Do emotional and motor conditionings share cerebellar circuit?

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K06767
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 44050:Animal physiological chemistry, physiology and behavioral biology-related
• Research Institution: Hiroshima University
• Principal Investigator: Yoshida Masayuki 広島大学, 統合生命科学研究科(生), 准教授 (70253119)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 情動 / 小脳 / キンギョ / ゼブラフィッシュ / 恐怖 / 不安 / 呼吸

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The aim of this research project was to determine whether fear emotional and motor learnings share cerebellar circuit in teleost fish. It has been found that unconditioned aversive stimulus is conveyed to the cerebellum via the inferior olive in the medulla. Both ipsilateral and contralateral lesions of the olivo-cerebellar tract negatively affected the performance of the classical fear conditioning. However, due to covid-19 pandemic situation, it was unable to properly supply experimental animals and difficult to proceed the project as expected. Nevertheless, modified project aiming to develop a technique to monitor the emotional state of the fish by means of measuring ventilatory activities in freely swimming fish was successfully　conducted. The developed technique to monitor bioelectric signals derived from the ventilation activity was applied to examine the habituation process of the zebrafish in a novel environment.

Free Research Field

生物学的心理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

脊椎動物における小脳は運動学習に深く関わることが明らかになっているが、近年恐怖などの情動性の学習にも重要であることが示されつつある。本研究では、基本的な恐怖学習である古典的恐怖条件付けにおいて、延髄の下オリーブ核が重要な役割を果たすことをキンギョをモデルとして明らかにした。さらに、ゼブラフィッシュをモデルとして、自由行動下における呼吸計測に基づく恐怖・不安情動の定量に成功した。またこれを応用して新奇環境におけるゼブラフィッシュの順化過程の記載に成功した。これらの成果は、情動の基本的神経機構とその進化の解明に貢献することが期待できる。