Causal relationship between hippocampal neural plasticity and dendritic backpropagations

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K13115
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Brain biometrics
• Research Institution: Doshisha University
• Principal Investigator: Takahashi Susumu 同志社大学, 脳科学研究科, 教授 (20510960)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 場所細胞

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The microdrive with electrodes for recording multi-unit activity and optical fibers for stimulation was developed. In addition, in the hippocampus of animals performing a behavioral task, we identified the pyramidal cells that are active a few milliseconds after the light stimulus, suggesting that our system is capable of stable stimulation and recording. We observed the neuronal activity in response to optogenetic stimulation to PV-cre rats and mice in the brain. As a result, we found that the frequency of activity was higher at zero phases, where the intensity of the light stimulus was highest, independent of its frequency. Finally, the relationship between the change in place specific information of place cells and the probability of dendritic backpropagation spikes was analyzed.

Free Research Field

認知神経科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究により、海馬場所細胞の可塑性と樹状突起活動の因果関係の一端を理解することができれば、認知神経科学の進展に寄与することはもちろんのこと、その波及効果は、アルツハイマー型認知症を含む認知障害の治療法の開発から、最近開発が進んでいるブレイン-マシン・インタフェース（BMI）、すなわち脳の神経活動だけで外部機器を操作するシステムに、記憶・学習機能を付加することも可能となる。また、深層学習などの人工知能研究に新たなアーキテクチャーや機能の切っ掛けを与えることも可能になる。