Optogenetic approach to understand neural mechanisms underlying visual attention in monkeys

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K12766
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Basic / Social brain science
• Research Institution: University of Tsukuba
• Principal Investigator: MATSUMOTO Masayuki 筑波大学, 医学医療系, 教授 (50577864)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): INOUE Kenichi 京都大学, 霊長類研究所, 助教 (90455395)
• Research Collaborator: YUN Mengxi 筑波大学, 人間総合科学研究科, 大学院生 ; KAWAI Takashi 筑波大学, 医学医療系, 研究員
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 視覚的注意 / ドーパミンニューロン / 前頭前野 / 光遺伝学 / サル

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Previous studies have reported that dopamine released in the prefrontal cortex is involved in visual attention. To examine what signals dopamine neurons transmit to the prefrontal cortex, we recorded single-unit activity from dopamine neurons and neurons in the prefrontal cortex in monkeys. We found that the response of dopamine neurons to visual stimuli was more strongly modulated by visual attention than that of prefrontal neurons.　Our findings suggest a possibility that dopamine neurons transmit signals related to visual attention to the prefrontal cortex. We will examine the causal relationship between the dopamine signal and visual attention using optogenetics developed for monkeys.

Free Research Field

神経科学