Investigation of neural transitory dynamics behind cognitive rigidity in autism and intervention with dynamic brain stimulation methods

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19H03535
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 51010:Basic brain sciences-related
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Watanabe Takamitsu 東京大学, ニューロインテリジェンス国際研究機構, 准教授 (10710767)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 自閉スペクトラム症 / MRI / TMS / エネルギー地形解析 / 神経タイムスケール解析 / 脳活動駆動型神経刺激装置

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this project, we aimed to launch a system in which we could track brain state dynamics almost simultaneously and also control it with non-invasive neural stimulation methods, such as TMS. To this end, we first extended “Energy landscape analysis” and built such brain-state-driven neural stimulation (BDNS) system. Next, using the BDNS system, we found that, some brain-behaviour causality cannot be detected without monitoring brain state dynamics and stimulating a specific brain region at the right timing in terms of such brain state dynamics. Finally, we showed that a longitudinal BDNS-based neural stimulation over autistic individuals could mitigate their cognitive and sensitive rigidity. Furthermore, we found that such BDNS could make the atypical social interactions seen in autistic individuals closer to those seen in typically developing ones.

Free Research Field

認知神経科学・精神医科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

学術的意義は、1. 方法論的発展として、エネルギー地形解析をより多くの脳領域を対象にも行えるように拡張したという点と、2. 概念的進歩としては、brain-behaviour causalityが脳活動状態依存に変化することを明らかにした点とがある。社会的意義は、この方法を用いることで、高機能自閉スペクトラム症の認知の硬直性や感覚の硬直性、社会疎通性の非定型性が緩和される傾向となった、という点にあると思われる。