Development of the magnetic resonance imaging techniques to estimate morphological plasticity in the neuronal circuits associated with memory traces

• Project/Area Number: 15K01834
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Basic / Social brain science
• Research Institution: Fukushima Medical University (2017-2018); Tohoku University (2015-2016)
• Principal Investigator: Abe Mitsunari 福島県立医科大学, 医学部, 講師 (60588515)
• Research Collaborator: Takano Yuji
• Project Period (FY): 2015-10-21 – 2019-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2018)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,550,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,050,000); Fiscal Year 2017: ¥1,560,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥360,000); Fiscal Year 2016: ¥1,560,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥360,000); Fiscal Year 2015: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
• Keywords: 記憶 / 神経可塑性 / 核磁気共鳴法 / 核磁気共鳴画像 / 微細解剖構造変化 / 学習 / 可塑性 / MRI / 核磁気共鳴法(MRI)

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Learning induces consolidation of memory. Remodeling of the anatomical architectures in the neuronal circuits occurs during the process of memory consolidation. It is called memory traces. Memory traces are embedded in the whole brain. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a technique to estimate microscopic anatomical structures of the whole brain. We examined if MRI can work as a probe to estimate memory traces. We had rats trained a spatial memory task. We scanned the rat brains before and after the task session. We found change in MRI signals in the hippocampus after the task session. Notably, these changes predicted performance of the memory task after the 1-week interval. These results indicates that the change in MRI signals might be associated with remodeling of the neuronal circuits related with memory.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

我々は、長期記憶の痕跡と関係したMRI変化を捉えた。今回の研究で開発した動物実験系を用いて、MRI変化と神経回路の形態変化との関係性を調べる予定である。この研究成果は、記憶の痕跡を可視化するMRI技術に生物学的根拠を与える次の研究の礎となる。当初の提案では、電磁気脳刺激の治療効果をMRI技術で捉える事を目的にしていた。神経可塑性は治療効果の下位基盤となる。今回の成果は提案当初の目的達成にも通じる。

Research Products

• [Journal Article] Frequency-dependent current perception threshold in healthy Japanese adults. (2019)
  • Author(s): Nakatani-Enomoto S, Yamazaki M, Kamimura Y, Abe M, Asano K, Enomoto H, Wake K, Watanabe S, Ugawa Y
  • Journal Title: Bioelectromagnetics. Volume: 40 Issue: 3 Pages: 150-159
  • DOI: 10.1002/bem.22175
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] The Motor Network Reduces Multisensory Illusory Perception. (2018)
  • Author(s): Murakami T, Abe M, Wiratman W, Fujiwara J, Okamoto M, Mizuochi-Endo T, Iwabuchi T, Makuuchi M, Yamashita A, Tiksnadi A, Chang FY, Kubo H, Matsuda N, Kobayashi S, Eifuku S, Ugawa Y.
  • Journal Title: J Neurosci. Volume: 38(45) Pages: 9679-9688
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] A Preliminary Comparison of Motor Learning Across Different Noninvasive Brain Stimulation Paradigms Shows No Consistent Modulations. (2018)
  • Author(s): Virginia Lopez-Alonso, Sook-Lei Liew, Miguel Fernandez del Olmo, Binith Cheeran, Marco Sandrini, Mitsunari Abe, Leonardo G Cohen
  • Journal Title: Front. Neurosci. Volume: 1 Pages: 1-12
  • DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00253
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] 脊椎・脊髄外傷の診断・評価 脳脊髄機能的MRIによる皮質脊髄路の神経機能評価法の開発とその展望 (2017)
  • Author(s): 高澤 英嗣, 阿部 十也, 飯塚 伯, 設楽 仁, 高岸憲二, 花川 隆.
  • Journal Title: 整形外科 Volume: 67(8) Pages: 707-711
• [Journal Article] 脳脊髄機能的MRIによる皮質脊髄路の機能評価法の開発 (2017)
  • Author(s): 高澤 英嗣, 阿部 十也, 飯塚 伯, 設楽 仁, 高岸憲二, 花川 隆.
  • Journal Title: Journal of Spine Research Volume: 7(9) Pages: 1366-1372
• [Journal Article] Variability in response to quadripulse stimulation of the motor cortex (2016)
  • Author(s): Nakamura K., Groiss S.J., Hamada M., Enomoto H., Kadowaki S., Abe M., Murakami T., Wiratman W., Chang F., Kobayashi S., Hanajima R., Terao Y., Ugawa Y.
  • Journal Title: Brain Stimulation Volume: 9 Issue: 6 Pages: 859-866
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2016.01.008
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research / Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Journal Article] Neurophysiological correlates of motor deficits in patients in Benign Epilepsy with Centro-Temporal Spikes (2016)
  • Author(s): Abe M
  • Journal Title: Clin Neurophysiol Volume: 127(2) Pages: 991-2
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] The inter-individual variability of quadripulse stimulation (QPS) (2015)
  • Author(s): 2.Enomoto H, Kadowaki S, Abe M, Nakamura K, Kobayashi S, Murakami T, Hanajima R, Terao Y, Hamada M, Ugawa Y.
  • Journal Title: BRAIN STIMULATION Volume: 8(2) Pages: 336-337
• [Presentation] Biphasic change in water diffusion MRI signals in the hippocampus of the rat brains following training of the Barnes maze task across the successive 2-days and 6-days sess ions. (2017)
  • Author(s): Abe M., Takano Y., Higuchi T., Ryoke R., Ohara S., Taki Y., Kawashima R.
  • Organizer: SfN2017
  • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
• [Presentation] Change in effects of odor contexts over time that modify memory in relation to order of remote and recent past episodes. (2016)
  • Author(s): Abe M. and Ugawa Y.
  • Organizer: Neuroscience 2016 Annual Meeting (San Diego)
  • Place of Presentation: San Diego, United States of America
  • Year and Date: 2016-11-12
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Contribution of the motor system to McGurk effect - event-related fMRI and TMS studies -. (2016)
  • Author(s): Murakami T., Fujiwara J., Sakamoto Y., Okamoto M., Mizuochi T., Iwabuchi T., Makuuchi M., Abe M., Kubo H., Matsuda N., Kobayashi S., Ugawa Y.
  • Organizer: Neuroscience 2016 Annual Meeting (San Diego), 2016
  • Place of Presentation: San Diego, United States of America
  • Year and Date: 2016-11-12
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Sex differences in the effects of OXTR rs4686302 in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC). (2016)
  • Author(s): Ishii W., Abe M., Tomita H., Takeuchi H., Kawashima R., Taki Y.
  • Organizer: Human Brain Mapping GENEVA 2016 (Geneva)
  • Place of Presentation: Geneva, Switzerland
  • Year and Date: 2016-07-26
  • Int'l Joint Research