Revelation of the neuronal mechanism of motor learning in non-human primates with the two-photon calcium imaging

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17H04982
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Neurophysiology / General neuroscience
• Research Institution: Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (2019-2020); The University of Tokyo (2017-2018)
• Principal Investigator: Masamizu Yoshito 国立研究開発法人理化学研究所, 脳神経科学研究センター, 副チームリーダー (90608530)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: in vivo カルシウムイメージング / 運動学習 / マーモセット

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Two-photon calcium imaging has revealed neuronal activities related to behavioral and cognitive functions in rodents at a single-cell resolution. To apply this technique to behaving non-human primates, we developed protocols to train head-fixed common marmosets to perform upper-limb movement tasks. Head-fixed marmosets could control a pole with an upper limb to move a cursor to a target on a screen. We conducted two-photon calcium imaging of layer 2/3 neurons in the motor cortex during this motor task performance, and detected task-relevant activity from neuronal somata, dendrites and axons.

Free Research Field

神経科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

我々は、霊長類コモンマーモセットで、課題実行時に脳のin vivo 2光子カルシウムイメージングをおこなう系を確立した。今後、この系を用いて、様々な精神・神経疾患モデルの遺伝子改変コモンマーモセットの神経基盤を解明することによって、疾患における神経ネットワーク変容の理解に役立てることで、新たな治療方法の開発につながることが期待できる。