The perceptual mechanisms of optical-flow speed in human and nonhuman primates

• Project/Area Number: 24K16879
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 10040:Experimental psychology-related
• Research Institution: National Institute for Physiological Sciences
• Principal Investigator: 羅 俊翔 生理学研究所, システム脳科学研究領域, NIPSリサーチフェロー (90978595)
• Project Period (FY): 2024-04-01 – 2028-03-31
• Project Status: Granted (Fiscal Year 2024)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,680,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,080,000); Fiscal Year 2027: ¥1,170,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥270,000); Fiscal Year 2026: ¥780,000 (Direct Cost: ¥600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥180,000); Fiscal Year 2025: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000); Fiscal Year 2024: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
• Keywords: Optical Flow / fMRI / Psychophysics / Human / Macaque

Outline of Research at the Start

Forward movement generates optical flow expanding and approaching towards us. Animals must distinguish its speed differences, in order to enable adaptive behavior in dynamic daily life situations. Studies have reported brain areas representing optical flow, but less attention has been payed to its speed mechanism. By conducting neuroimaging on both humans and nonhuman primates, we are aiming to figure out how multiple brain areas work together to produce perceptual outputs of various flow speeds, and what are the ubiquities and evolutionary changes of flow speed sensation across species.