Rubral contribution behind Adaptive control of motor modules

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K10984
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 59030:Physical education, and physical and health education-related
• Research Institution: National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry
• Principal Investigator: Oya Tomomichi 国立研究開発法人国立精神・神経医療研究センター, 神経研究所 モデル動物開発研究部, 室長 (30552468)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 赤核 / 協調運動

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We have successfully recorded electrophysiological activities of both magnocelluar and parvocellular cells in the red nucleus of the midbrain from macaque monkeys performing an upper limb reaching-and-grasp task. We found that the cells were synchronized during the execution, whereas they showed significant asynchronous firing several tens of milliseconds after the end of the execution. This could a indication that the teachering signal from the upstream cerebellar cortical Purkinje cells fires asynchronously, in turn, resulting in asynchronized fiing of the cerebellar nuclei cells. This is an important clue to clarifying the interaction between cerebellar modules. We will try to elucidate the process of motor adaptation by observing the changes in muscle activity before and after this asynchronous firing.

Free Research Field

神経生理

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

身体の協調運動の神経機構を明らかにすることは、健常時の運動学習の仕組みの理解を促進するだけでなく、身体損傷後の再適応機構に関する包括的な原理の解明に不可欠である。協調運動の理解のカギは出力としての筋のまとまりがどの程度、どのように適切なタイミングで動員されるかを明らかにすることにある。
赤核細胞から小脳細胞での教師信号の動態がつかめると、小脳での情報処理の仕組みの一端があきらかになり、身体運動の協調性を支える神経基盤の理解だけでなく、小脳の情報処理の原理理解への手がかりとしても重要な意味をもつ。