Understanding the neural basis of empathetic behaviors

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project Area: Empathic system
• Project/Area Number: 25118009
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (Research in a proposed research area)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Review Section: Complex systems
• Research Institution: Nara Institute of Science and Technology
• Principal Investigator: Komai Shoji 奈良先端科学技術大学院大学, 先端科学技術研究科, 准教授 (50420469)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 池田 和司 奈良先端科学技術大学院大学, 先端科学技術研究科, 教授 (10262552)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-06-28 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 行動解析 / コンピュータビジョン / 共感性 / 社会行動 / 神経回路解析

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Understanding our behavior representing to the neural activities of network is quite important to recognize its precise meanings and predict it. In many neuro-developmental disorders in human, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), social interaction is disrupted. Disadvantages of that are some of the important features behind the background, which are not apparently visible (conspicuous but subtle), may be overlooked, or are not analyzed due to the complexity of inter-connected behavioral features during human performance. The model mice were video-recorded singly in an open field. Then, behavioral motion features were extracted and analyzed by using this system. The results clearly distinguished the subtle changes of mice and even identified behavioral difference in ASD model mice from the control subjects. Thus, it lays the pavement for the potential of generalized use of this method both for animal model and for human subject in future.

Free Research Field

行動神経科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

共感性などの社会行動は擬人的観測によって行われてきたが，テクノロジーの進展により神経活動の詳細な解析・介入が可能となった現在，定量的行動解析が極めて重要な課題となってきている．微小神経回路の表出をヒトが目で観測し同定することは極めて困難であるからである．一方で，一連の行動の中に含まれる文法的構成，行動の小さなチャンクの遷移についての理解も全く進められていない．自動走行の車載カメラをはじめ画像解析による物体認識の精度が格段に向上した今，これらの技術を用いて行動の客観的，定量的理解を行うことが可能となってきているとともに，これらのことを先んじて行うことは社会的にも極めて意義深いことであると言える．