Exploration of the higher-order somatosensory cortex

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K19315
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 46:Neuroscience and related fields
• Research Institution: Fujita Health University
• Principal Investigator: Yamashita Takayuki 藤田医科大学, 医学部, 教授 (40466321)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-07-09 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 体性感覚 / マウス / 社会性行動

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The neuronal mechanisms underlying the hierarchical information processing of somatosensation in the cerebral cortex remains largely unclear. In this study, we used mice to investigate the information processing mechanism in the dysgranular zone, which receives projections from the whisker primary somatosensory cortex. We found that neurons responding to the approach of another conspecific adult (a social approach stimulus) and the approach of a stuffed mouse toy (a non-social approach stimulus) were discovered in the dysgranular cortex. Furthermore, our findings suggested that the proportion of neurons differentiating between these two stimuli varied across subregions of the dysgranular cortex. However, these responses involved factors other than tactile stimuli, implying that the dysgranular cortex may be a higher-order cognitive region related to sociality rather than a higher-order somatosensory cortex.

Free Research Field

神経生理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、一次体性感覚野洞毛領域からの投射を受ける異顆粒帯において、特定の社会行動をエンコードするニューロンを発見した。これにより、感覚処理と社会行動が神経レベルでどのように統合されているかに関する新たな知見を提供した。特に、異顆粒帯内の亜領域において社会性行動の表現が異なるという発見は、今後の研究に重要な情報となるであろう。本研究成果は、将来的には自閉スペクトラム障害などの社会的障害の神経メカニズムの解明に寄与し、新たな診断ツールや治療戦略の開発に役立つ可能性がある。