Layer-specific processing in the human brain for visuo-haptic cross-modal object perception

• Project/Area Number: 20K07722
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 51020:Cognitive and brain science-related
• Research Institution: Okayama University
• Principal Investigator: Yang Jiajia 岡山大学, ヘルスシステム統合科学学域, 研究准教授 (30601588)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 福永 雅喜 生理学研究所, システム脳科学研究領域, 准教授 (40330047) ; 山本 洋紀 京都大学, 人間・環境学研究科, 助教 (10332727) ; 呉 景龍 岡山大学, ヘルスシステム統合科学学域, 教授 (30294648)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2022)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,290,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥990,000); Fiscal Year 2022: ¥1,040,000 (Direct Cost: ¥800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥240,000); Fiscal Year 2021: ¥1,820,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥420,000); Fiscal Year 2020: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
• Keywords: レイヤーfMRI / 層別脳機能 / 視触覚クロスモーダル / 7テスラ超高磁場fMRI / ヒト脳皮質層別の活動 / 大脳皮質層機能 / 触覚

Outline of Research at the Start

ヒトの対象認知過程は，多感覚情報の知覚，学習，記憶など脳の高次機能が総合されるもので，感覚種をまたがるクロスモーダルな性質を持つ。近年，機能的磁気共鳴画像（fMRI）技術の発達により，マクロ観点からクロスモーダルな情報処理に関わるヒトの後頭頂皮質と低次感覚皮質間の相互作用への理解が進めてきた。しかし，ミクロな脳機能素子となる皮質層がどのように情報処理を行うことによって，クロスモーダルな情報処理機能を実現しているかは未だ謎である。本研究では，最新の7テスラ超高磁場fMRI（レイヤーfMRI）技術を駆使して，一次感覚皮質と後頭頂皮質の各層における視触覚クロスモーダルな情報処理機構の解明を目指す。

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Humans can effortlessly recognize objects using different sensory modalities. This suggests that information about an object produced by different sensory modalities converges in the human brain to form representations invariant to the input sensory modality. In the present project, we used ultra-high field laminar fMRI to reveal how crossmodal memory retrieval modulates human brain activity. We found that the primary somatosensory cortex's upper and deep layers (S1) functionally connected with higher-level brain areas for cross-modal object recognition. We also found that the upper and deep layers of S1 play different functional roles during cross-modal memory retrieval processing.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

ヒトはある物体を見たときに，過去の経験や学習による記憶に基づき，手触りなどの関連性質を想起して，それが何であるかを理解する。この一連の作業は，一次感覚皮質と多感覚刺激に応答する領域間の各層間神経回路の役割が重要であると考えられる。本研究は，最新のレイヤーfMRI技術を用いて皮質レイヤーレベルでクロスモーダルな情報処理機構の検討を実現した。本研究の成果は，ヒトの多感覚情報処理の神経基盤解明に有用な知見が得られ，ヒト大脳皮質層の機能解明を推進する点にも意義がある。

Research Products

• [Journal Article] Effect of aging on audiovisual integration: Comparison of high-and low-intensity conditions in a speech discrimination task. (2022)
  • Author(s): Yang, W., Guo, A., Yao, H., Yang, X., Li, Z., Li, S., Chen, J., Ren, Y., Yang, J., & Wu, J.
  • Journal Title: Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience Volume: 14 Pages: 1-14
  • DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.1010060
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Layer-specific activation in human primary somatosensory cortex during tactile temporal prediction error processing (2022)
  • Author(s): Yu Yinghua、Huber Laurentius、Yang Jiajia、Fukunaga Masaki、Chai Yuhui、Jangraw David C.、Chen Gang、Handwerker Daniel A.、Molfese Peter J.、Ejima Yoshimichi、Sadato Norihiro、Wu Jinglong、Bandettini Peter A.
  • Journal Title: NeuroImage Volume: 248 Pages: 118867-118867
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118867
  • NAID: 120007188347
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Development of a Piezoelectric Actuated Tactile Stimulation Device for Population Receptive Field Mapping in Human Somatosensory Cortex With <scp>fMRI</scp> (2022)
  • Author(s): Wu Jinglong、Wang Chenyu、Wang Luyao、Wang Yutong、Yang Jiajia、Yan Tianyi、Suo Dingjie、Wang Li、Liu Xin、Zhang Jian
  • Journal Title: Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Volume: 00 Issue: 4 Pages: 1-11
  • DOI: 10.1002/jmri.28173
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] A New Method for Haptic Shape Discriminability Detection (2021)
  • Author(s): Liu Yulong、Yang Jiajia、Yu Yinghua、Yu Yiyang、Wang Wu、Li Huazhi、Takahashi Satoshi、Ejima Yoshimichi、Wu Qiong、Wu Jinglong
  • Journal Title: Applied Sciences Volume: 11 Issue: 15 Pages: 7049-7049
  • DOI: 10.3390/app11157049
  • NAID: 120007139723
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Different activation signatures in the primary sensorimotor and higher-level regions for haptic three-dimensional curved surface exploration (2021)
  • Author(s): Yang Jiajia、Molfese Peter J.、Yu Yinghua、Handwerker Daniel A.、Chen Gang、Taylor Paul A.、Ejima Yoshimichi、Wu Jinglong、Bandettini Peter A.
  • Journal Title: NeuroImage Volume: 231 Pages: 117754-117754
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.117754
  • NAID: 120007053371
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Functional heterogeneity in the left lateral posterior parietal cortex during visual and haptic crossmodal dot‐surface matching (2021)
  • Author(s): Yang Jiajia、Yu Yinghua、Shigemasu Hiroaki、Kadota Hiroshi、Nakahara Kiyoshi、Kochiyama Takanori、Ejima Yoshimichi、Wu Jinglong
  • Journal Title: Brain and Behavior Volume: 11 Issue: 3 Pages: 1-11
  • DOI: 10.1002/brb3.2033
  • NAID: 120006955804
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator (TSPAS) (2020)
  • Author(s): Wang Wu、Yang Jiajia、Yu Yinghua、Wu Qiong、Takahashi Satoshi、Ejima Yoshimichi、Wu Jinglong
  • Journal Title: Journal of Visualized Experiments Volume: 161 Issue: 161 Pages: 1-7
  • DOI: 10.3791/61218
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research