Functional mapping of primate insular cortical areas based on their neural networks

• Project/Area Number: 18K14838
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 46020:Anatomy and histopathology of nervous system-related
• Research Institution: University of Tokyo Health Sciences
• Principal Investigator: Uezono Shiori 東京医療学院大学, 保健医療学部, 助教 (30755666)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2021)
• Budget Amount: ¥3,120,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥720,000); Fiscal Year 2019: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000); Fiscal Year 2018: ¥1,690,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥390,000)
• Keywords: 霊長類 / 大脳基底核 / 島皮質 / 神経路 / ウイルスベクター / 大脳皮質

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The insula cortex is subdivided into three major cytoarchitectonic domains: the agranular (Ia), dysgranular (Id), and granular insular cortexes (Ig). In the present study the Ia, Id and Ig in common marmosets were injected separately with the rabies viral vectors expressing RFP, mAG or GFP to investigate how the primate insula cortex connects multisynaptically with the basal ganglia. After the vector injections, the labeled neurons were located on the dorsal striatum, external segment of the globus pallidus and subthalamic nucleus. Similar neural labeling distributions following injections into three insular cortexes were observed in the basal ganglion, suggesting that multisynaptic inputs from the basal ganglia of the three insular cortexes were basically similar.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

これまでマーモセット島皮質の線維連絡に着目した研究は国内、外において無く、マカクザルを含む他の霊長類動物においても島皮質の線維連絡に関する報告は少ない。本研究により得られた解剖学的知見は、生理学的研究や脳機能イメージングなどによる島皮質の研究にも有用であると考えられ、摂食、情動、報酬系などの多種多様な機能に関与する島皮質の情報処理様式の解明に貢献できると考えられる。さらに、島皮質は統合失調症やパニック障害などといった精神神経疾患への関連性が示唆されていることから、本研究成果が推進する島皮質機能の神経メカニズム解明は、これらの精神疾患の病態解明や治療法の開発などにもつながると期待できる。