Spatiotemporal dynamics of acetylcholine activity in adaptive behaviors and response patterns

• Project/Area Number: 24K10485
• 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: Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University
• Principal Investigator: サポン ギデオン 沖縄科学技術大学院大学, 神経生物学研究ユニット, ポストドクトラルスカラー (00837198)
• Project Period (FY): 2024-04-01 – 2027-03-31
• Project Status: Granted (Fiscal Year 2024)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,550,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,050,000); Fiscal Year 2026: ¥910,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥210,000); Fiscal Year 2025: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000); Fiscal Year 2024: ¥2,340,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥540,000)
• Keywords: reversal learning / acetylcholine / striatum / spatiotemporal dynamics

Outline of Research at the Start

This project aims to examine acetylcholine (ACh) neurochemical mechanisms underlying reversal learning (a form of behavioral flexibility which requires changes in response patterns or strategies when rules are switched). I will focus on the nature of the activity of ACh in response to changes in reinforcement contingencies. To characterize the spatiotemporal dynamics and precise nature of ACh in this adaptive behavior, this study will employ a rule-switching mouse behavioral task through a virtual reality behavioral system in combination with two-photon imaging, and chemogenetic manipulation.