2001 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Neural mechanisms of the cognitive map in the parietal association cortex of the monkey
| Project/Area Number |
12680799
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
神経・脳内生理学
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| Research Institution | Seitoku Junior College of Nutrition (2001)
Nihon University (2000) |
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Principal Investigator |
SAKATA Hideo Seitoku Junior College of Nutrition, Professor, 食物栄養学科, 教授 (10073066)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
KASEDA Masakazu Nihon University, School of Medicine Department of Physiology, Lecturer, 医学部, 講師 (20072994)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2000 – 2001
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| Keywords | cognitive map / parietal association cortex / virtual reality / route memory / navigation / place cell / japanese macaque / neural mechanisms |
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| Research Abstract |
Man and animals are considered to have cognitive maps of the spatial layout of their environment in memory. The discovery of "place cells" in the rat hippocampus with location-specific activity provided neural basis of navigation with the cognitive map. However, studies of clinical neurology showed that the lesions of the parietal cortex caused deficits in the topographical memory. Since the hippocampus is mainly concerned with the recent memory, permanent cognitive map may be stored in the parietal cortex of the primates. This research project is designed to train the monkeys to learn navigation in the virtual space presented by the virtual reality system with three dimensional computer graphics and record single neuron activity in the parietal cortex to search for the navigation task-related neurons to analyze neural mechanisms of the cognitive maps.
At the beginning, we analysed the behavioral data to verify that the monkey are able to construct a cognitive map within the virtual spa
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ce. We trained the monkey to navigate with joy stick to move around in a virtual two-story building simulating the monkey research facility. After a year of training the first monkey learned to navigate after seeing the image of the room, from the entrance hall to the goal, guided by memory. After memorizing 5 different routes we trained the monkey to start from different locations and go to the same goals. The monkey learned this second task quickly, suggesting that the animal memorized the location of the goals as a cognitive map.
We started microelectrode recording in the later half of the second year. Soon we found a couple of neurons in area PGM of the mesial parietal cortex activatied selectively around a particular checking points among 16 different checking points in 5 routes. We also recorded several neurons that were activated when the monkey made a turn to a particular direction in particular locations. These neurons are similar to the "place cells" recorded in the rat hippocampus, suggesting to be the neural basis of cognitive map stored in the parietal association cortex.
In parallel with the behavioral and neurophysiological studies of the navigation in virtual space, we also studied visual neurons of area CIP of the posterior parietal cortex and found that many of the surface-orientation selective neurons integrate binocular disparity cues and monocular cues of linear perspective to perceive depth in the 3D computer graphics used in the virtual reality system. Less
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Research Products
(8 results)
