Elucidating the mechanisms of split-brain by the information-theoretic analysis of brain activity

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18H02713
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 51020:Cognitive and brain science-related
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Oizumi Masafumi 東京大学, 大学院総合文化研究科, 准教授 (30715371)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 小村 豊 京都大学, 人間・環境学研究科, 教授 (80357029) ; 笹井 俊太朗 国立研究開発法人情報通信研究機構, 脳情報通信融合研究センター脳情報通信融合研究室, 協力研究員 (00789612)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 意識 / 分離脳 / 統合情報理論 / 情報理論 / ECoG

Outline of Final Research Achievements

A brain in which the corpus callosum connecting the left and right hemispheres has been severed for the treatment of epilepsy is called a "split-brain," and the patient behaves as if he or she has two independent consciousnesses in the left and right hemispheres. Understanding the split-brain is important to understand how we can have one consciousness integrating the left and right brains. In this study, we recorded monkey ECoG data and developed an algorithm to extract neural network structure from neural activity data with the goal of understanding the neural mechanisms of the split-brain. The algorithm is capable of efficiently searching for the subnetwork with the largest amount of integrated information, which enables us to judge the split of networks from brain activity.

Free Research Field

理論神経科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

分離脳の神経メカニズムの理解は、なぜ我々が左脳と右脳の情報が統合された意識経験を持てるのかを理解する上で重要である。本研究成果は、この分離脳の理解に向けた、数理基盤の開発に成功した点と、実際のサルの行動実験、及び脳活動の記録を行った点で意義がある。