Neural mechanisms of innate recognition in primates

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25290005
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Neurophysiology / General neuroscience
• Research Institution: University of Toyama
• Principal Investigator: Nishijo Hisao 富山大学, 大学院医学薬学研究部(医学), 教授 (00189284)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): HORI ETSURO 富山大学, 大学院医学薬学研究部(医学), 教授 (90313600) ; MATSUMOTO JUMPEI 富山大学, 大学院医学薬学研究部(医学), 助教 (00635287)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 上丘 / 視床枕 / 膝状体外視覚系 / ヘビ / 顔認知 / 霊長類 / サル / bottom-up

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study investigated a role the extrageniculate visual system [superior colliculus (SC), pulvinar (PUL)] in innate recognition of faces and snakes in monkeys. The results indicated that SC and PUL neurons responded to snakes and faces faster than cortical neurons, and multidimensional scaling (MDS) analyses indicated that population activity of SC and PUL neurons discriminated snakes and facial attributes (identity, direction, sex, etc.) in early latencies less than 100 ms. Furthermore, gamma oscillations (30-80 Hz) of PUL neuronal activity were analyzed in the Early (0-200 ms after stimulus onset) and Late (300-500 ms after stimulus onset) phases. The results showed significant increases in mean strength of gamma oscillations in Early phase for snakes and Late phase for faces. These results suggest that innate recognition of snakes and faces is based on bottom-up processing in the SC and PUL.

Free Research Field

神経生理学