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Paralympic brain -ability of functional and structural reorganization in human brain-

Research Project

Project/Area Number 18H04082
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)

Allocation TypeSingle-year Grants
Section一般
Review Section Medium-sized Section 59:Sports sciences, physical education, health sciences, and related fields
Research InstitutionThe University of Tokyo

Principal Investigator

Nakazawa Kimitaka  東京大学, 大学院総合文化研究科, 教授 (90360677)

Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) 西村 幸男  公益財団法人東京都医学総合研究所, 認知症・高次脳機能研究分野, プロジェクトリーダー (20390693)
荒牧 勇  中京大学, スポーツ科学部, 教授 (40414023)
野崎 大地  東京大学, 大学院教育学研究科(教育学部), 教授 (70360683)
Project Period (FY) 2018-04-01 – 2022-03-31
Project Status Completed (Fiscal Year 2021)
Budget Amount *help
¥44,460,000 (Direct Cost: ¥34,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥10,260,000)
Fiscal Year 2021: ¥9,230,000 (Direct Cost: ¥7,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥2,130,000)
Fiscal Year 2020: ¥9,230,000 (Direct Cost: ¥7,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥2,130,000)
Fiscal Year 2019: ¥9,230,000 (Direct Cost: ¥7,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥2,130,000)
Fiscal Year 2018: ¥16,770,000 (Direct Cost: ¥12,900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥3,870,000)
Keywords脳の可塑性 / 身体障害 / パラリンピック / 脳再編 / 可塑性 / 障がい / ニューロリハビリテーション / 代償性反応 / 脳
Outline of Final Research Achievements

Paralympic athletes can be excellent examples to help us understand how, and to what extent, the human brain reorganizes itself if intensive physical training is provided continuously after an injury. This can help us uncover the hidden potentials of CNS reorganization. In a Paralympic long jumper with unilateral below-knee amputation, we observed unique bilateral activation of the motor cortical area when he was exerting unilateral thigh muscle contractions of the amputated limb. In another study focusing on Paralympic powerlifters, we serendipitously discovered that individuals with complete motor and sensory spinal cord injuries (SCI) often had superior upper-limb motor function compared to those of able-bodied individuals as well as wheelchair users who have other types of lower-limb impairments and/or incomplete SCI.
Both use-dependent plasticity and compensatory adaptation were hypothesized to underly the observed inferior motor function in their upper-limbs.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

パラリンピアンの脳を調べることで、人間の脳がそもそもどの程度の再編能力を有するのか、その可能性を知る事ができる。この視点から、様々な障害特性を有する様々な競技者の脳機能と構造を調べた。その結果、パラリンピアンの脳には障害及び競技特性に応じたユニークな再編が生じる事が明らかとなった。これをもたらす要因は障害に依存する脳の可塑的変化と競技特有なトレーニングに依存する可塑的変化であると考えられる。今後、その詳細な作用機序を明らかにすることで効果的・効率的なリハビリテーションプログラムやスポーツトレーニングへの応用が可能となると期待される。

Report

(5 results)
  • 2021 Annual Research Report   Final Research Report ( PDF )
  • 2020 Annual Research Report
  • 2019 Annual Research Report
  • 2018 Annual Research Report
  • Research Products

    (17 results)

All 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018

All Journal Article (10 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 2 results,  Peer Reviewed: 8 results,  Open Access: 7 results) Presentation (7 results) (of which Int'l Joint Research: 2 results,  Invited: 7 results)

  • [Journal Article] Brain Reorganization and Neural Plasticity in Elite Athletes With Physical Impairments2022

    • Author(s)
      Nakazawa Kimitaka
    • Journal Title

      Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews

      Volume: Publish Ahead of Print Issue: 3 Pages: 118-127

    • DOI

      10.1249/jes.0000000000000288

    • Related Report
      2021 Annual Research Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
  • [Journal Article] Para-Sports can Promote Functional Reorganization in the Ipsilateral Primary Motor Cortex of Lower Limbs Amputee2021

    • Author(s)
      Nakanishi T, Mizuguchi N, Nakagawa K, Nakazawa K.
    • Journal Title

      Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair

      Volume: 35 Issue: 12 Pages: 1112-1123

    • DOI

      10.1177/15459683211056660

    • Related Report
      2021 Annual Research Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
  • [Journal Article] Specific Brain Reorganization Underlying Superior Upper Limb Motor Function After Spinal Cord Injury: A Multimodal MRI Study2021

    • Author(s)
      Nakanishi Tomoya、Nakagawa Kento、Kobayashi Hirofumi、Kudo Kazutoshi、Nakazawa Kimitaka
    • Journal Title

      Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair

      Volume: 35 Issue: 3 Pages: 220-232

    • DOI

      10.1177/1545968321989347

    • Related Report
      2021 Annual Research Report
    • Peer Reviewed
  • [Journal Article] Cortical reorganization of lower-limb motor representations in an elite archery athlete with congenital amputation of both arms2020

    • Author(s)
      Nakagawa K, Takemi M, Nakanishi T, Sasaki A, Nakazawa K.
    • Journal Title

      NeuroImage: Clinical

      Volume: 25 Pages: 102144-102144

    • DOI

      10.1016/j.nicl.2019.102144

    • Related Report
      2020 Annual Research Report 2019 Annual Research Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
  • [Journal Article] "Paralympic Brain". Compensation and reorganization of a damaged human brain with intensive physical trainig2020

    • Author(s)
      Nakazawa K, Obata H, Nozaki D, Uehara S, Cennik P
    • Journal Title

      Sports

      Volume: 8 Issue: 4 Pages: 46-46

    • DOI

      10.3390/sports8040046

    • Related Report
      2019 Annual Research Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
  • [Journal Article] Functional plasticity of the ipsilateral primary sensorimotor cortex in an elite long jumper with below-knee amputation2019

    • Author(s)
      Mizuguchi N*, Nakagawa K*, Tazawa Y, Kanosue K, Nakazawa K. (* Equal contribution)
    • Journal Title

      NeuroImage: Clinical

      Volume: 23 Pages: 101847-101847

    • DOI

      10.1016/j.nicl.2019.101847

    • Related Report
      2019 Annual Research Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
  • [Journal Article] Remarkable hand grip steadiness in individuals with complete spinal cord injury2019

    • Author(s)
      Nakanishi T, Kobayashi H, Obata H, Nakagawa K, Nakazawa K.
    • Journal Title

      Experimental Brain Research

      Volume: 237 Issue: 12 Pages: 3175-3183

    • DOI

      10.1007/s00221-019-05656-2

    • Related Report
      2019 Annual Research Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
  • [Journal Article] Functional plasticity of the ipsilateral primary sensorimotor cortex in an elite long jumper with below-knee amputation2019

    • Author(s)
      Mizuguchi N, Nakagawa K, Tazawa Y, Kanosue K, Nakazawa K.
    • Journal Title

      NeuroImage:Clinical

      Volume: 印刷中

    • Related Report
      2018 Annual Research Report
    • Peer Reviewed / Open Access
  • [Journal Article] パラリンピックブレイン―パラアスリートの脳の再編―2019

    • Author(s)
      中澤公孝
    • Journal Title

      Brain & Nerve -神経研究の進歩

      Volume: 71 Pages: 105-112

    • Related Report
      2018 Annual Research Report
  • [Journal Article] トップアスリート研究の意義 -パラアスリートの脳研究を通じて2018

    • Author(s)
      中澤公孝
    • Journal Title

      バイオメカニズム学会誌

      Volume: 42 Pages: 19-24

    • NAID

      130007586365

    • Related Report
      2018 Annual Research Report
  • [Presentation] Paralympic Brain-showing reorganizability of human brain-2018

    • Author(s)
      Nakazawa K
    • Organizer
      International Research Forum on Biomechanics of Running-specific Prostheses
    • Related Report
      2018 Annual Research Report
    • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
  • [Presentation] リハビリテーションと中枢神経の再編―パラアスリートの脳研究から見えてきたこと―2018

    • Author(s)
      中澤公孝
    • Organizer
      運動神経科学研究会、第13回脳神経科学東京セミナー
    • Related Report
      2018 Annual Research Report
    • Invited
  • [Presentation] パラリンピックブレイン-パラアスリートに診る身体の再編能力-2018

    • Author(s)
      中澤公孝
    • Organizer
      ヒューマンオーグメンテーション学セミナー
    • Related Report
      2018 Annual Research Report
    • Invited
  • [Presentation] Neural Mechanisms Underlying Robot-Assisted Training2018

    • Author(s)
      Nakazawa K
    • Organizer
      40th International Conference of the IEEE, Engineering in Medicine and biology Society
    • Related Report
      2018 Annual Research Report
    • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
  • [Presentation] パラリンピックブレイン -脳の代償および再編能力-2018

    • Author(s)
      中澤公孝
    • Organizer
      バイオメカニズム学会
    • Related Report
      2018 Annual Research Report
    • Invited
  • [Presentation] パラリンピックブレインー脳の代償および再編能力ー2018

    • Author(s)
      中澤公孝
    • Organizer
      第8回都医学研シンポジウム「スポーツ脳科学の創成」
    • Related Report
      2018 Annual Research Report
    • Invited
  • [Presentation] パラリンピアンにみる人間の脳の再編能力2018

    • Author(s)
      中澤公孝
    • Organizer
      URCFシンポジウム、「身体・脳・スポーツと超臨場感技術」
    • Related Report
      2018 Annual Research Report
    • Invited

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Published: 2018-04-23   Modified: 2023-01-30  

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