Elucidation of the mechanisms underlying information representation in the hippocampus

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17H02217
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Basic / Social brain science
• Research Institution: Gifu University
• Principal Investigator: Yamaguchi Shun 岐阜大学, 大学院医学系研究科, 教授 (70304087)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 寺川 洋平 岐阜大学, 大学院医学系研究科, 助教 (10709512)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 光脳科学 / Arc遺伝子 / Arc-dVenusマウス / 記憶 / エングラム

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Arc-dVenus mouse is a transgenic mouse line that expresses fluorescent protein in activated neurons. By using this mouse line, we analyzed the distribution patterns of the hippocampal dentate granule cells activated by various stimuli. We found that the distribution patterns of the activated neurons are stimulus specific and the pattern formation processes are mainly dominated by genetic factors. Moreover, we found that the activation patterns of neurons in the specific cortical areas are dysregulated in the mouse models harboring autism and schizophrenia-associated mutations.

Free Research Field

神経科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の成果は、海馬における情報処理機構の解明や、さまざまな脳・精神疾患の病態解明に向けての重要な足掛かりとなることが予想される。また本研究は、神経科学の分野において独自性の高いものであり、国内外のさまざまな研究に影響を与えることが期待される。