Clarification of the mechanical relationship between the brain development and synchronized neuronal migration

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K13015
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Biomedical engineering/Biomaterial science and engineering
• Research Institution: Osaka University
• Principal Investigator: Takeishi Naoki 大阪大学, 基礎工学研究科, 助教 (30787669)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: ニューロン / 細胞膜 / 連続体力学 / 応力場 / 計算バイオメカニクス

Outline of Final Research Achievements

It is known that a neuronal precursor cell (NPC) migrates into certain brain local region with specific time period. From the viewpoint of continuum mechanics, a deformable particle contributes to the stress field in the space by its behavior, and obtains the feedback from changed stress field. Hence, we hypothesized that tissue-scale brain development is a consequence of synchronized NPCs migration due to the change of the stress field. To clarify this, we numerically investigate each individual NPCs behavior, and quantify the contribution of their migrations into stress field. Based on these knowledges, we build the mechanical concept of brain development.

Free Research Field

計算バイオメカニクス

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究によって，細胞-組織間の階層を貫く先駆的な計算力学モデルが構築される．これにより，個々の細胞の運動と組織スケールのダイナミクスの関係について普遍的な理解を与え，脳形成ついての力学的概念を世界に先駆けて示すことができる．また，開発モデルを用いたシミュレーションは，ニューロンの運動異常に起因した神経疾患（例えば，てんかんや精神遅延）の原因究明の手段にもなりえる．本研究の成果は，細胞と組織間の階層を繋ぐ新たな力学的概念の提示に他ならないため，脳形成のみならず様々な器官形成における力学的背景の解明に繋がり，幹細胞を利用した組織構築をはじめとする次世代再生医療の技術基盤の構築に直結する．