurons received intensive dopaminergic input from the ventral tegmental area (VTA). In this study, we aim to elucidate the dynamic role of dopaminergic system in social context-dependent behavior and learning. For this goal, we are now executing microdialysis study in freely moving singing birds. Obtained data shall be used for biologically appropriate model study. | ||||
| NAME | AFFILIATION | SPECIALTY | ROLE | |
| Leader | OKUMURA, Tetsu | Shizuoka Institute of Science and Technology | Neuroethology, Neuroscience | Project management, Execution of biological and computational studies |
| TITLE | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Integrated communication between symbol and sensorimotor pattern based on estimation of others’ inner state. | ||||
| OBJECT | ||||
| The aim of this project is to develop engineering model that integrates two functions of mirror neuron system: (1) Mapping of sensorimotor patterns between self and others, (2) Establishment of natural communication between others. Two engineering techniques: A) Mutual transformation between symbol representation and sensorimotor pattern, and B) estimation of others’ sense based on motion observation, are used for the goal. We investigate role of sense estimation, and expression using both of motion patterns and symbol representation in communication between humanoid robots and human beings. Through interaction experiments, we evaluate feasibility of our proposed method. | ||||
| NAME | AFFILIATION | SPECIALTY | ROLE | |
| Leader | INAMURA, Tetsunari | National Institute of Informatics | Intelligent Information System | Principal investigator |
| TITLE | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macaque monkey as an animal model of embodied spatial cognition | ||||
| OBJECT | ||||
| Spatial hemineglect is induced mainly by damage in right cerebral cortex and is a cognitive deficit in which the patients have difficulty in responding to the space contralateral to the brain damage. Growing evidence suggests that the deficit is a deficit in brain networks including parietal-frontal coretex and dorsal-ventral sensory pathways. This project aims to establish an animal model of the deficit. | ||||
| NAME | AFFILIATION | SPECIALTY | ROLE | |
| Leader | YOSHIDA, Masatoshi | National Institute for Physiological Sciences | Cognitive neurophysiology | Whole project, including data collection and analysis |
| TITLE | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Synchronization of Unintentional Behavior in Japanese Monkeys | ||||
| OBJECT | ||||
| Interests on brain functions underlying social interactions are now broadly expanded in neuroscience and cognitive sciences. Some studies in perception and action in interpersonal coordination revealed that social interactions facilitated behavioral synchronization. While the synchronization is demonstrated through intentional attempts and unintentional changes in action, most studies only focused on intentional actions, and unintentional actions and those latent processes remain unclear. Furthermore, little is known about the behavioral synchronization in social animals, which is vital for understanding the developmental origins of the behavior. In this study, I examined an unintentional synchronization in behavior occurred in a social context in monkeys. | ||||
| NAME | AFFILIATION | SPECIALTY | ROLE | |
| Leader | NAGASAKA, Yasuo | Laboratory for Adaptive Intelligence | Neuroscience, Comparative cognitive science | Responsible for the overall direction and administration of the project |
| TITLE | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Synthetic modeling approach to understand dynamic brain mechanisms for creating higher-order cooperative behaviors | ||||
| OBJECT | ||||
| Although many have proposed possible brain mechanisms for creating cooperative behaviors by means of perceptual entrainment among individuals, it might be difficult to explain cooperative behaviors involving with the higher-order goal-directed actions solely by such entrainment mechanisms. In this project, we investigate the problem by conducting novel experiments of multiple robots interactions based on our prior neuro-dynamic model focusing on interactions between the top-down intention and the bottom-up sensory regression. We will elucidate how intention of each individual driven by own “free will” can be aligned spontaneously for achieving possible cooperative actions with others based on the prediction and the regression mechanism. | ||||
| NAME | AFFILIATION | SPECIALTY | ROLE | |
| Leader | TANI, Jun | RIKEN, Brain Science Institute | Neuro-Robotics | Construction of general research plans and model formations. |
| Collaborator | NISHIMOTO, Ryunosuke | RIKEN, Brain Science Institute | Neuro-Robotics | Robot experiments |
| Collaborator | NAMIKAWA, Jun | RIKEN, Brain Science Institute | Complex Systems | Numerical model formulation |
| Collaborator | ARIE, Hiroaki | RIKEN, Brain Science Institute | Neuro-Robotics | Analysis of experiments |
| TITLE | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Behavioral and neurophysiological studies of competition as an interindividual communication in the monkey | ||||
| OBJECT | ||||
| The aim of this study is to clarify neuronal and neurochemical mechanisms of competitive behavior. In this study, monkeys play a video game, either competing with another monkey or the computer, or playing alone without a rival. We will examine whether there would be differences in behavior and neuronal activity of the prefrontal cortex depending on whether the game is competitive or not, and depending on whether the competition is between monkeys or between the monkey and computer. We will also examine effects of social factors (dominance between monkeys) on both competition behavior and brain activity. | ||||
| NAME | AFFILIATION | SPECIALTY | ROLE | |
| Leader | WATANABE, Masataka | Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science | Neuroscience | Integration of the research project, Recording of neuronal activities from the monkey prefrontal cortex |
| Collaborator | KODAMA, Tohru | Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science | Neuroscience | Examination of changes in neuronal activity and neurotrasmitter in the monkey prefrontal cortex |