| Project Area | Inducing lifelong plasticity (iPlasticity) by brain rejuvenation: elucidation and manipulation of critical period mechanisms |
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| Project/Area Number |
20H05919
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Transformative Research Areas (A)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Review Section |
Transformative Research Areas, Section (III)
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| Research Institution | The University of Tokyo |
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Principal Investigator |
辻 晶 東京大学, ニューロインテリジェンス国際研究機構, 連携研究者 (30850490)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2021-04-01 – 2026-03-31
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| Project Status |
Granted (Fiscal Year 2024)
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| Budget Amount *help |
¥66,040,000 (Direct Cost: ¥50,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥15,240,000)
Fiscal Year 2024: ¥10,140,000 (Direct Cost: ¥7,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥2,340,000)
Fiscal Year 2023: ¥10,140,000 (Direct Cost: ¥7,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥2,340,000)
Fiscal Year 2022: ¥10,140,000 (Direct Cost: ¥7,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥2,340,000)
Fiscal Year 2021: ¥9,620,000 (Direct Cost: ¥7,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥2,220,000)
Fiscal Year 2020: ¥26,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥20,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥6,000,000)
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| Keywords | critical period / language acquisition / speech sound acquisition / Critical periods / Language acquisition / perceptual narrowing / critical periods / long form recording / language development / speech perception / language input / day-long recordings |
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| Outline of Research at the Start |
This project investigates the contribution of linguistic and social environmental factors on CP timing on multiple levels of language with a focus on perceptual attunement to native language speech sounds, by collecting dense longitudinal and cross-sectional datasets. These data will allow a precise understanding of environmental influences on CP timing in normally developing infants and to identify potential biomarkers of developmental delay, ultimately paving the way towards educational and clinical applications for iPlasticity.
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
The present project consists of a longitudinal and cross-sectional dataset. Both had been delayed due to the pandemic and goals of FY2022 were therefore pursued in FY2023 as follows.
We continued longitudinal data collection of 6-18 month-old infants throughout FY2023 (carry-over from FY2022), combining at-home audio recordings with in-lab speech perception and word recognition experiments. At the end of FY2023, we had nearly finished to collect data from 30 infants at 6,9,12,15, and 18 months of age. With the help of automatic analyses algorithms developed for the audio recordings (Li et al., 2022), we have started analyzing the content of infant language input. We have also started analyzing infant experimental data (Lovcevic et al., under review).We also have started EEG data collection of 6-12-month old infants’ perceptual attunement to native and non-native speech sound contrasts, complementing the longitudinal behavioral dataset.
As to the planned cross-sectional online dataset, in addition to rigorous tests with adult datasets in order to improve automatic infant gaze direction coding (Hagihara et al., 2024a, published in FY2024); we have progressed in introducing an infant online testing platform in Japanese (Hagihara et al., 2024b, published in FY2024). Finally, we have published a study on infants’ development of pointing, an online study that brings complementary evidence on environmental factors on child development (Lovcevic et al., 2024, published in FY2024).
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.
Reason
While the whole project is delayed because of the pandemic, and we carried over this delay to another FY, beyond this general delay the project is progressing rather smoothly. The behavioral longitudinal data collection is coming to an end as foreseen. EEG data collection, given this is a new technique for our lab, has had some delays especially with regard to analysis pipelines and methods, but delays are within what can be expected when incorporating a new method.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
With longitudinal data collection concluding, we will dedicate the next FY to data exploitation and analysis. This will allow us to longitudinally link infant language input to their speech perception development and word learning, allowing us to quantify the role of the input during sensitive periods.
We will supplement these data with cross-sectional EEG data, which will allow us more fine-grained insights into speech perception during sensitive periods. Data collection will terminate within this FY to also allow for result evaluation.
With a Japanese online testing platform in place now, as well as methodological improvements established, we will be able to move forward with cross-sectional data collection of speech perception across contrasts. This will provide us insights into the role of the input on speech perception from a different perspective. While the longitudinal dataset give us the impact of natural variation, this study will complement it by experimentally modifying the saliency and frequency of contrasts infants encounter, providing us with potentially stronger, but less ecologically valid evidence.
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