Neural Mechanisms of pointing, gaze, and imitation

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26350985
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Basic / Social brain science
• Research Institution: Tamagawa University
• Principal Investigator: Kumashiro Mari 玉川大学, 脳科学研究所, 嘱託研究員 (40462791)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 指さし / 共同注意 / サル / 模倣 / コミュニケーション / ミラーニューロン / 社会的称賛

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Mirror neuro is the candidate neural mechanism for communication with others, imitation, and the language. However, monkeys are considered to lack those social behavior, and thus it has been difficult to investigate the neural mechanisms. I originally developed a method for developing the “joint attention” between monkey and human, and induced the ability of imitation from the monkey. Since the question arose in the monkey’s social behavior, I planned in this study to investigate the establishment of social behavior between monkey and human, and then to explore the underlying neural mechanisms. I found that monkey-human interaction increased the pointing with eye gaze of the monkey, and decreased the problematic behavior. Furthermore, I developed the monkey-human catch-ball method that the monkey communicated with the human without food reward.

Free Research Field

神経科学