The effect of working memory on the performance of somatosensory imagery

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26750183
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Rehabilitation science/Welfare engineering
• Research Institution: Nagoya University
• Principal Investigator: Uemura Jun-ichi 名古屋大学, 医学(系)研究科(研究院), 助教 (70467322)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 体性感覚 / 認知情報処理 / 脳磁計 / 機能連関 / １次体性感覚野 / ２次体性感覚野 / 前頭葉

Outline of Final Research Achievements

I studied the cognitive information processes corresponding to the somatosensory imagery, which is the imagination of sense without real stimulation. I recorded the human brain activity using the magnetoencephalography (MEG), and evaluated the functional connectivity among somatosensory related areas, not the local brain activity itself. From the first result, I identified the region of interests (ROIs) corresponding to somatosensory information processes and found the analysis method to evaluate the functional connectivity, i.e. the Phase-locking value (PLV). The second result revealed that there was a difference in the functional connectivity during somatosensory imagery between right and left hemispheres. To execute the somatosensory imagery needed the functional connectivity between spatially separated brain regions. I considered this results showed that some kind of cognitive processes worked to execute the somatosensory imagery. This result was reported at domestic meeting.

Free Research Field

ニューロリハビリテーション