Elucidation of neural mechanism of the individual recognition based on a new behavioral task of mice

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K21214
• Project/Area Number (Other): 18H06092 (2018)
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund (2019); Single-year Grants (2018)
• Review Section: 0704:Neuroscience, brain sciences, and related fields
• Research Institution: Waseda University
• Principal Investigator: FUJIWARA Masaya 早稲田大学, 重点領域研究機構, 次席研究員(研究院講師) (60823705)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-08-24 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 個体識別 / IntelliCage / MAPS

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Mice are known to be able to identify individuals like human, but humans can easily identify other individuals who they are and recognize what role they are, and this individual recognition ability is the basic function to build a relationship with other individuals. It is unknown whether mice can recognize its role like human. We clarify whether mice can identify individual based on relationships by instantaneously determining the role of other individuals like human using behavioral task in which the role of the other individual changes. This contributes to the elucidation of the mechanism of brain recognition of others.

Free Research Field

神経行動学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

社会性の障害やコミュニケーションの問題を主症状とする自閉スペクトラム症（ASD）の治療薬として、社会性に影響を与える化合物の臨床試験が進められている。しかし作用機序に不明な点が多く、動物実験では薬効検証のための定量的行動表現型評価技術が不十分なこともあり、創薬の壁となっている。我々の行動課題はマウスの個体識別能力を定量評価できる新たな評価技術であり、社会性脳機能を解明するだけではなく、創薬に資する定量評価技術を提示できると期待できる。