Brain capacity for plasticity: Functional motor compensation in macaque monkeys with multiple lesioning

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K17683
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 59010:Rehabilitation science-related
• Research Institution: Tsukuba International University
• Principal Investigator: Tatsuya Yamamoto つくば国際大学, 医療保健学部, 助教 (60724812)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 脳の可塑性 / リハビリテーション / 脳損傷 / 機能回復 / 神経回路 / 巧緻動作 / 第一次運動野 / 運動前野

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Brain neurons have the ability to change their own structure and function. This property, called brain plasticity, is thought to be responsible for the recovery of motor function after brain injury. In this research project, we asked the question, "What kind of neural circuitry changes are involved in functional recovery?". We reported some of the findings to this question in an international academic journal(Yamamoto et al., 2019, JNS). We also examined the limit of the injury scale at which the brain can recover motor function through plasticity, but further investigation is needed to draw a conclusion.

Free Research Field

神経科学・リハビリテーション学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

脳損傷後の運動機能回復は，損傷による直接的な影響を免れた脳領域が，失われた機能を代償するために，中枢神経系全体を巻き込む神経回路の構造的な変化を引き起こすことにより，実現している可能性がある (Yamamoto et al., 2019, JNS)。このような大規模な神経回路の可塑的な変化を明らかにした本研究成果は，脳損傷後の機能回復のみならず，発達や記憶など多様な脳機能の基盤を担う「脳の可塑性」の原理を理解するうえで，また，リハビリテーション分野を含む臨床現場においては，介入の意義や新たな治療法の構築を検討するうえで，重要な基礎的資料になる。