2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

Multi-scale causal understanding of network operation for object memory in primates

Research Project

PDF

Project/Area Number	17H02219
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	National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology
Principal Investigator	Hirabayashi Toshiyuki 国立研究開発法人量子科学技術研究開発機構, 放射線医学総合研究所脳機能イメージング研究部, 主幹研究員(定常) (60376423)
Project Period (FY)	2017-04-01 – 2021-03-31
Keywords	霊長類 / 化学遺伝学 / 脳機能イメージング / 認知記憶 / 電気生理
Outline of Final Research Achievements	Using macaques, we conducted the functional neuroimaging during a visual object memory task, and found significant task-related activity in the prefrontal and temporal cortices (PFC and TC). We then injected AAVs into the PFC activation site to express an inhibitory DREADD. The task performance decreased as a result of administration of DCZ, a DREADD agonist we recently developed. The functional neuroimaging during the task with DCZ administration revealed activity decrease in both the DREADD-expressing PFC and the remote TC sites. Finally, we conducted unit recordings in the TC activation site during the task under the silencing of the PFC activation site, and found the corresponding changes in the neuronal activities in the TC site. The combination of DREADD with both the functional neuroimaging and electrophysiology provided a multi-scale causal understanding of the operation and function of a brain-wide network underlying the visual object memory in primates.
Free Research Field	認知神経生理学
Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements	認知記憶の障害は、多くの神経・精神疾患における主要な症状の一つである。本研究は、化学遺伝学と認知課題を、機能イメージング、電気生理等のマルチモーダルな神経活動計測と組み合わせる事により、ヒトに近い脳構造と機能を有する霊長類モデルにおいて、認知記憶を支える前頭葉ー側頭葉ネットワークの作動及び機能について、因果的かつマルチスケールな理解をもたらした。これにより、ヒトにおいてそれに対応する症状及びその責任神経回路についての理解が深まり、ひいては新たな治療もしくは介入法等の開発に繋がり得ると考えられる。