Brain Science Institute Research Articles

Great Footmark of the Late Professor Masao Ito: The Past and Future of the Japan Neuroscience Society

Professor Masao Ito passed away in December last year at the age of 90. He not only performed great scientific achievements in the studies of the cerebellar circuit functions, but also made a great contribution to promotion of the neuroscience researches both in and outside Japan. His contribution includes foundation of the Japan Neuroscience Society, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, working as the president of International Brain Research Organization, foundation of Human Frontier Science Program and foundation of federation of scientific associations in Asia such as FAONS.

Dennis Luke Murphy, M.D. (1936-2017).

The name Dennis Murphy is known to everyone in monoamine research. His life's research was devoted to investigations of alterations in neurotransmitter systems in psychiatric disorders. He was a rare scientist who focused on all levels of research—basic, translational, and clinical—and spanning neurochemical, genetic, molecular, clinical pharmacology, and behavioral approaches. His early work included investigations on the mechanisms of action of levodopa,1-3 lithium,4, 5 and extensive research on monoamine oxidase (References 6-9 plus over 130 papers). He authored a seminal paper on the linked-polymorphic region in the serotonin transporter (SERT) gene promoter10—a hallmark in the “birth” of the field of psychiatric genetics. He developed the SERT knockout mouse,11-13 and used this and other genetic mouse models to investigate mood and anxiety disorders.14-16 His genetic work included functionality-informed candidate gene studies of the SERT gene SLC6A417, 18 and the neuronal glutamate transporter gene SLC1A1,19 and the genetics of obsessive–compulsive disorder.20 The list goes on. Over his career, he authored over 800 papers, more than 100 book chapters, and 4 books. Dr. Murphy's successes also include training and mentoring more than 100 students and fellows. The list of success stories of those he mentored is extensive, and includes chairs and professors of psychiatry and basic science departments around the world; impactful leaders serving as principal investigators and administrators in industry and government; and even a former NIMH Director. As a mentor, he strongly encouraged and supported a multidisciplinary environment of creativity and exploration, and enjoyed sharing opportunities to think outside the box. His command of the literature, and his insights into many areas of basic, translational, and clinical neuroscience, were second to none. As much enthusiasm as Dennis had for science, he had equal excitement for life outside the lab. He was an avid traveler, hiker, skier, and a tennis enthusiast; these activities were well known to his trainees and colleagues alike, who often joined Dennis on the slopes, the courts, or the Billy Goat Trail. For Dennis, photography could easily have been an equally successful second career. His personality and genuine interest in numerous non-scientific areas made every interaction, be it as a scientific mentor or friend, delightful and, more often than not, memorable. Dr. Murphy received his Bachelor of Science degree from Marquette University in 1958, his Medical and Master of Science degrees from the Medical College of Wisconsin in 1963, and he completed his residency in psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University in 1966. He joined NIMH as a Clinical Fellow in 1966 and became Chief of the Clinical Neuropharmacology Branch in 1977, which was incorporated within the Laboratory of Clinical Science in 1983. Beyond his research, Dr. Murphy contributed significantly to the scientific community. He served on Editorial Boards for numerous journals, such as Biological Psychiatry, Neuropsychopharmacology, and Progress in Neuropsychopharmacology. In addition to extensive service at NIMH and NIH, he served on numerous Councils, Advisory Boards, and Consortia around the world. Examples include: the Riken Brain Science Institute (Tokyo); the Swedish Medical Research Council; the Ontario Mental Health Foundation; the National Alliance for Research in Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD); The Burroughs Wellcome Fund; the Howard Hughes Medical Institute; and, the German-Israeli Foundation for Scientific Research and Development. He was also a member of several professional societies, including the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP), the Collegium Internationale Neuropsychopharmacologium (CINP), and the American Society of Human Genetics. Dr. Murphy received numerous awards and distinctions throughout his career, including, among others: 2 Presidential Meritorious Executive Rank Awards; the U.S. Public Health Service's Superior Service Award; the Department of Health and Human Services' Distinguished Service Award; the Alcohol, Drug Abuse and Mental Health Administration's Meritorious Service Award; the American Psychiatric Association's Hofheimer Prize for Research; and, the Society for Biological Psychiatry's A.E. Bennett Award for Clinical Research. The legacy of Dr. Dennis Murphy extends far beyond his substantial body of research and his publications. Perhaps most importantly, his legacy is the many he trained and mentored and to whom he generously afforded opportunities, including the 3 authors of this brief chronicle of his life. The authors declare no potential conflict of interests.

Exploration of human visual cortex using high spatial resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging

In this review focusing primarily on the work conducted in my group at the RIKEN Brain Science Institute, I will first briefly summarize what we have achieved in mapping columnar organizations in human primary visual cortex using blood oxygenation-level dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), including ocular dominance columns, temporal frequency dependent domains, and orientation selective columns. I will then touch upon a couple of recent successful attempts in the field in mapping functional architectures in human extrastriate cortices, including human middle temporal complex and secondary and tertiary visual areas (V2 and V3), and discuss what we have learned regarding the spatial specificity of BOLD fMRI. Finally, I will offer some of my personal thoughts on how functional architectures may be organized in relation to underlying microvasculature and how such functional architectures may be experimentally explored.

Role of reactive astrocytes and gliotransmitters in neurodegenerative diseases

Event Abstract Back to Event Role of reactive astrocytes and gliotransmitters in neurodegenerative diseases Changjoon J. Lee1* 1 Brain Science Institute, KIST, Center for Neuroscience and Functional Connectomics, Republic of Korea Brain is composed of not only neurons but also glia. It has been recently established that in addition to neurons, glial cells can release various transmitters (termed gliotransmitters), such as GABA, glutamate, and d-serine. The functional significance of these gliotransmitters is beginning to unravel as the detailed mechanisms of release have become available. We have recently demonstrated the role of GABA, synthesized via MAO-B and released through GABA-permeable Best1 channel from reactive astrocytes, in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. During the course of these studies, we have developed various molecular tools, mouse and rat models, and neural probes to address specific questions in animal models of neurodegenerative diseases. These newly developed targets and tools will prove useful in developing novel therapeutics for various neurodegenerative diseases that currently have no cure for. Keywords: Astrocytes, Alzheimer, GABA, neurodegeneration, MAO-B Conference: 14th Meeting of the Asian-Pacific Society for Neurochemistry, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 27 Aug - 30 Aug, 2016. Presentation Type: Plenary Lecture 4 Topic: 14th Meeting of the Asian-Pacific Society for Neurochemistry Citation: Lee CJ (2016). Role of reactive astrocytes and gliotransmitters in neurodegenerative diseases. Conference Abstract: 14th Meeting of the Asian-Pacific Society for Neurochemistry. doi: 10.3389/conf.fncel.2016.36.00004 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 26 Jul 2016; Published Online: 11 Aug 2016. * Correspondence: Prof. Changjoon J Lee, Brain Science Institute, KIST, Center for Neuroscience and Functional Connectomics, Seoul, Seoul, Republic of Korea, cjl@kist.re.kr Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Changjoon J Lee Google Changjoon J Lee Google Scholar Changjoon J Lee PubMed Changjoon J Lee Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

Neuroinformatics Infrastructure for data sharing developed in J-Node

Event Abstract Back to Event Neuroinformatics Infrastructure for data sharing developed in J-Node Yoko Yamaguchi1*, Yoshihiro Okumura1, Takayuki Kannon1, 2, Tomoki Kazawa1, 3, Sawako Suenaga1, Itsuko Ishii1, Ayumi Honda1, Miyabi Ogawa1 and Shiro Usui1 1 RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Japan 2 Kanazawa University, Graduate School of Advanced Preventive Medical Sciences, Japan 3 The University of Tokyo, Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, Japan INCF japan Node (J-Node) has developed 14 neuroinformatics platforms. For the sake of integrative use of these databases, J-Node is now focusing on development of tools and systems for data-sharing. Main resources of the recent development are as follows. 1) XooNIps ver 4. was applied to INCF Japan Node Portal and several platforms. The new version supports user friendly custamization of metada. By using this, we have created DOI registration support system for J-Node research contents. DOI registration of research data in the test project in 2015 is followed by a regular phase on J-Node Portal. 2) Digital Brain Atlasing and semantic web were developed in collaboration among PF members. Recent activities were created at j-Node Hackathon. A number of web viewer for integrating brain atlas and related knowledge were created to promote data exchange among platforms and related projects. 3) The use of ontology for semantic web technology is one of INCF core activities. J-Node tries to incorporate J-Node contents in future integrated knowledge as semantic web. RIKEN developed RIKEN Meta Database in the use of Resource Description Framework, where some of J-Node Platforms was registered. Ontologies and tools covering across platforms and related projects are now under further elucidation. 4) To promote software/tool development as collaborative projects, we launched INCF Japan Node software center. We updated the center to include software catalog site and software development site. This center is partially open in public for everyone's use. Based on these infrastructures, J-Node tries to integrate knowledge on not only domestic but also international neuroscience and neuroinformatics. References 1) INCFJapan Node Portal URL http://www.neuroinf.jp/ 2) INCF Japan Node Hackathon URL http://www.neuroinf.jp/hackathon2016?ml 3) RIKEN Meta Database URL http://metadb.riken.jp 3) INCF Japan Node Software Center URL https://software.neuroinf.jp Keywords: brain atlasing, ontologies, platforms, Metadata Management, XooNIps Conference: Neuroinformatics 2016, Reading, United Kingdom, 3 Sep - 4 Sep, 2016. Presentation Type: Demo Topic: Infrastructural and portal services Citation: Yamaguchi Y, Okumura Y, Kannon T, Kazawa T, Suenaga S, Ishii I, Honda A, Ogawa M and Usui S (2016). Neuroinformatics Infrastructure for data sharing developed in J-Node. Front. Neuroinform. Conference Abstract: Neuroinformatics 2016. doi: 10.3389/conf.fninf.2016.20.00044 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 30 Apr 2016; Published Online: 18 Jul 2016. * Correspondence: Prof. Yoko Yamaguchi, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Wako-shi, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan, yokoy@brain.riken.jp Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Yoko Yamaguchi Yoshihiro Okumura Takayuki Kannon Tomoki Kazawa Sawako Suenaga Itsuko Ishii Ayumi Honda Miyabi Ogawa Shiro Usui Google Yoko Yamaguchi Yoshihiro Okumura Takayuki Kannon Tomoki Kazawa Sawako Suenaga Itsuko Ishii Ayumi Honda Miyabi Ogawa Shiro Usui Google Scholar Yoko Yamaguchi Yoshihiro Okumura Takayuki Kannon Tomoki Kazawa Sawako Suenaga Itsuko Ishii Ayumi Honda Miyabi Ogawa Shiro Usui PubMed Yoko Yamaguchi Yoshihiro Okumura Takayuki Kannon Tomoki Kazawa Sawako Suenaga Itsuko Ishii Ayumi Honda Miyabi Ogawa Shiro Usui Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

How to build a complex dendrite arbors? Novel roles of myosin in dendrite branching

Event Abstract Back to Event How to build a complex dendrite arbors? Novel roles of myosin in dendrite branching Li-Foong Yoong1* and Adrian Moore1 1 RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Laboratory for Genetic Control of Neuronal Architecture, Japan Neurons require highly branched dendritic arbor morphologies to wire together neural networks and define the individual computational properties of the cell. The mechanisms of how dendritic arbor architectures are established remain unknown. Importantly these mechanisms are often disrupted in neurological disorders and may be utilized during neuronal regeneration. Utilizing non-invasive, in vivo time-lapse microscopy of dendrite arbor morphogenesis in Drosophila pupa, we observed a sequence of distinct phases in the metamorphic dendrite re-outgrowth processes. Each phase has a characteristic set of highly dynamic processes, and developmental transitions between these phases are carefully regulated. Using live imaging-based screening approach, we identified groups of signalling molecules and cytoskeletal modulators that control the dynamics of the processes during each stage and the transitions between phases. The early scaffold building of the dendrite arbor is established through a transient but mobile, dendritic growth cone structures. Using in vivo labeling of actin and microtubule cytoskeletons, we found that stereotypic dendritic branching events were prefigured by the creation of specific cytoskeletal tracks. From our screen, we identified that the atypical myosin, Myosin VI is a key molecule in the sequential building of a highly branched dendrite arbor structure. Myosin VI lays the foundations of dendrite growth cone structures to create the complex dendrite arbor. Keywords: Drosophila, neural networks, Neuronal regeneration, dendrite arborization, Myosin VI Conference: 14th Meeting of the Asian-Pacific Society for Neurochemistry, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 27 Aug - 30 Aug, 2016. Presentation Type: YIC03: Young Investigator Colloquium 3 Topic: 14th Meeting of the Asian-Pacific Society for Neurochemistry Citation: Yoong L and Moore A (2016). How to build a complex dendrite arbors? Novel roles of myosin in dendrite branching. Conference Abstract: 14th Meeting of the Asian-Pacific Society for Neurochemistry. doi: 10.3389/conf.fncel.2016.36.00064 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 04 Aug 2016; Published Online: 11 Aug 2016. * Correspondence: Dr. Li-Foong Yoong, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Laboratory for Genetic Control of Neuronal Architecture, Wako-shi, Saitama, Japan, yoong_lifoong@brain.riken.jp Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Li-Foong Yoong Adrian Moore Google Li-Foong Yoong Adrian Moore Google Scholar Li-Foong Yoong Adrian Moore PubMed Li-Foong Yoong Adrian Moore Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

Brain/MINDS: brain-mapping project in Japan.

There is an emerging interest in brain-mapping projects in countries across the world, including the USA, Europe, Australia and China. In 2014, Japan started a brain-mapping project called Brain Mapping by Integrated Neurotechnologies for Disease Studies (Brain/MINDS). Brain/MINDS aims to map the structure and function of neuronal circuits to ultimately understand the vast complexity of the human brain, and takes advantage of a unique non-human primate animal model, the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus). In Brain/MINDS, the RIKEN Brain Science Institute acts as a central institute. The objectives of Brain/MINDS can be categorized into the following three major subject areas: (i) structure and functional mapping of a non-human primate brain (the marmoset brain); (ii) development of innovative neurotechnologies for brain mapping; and (iii) human brain mapping; and clinical research. Brain/MINDS researchers are highly motivated to identify the neuronal circuits responsible for the phenotype of neurological and psychiatric disorders, and to understand the development of these devastating disorders through the integration of these three subject areas.

Erratum: “Correspondence between Phase Oscillator Network and Classical XY Model with the Same Infinite-Range Interaction in Statics” [J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 84, 033001 (2015)

XY Model with the Same Infinite-Range Interaction in Statics” [J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 84, 033001 (2015)] Tatsuya Uezu1+, Tomoyuki Kimoto2, Shuji Kiyokawa3, and Masato Okada4,5 1Graduate School of Sciences and Humanities, Nara Women’s University, Nara 630, Japan 2National Institute of Technology, Oita College, Oita 870-0152, Japan 3Faculty of Science, Nara Women’s University, Nara 630-8506, Japan 4Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8561, Japan 5RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan (Received March 11, 2015; accepted March 16, 2015; published online April 7, 2015)

Precise predictions of intelligence and personality traits from brain structure

Event Abstract Back to Event Precise predictions of intelligence and personality traits from brain structure Ryota Kanai1*, Hiromitsu Mizutani1, Haruto Takagishi2 and Toshio Yamagishi3 1 Araya Brain Imaging, Department of Neuroinformatics, Japan 2 Tamagawa University, Brain Science Institute, Japan 3 Hitotsubashi University, Graduate School of International Corporate Strategy, Japan The recent surge of interest in the relationship between brain structure and cognitive function has revealed numerous correlations between regional morphometric properties of the brain such as grey matter volume and cognitive traits such as cognitive abilities and personality traits (Kanai & Rees, 2011). While consistent results across multiple studies (e.g. Kanai, Dong, Bahrami & Rees, 2011; Sandberg et al., 2014; Kanai, 2015) suggest the presence of personal information in structural MRI data, it remains unknown to what extent such brain-behaviour correlations allow us to make predictions about an individual’s traits. In the present study, we used a machine-learning approach to predict an individual’s age, gender, intelligence, and big five personality traits from high-resolution T1 weighted MRI images (1mm isotropic). One of the challenges to construct a predictive model from MRI data is the dimensionality of features (i.e. the number of voxels), which is typically much higher than sample size (i.e. the number of participants). In our current study, we used a relatively large sample for a study of this sort (n=470), but there is still a 100-folds difference to the number of voxels corresponding to grey matter (i.e. ~450,000). To address this issue, we applied the regularization method called the elastic net, which has been shown to outperform other approach when the number of features is much larger than the number of samples (Zou & Hatie, 2005). Our results indicate that this approach can successfully construct highly accurate prediction models for age, gender, intelligence and all the five components in the Big Five Model of personality traits. This is in stark contrast with the conventional, univariate voxel-based morphometry (VBM) approach which shows only weak correlations between particular brain regions and traits. In summary, our study demonstrates the richness of the information we can extract from an individual’s brain MRI scan, and suggests that possibility that we can create highly precise predictions models for intelligence and personality traits. Acknowledgements This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Numbers 23223003, and the ImPACT programme from the Cabinet of Japan. References Kanai, R. (2015). Open questions in conducting confirmatory replication studies: A reply to Boekel et al. Cortex. Kanai, R. & Rees, G. (2011). The structural basis of inter-individual differences in human behaviour and cognition. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 12, 231-242. Kanai, R., Dong, M., Bahrami, B. & Rees, G. (2011). Distractibility in daily life is reflected in the structure of human parietal cortex. Journal of Neuroscience, 31, 6620-6626. Sandberg, K., Blicher, J.U., Dong, M., Rees, G., Near, J. & Kanai, R. (2014). Occipital GABA concentration predicts cognitive failures in daily life. Neuroimage, 87, 55-60. Zou, H., & Hastie, T. (2005). Regularization and variable selection via the elastic net. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, Series B, 67, 301–320. Keywords: MRI, individual differences, machine learning, Intelligence, Personality, Voxel-based morphometry (VBM), Neuroprediction Conference: Neuroinformatics 2015, Cairns, Australia, 20 Aug - 22 Aug, 2015. Presentation Type: Poster, to be considered for oral presentation Topic: Neuroimaging Citation: Kanai R, Mizutani H, Takagishi H and Yamagishi T (2015). Precise predictions of intelligence and personality traits from brain structure. Front. Neurosci. Conference Abstract: Neuroinformatics 2015. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnins.2015.91.00037 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 03 May 2015; Published Online: 05 Aug 2015. * Correspondence: Dr. Ryota Kanai, Araya Brain Imaging, Department of Neuroinformatics, Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan, kanair@gmail.com Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Ryota Kanai Hiromitsu Mizutani Haruto Takagishi Toshio Yamagishi Google Ryota Kanai Hiromitsu Mizutani Haruto Takagishi Toshio Yamagishi Google Scholar Ryota Kanai Hiromitsu Mizutani Haruto Takagishi Toshio Yamagishi PubMed Ryota Kanai Hiromitsu Mizutani Haruto Takagishi Toshio Yamagishi Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

Infrastructure for Neuroscience Ontologies Bridging Between Experimental Data in 3D Atlas, Computational Modeling and Analytical Tools: A basement Approach of DynamicBrain Platform (DB-PF) toward Inter-Platform Coordination in the J-Node

Event Abstract Back to Event Infrastructure for Neuroscience Ontologies Bridging Between Experimental Data in 3D Atlas, Computational Modeling and Analytical Tools: A basement Approach of DynamicBrain Platform (DB-PF) toward Inter-Platform Coordination in the J-Node Hiroaki Wagatsuma1, 2*, Yoshiyuki Asai3 and Taishin Nomura4 1 Kyushu Institute of Technology, Graduate School of Life Science and Systems Engineering, Japan 2 RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Japan 3 Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Japan 4 Osaka University, Department of Mechanical Science and Bioengineering, Japan Neuroscience ontologies have been discussed energetically in the International Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility (INCF) and related international nodes [1]. Ontologies in general is convenient for readers who are interested in items of the database or website, offering sophisticated accesses based on the Web Ontology Language (OWL) [2] to increase accessibility. Neuroinformatics platforms of the INCF Japan-Node are organized in the XooNIps system [3], which needs to design an additional module to access with OWL based queries like a form that Linked Open Data (LOD) offers [4]. For example, a J-Node platform, ViBrism (Virtual Brain with 3D-ISM) is a 3D-map database of endogenous gene expression in a virtual whole mouse brain produced with an original sampling-device [5], which is expected to connect to other J-Node platforms effectively. We DynamicBrain Platform (DB-PF) have cooperated with Physiome.jp [6], which is a part of the Worldwide Integrative Biomedical Research Cooperation to promote Physiome and Systems Biology and organize the PHML Model Database, and PhysioDesigner and Garuda alliance [7], which is an open platform that supports multilevel modeling of physiological systems in the field of integrated life sciences and systems biology including physiology and neuroscience. In this approach, we tried to connect between the XooNIps database and PHML Model Database by using a Java client application, as the preparation to link between the 3D-map database such as ViBrism and XooNIps model database. A code to represent 3D positions and supplemental information on the linked data is possible to embed into the description property of the XooNIps database, which enhances a potential of the current XooNIps and provides an opportunity to consider on the next generation and possible cross communications in J-Node platforms. Acknowledgements This work was partly supported by Neuroinformatics Japan Center and RIKEN Brain Science Institute.

Airborne ultrasonic tactile display contactless brain-computer interface paradigm

Airborne ultrasonic tactile display contactless brain-computer interface paradigm

Realtime simulation of memory consolidation in a large-scale cerebellar model

Realtime simulation of memory consolidation in a large-scale cerebellar model

Japan's RIKEN BSI: Whole Facility Chlorine Dioxide Gas Decontamination Approach for a Barrier Facility—A Case Study

This article discusses one of Japan's newest research facilities—the RIKEN Brain Science Institute. The Brain Science Institute (BSI) conducts research that integrates multiple disciplines including medicine, biology, psychology, physics, computer science, and technology, and utilizes several different rodent models in a clean barrier facility. This article discusses the specific layout of the BSI barrier facility, the cleaning procedure used, and the decontamination process that uses chlorine dioxide (CD) gas as a replacement for formaldehyde gas. Diagrams show gas generator injection and sample locations, as well as fan locations. In addition, this article briefly compares the process of using CD gas to other methods of decontamination. Since CD was successful in the decontamination, the entire barrier facility now uses it to maintain the same level of cleanliness that was obtained in the initial process.

A Case of Atypical Kleine-Levin Syndrome

Received December 8, 2013 Revised December 9, 2013 Accepted December 9, 2013 Address for correspondence Ho-Won Lee, MD, PhD Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Brain Science & Engineering Institute, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu 700-842, Korea Tel: +82-53-200-3271 Fax: +82-53-200-3299 E-mail: neuromd@knu.ac.kr Kleine-Levin syndrome is characterized by recurrent episodes of hypersomnia and associated cognitive and behavioral impairments. We present a 47-year-old female patient with recurrent hypersomnia and disorder of appetite. During each episode, patient slept more than 24 hours with hyperphagia or anorexia. Physical examinations, laboratory tests, and brain MRI showed no significant abnormality in the patient. Nocturnal polysomnographic study showed high sleep efficiency, reduced sleep latency and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep latency, and increased sleep stage 1 & 2. The multiple sleep latency tests showed one episode of sleep-onset REM periods. This is the first atypical case report of Kleine-Levin syndrome in Korea which showed short duration of episodes and hypersomnia combined with anorexia. J Korean Sleep Res Soc 2013;10:56-58

The Polysialyltransferases Interact with Sequences in Two Domains of the Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule to Allow Its Polysialylation

The neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) is the major substrate for the polysialyltransferases (polySTs), ST8SiaII/STX and ST8SiaIV/PST. The polysialylation of NCAM N-glycans decreases cell adhesion and alters signaling. Previous work demonstrated that the first fibronectin type III repeat (FN1) of NCAM is required for polyST recognition and the polysialylation of the N-glycans on the adjacent Ig5 domain. In this work, we highlight the importance of an FN1 acidic patch in polyST recognition and also reveal that the polySTs are required to interact with sequences in the Ig5 domain for polysialylation to occur. We find that features of the Ig5 domain of the olfactory cell adhesion molecule (OCAM) are responsible for its lack of polysialylation. Specifically, two basic OCAM Ig5 residues (Lys and Arg) found near asparagines equivalent to those carrying the polysialylated N-glycans in NCAM substantially decrease or eliminate polysialylation when used to replace the smaller and more neutral residues (Ser and Asn) in analogous positions in NCAM Ig5. This decrease in polysialylation does not reflect altered glycosylation but instead is correlated with a decrease in polyST-NCAM binding. In addition, inserting non-conserved OCAM sequences into NCAM Ig5, including an "extra" N-glycosylation site, decreases or completely blocks NCAM polysialylation. Taken together, these results indicate that the polySTs not only recognize an acidic patch in the FN1 domain of NCAM but also must contact sequences in the Ig5 domain for polysialylation of Ig5 N-glycans to occur.

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Introduction: Millions of children and young adults are living with disabilities from traumatic brain injury (TBI) in childhood. Very little is known about age-dependent pathways of neuroplasticity on post-injury recovery. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that we could detect deficits in neuronal activity after TBI in the immature rat using electrophysiology recordings and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Methods: Rats (P 16-18, n=10) underwent controlled cortical impact (CCI) to the left parietal cortex. Control rats (n=10) were age-matched, uninjured pups. Two weeks after CCI, the functional response of the uninjured (right) primary somatosensory cortex (S1) was measured with electrophysiology recording in response to left forepaw stimulation. Multi-unit activities (MUA) and local field potentials (LFP) were recorded with a 12-channel axial array electrode. The number of neuronal spiking events was calculated by post stimulus time histogram (PSTH) analysis of MUA. Rats also underwent blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) fMRI. Neuronal connections in the thalamo-cortical and cortical-cortical somatosensory pathways were evaluated by using manganese enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MEMRI) and histology. Results: Electrophysiology recordings showed decreases in spiking rates across laminae II-V in the uninjured S1 of TBI rats (p<0.05). Stimulation on the left forepaw in TBI rats resulted in decreased LFP amplitude (laminae II-V) and increased LFP latency (laminae IV-V) in the uninjured S1 (p<0.05). Left forepaw stimulation also evoked decreases in the extent of fMRI responses in the uninjured S1 in TBI rats. MEMRI imaging did not show changes in the thalamo-cortical connections in the uninjured S1. However, luxo-blue staining showed decreases in the axon myelination volume along the corpus callosum connecting cortical-cortical somatosensory pathways (p<0.05, TBI vs controls). Conclusions: We conclude that TBI in immature rats adversely affects neuronal function of the contralateral (uninjured) S1 cortex, in part due to alterations in the cortical-cortical somatosensory pathways. These findings have implications for understanding recovery after pediatric TBI. Support: Johns Hopkins Brain Science Institute

Measuring the level of consciousness based on the amount of integrated information

Event Abstract Back to Event Measuring the level of consciousness based on the amount of integrated information Masafumi Oizumi1, 2*, Toru Yanagawa1, Shun-ichi Amari1, Naotsugu Tsuchiya1, 3, 4 and Naotaka Fujii1 1 RIKEN, Brain Science Institute, Japan 2 University of Wisconsin - Madison, United States 3 Monash University, Australia 4 Japan Science and Technology Agency, Japan According to the integrated information theory of consciousness, the amount of integration information, which is defined within the framework of information theory, is correlated with the level of consciousness. The theory has been indirectly supported by recent clinical observations and experimental evidences showing that various forms of loss of consciousness such as anesthesia, dreamless sleep, and vegetative state results from disintegration of information in the brain. Thus, measuring the exact amount of integrated information based on the real neuronal data would be tremendously important in clinics, and it would be also theoretically very interesting as it may solve the mystery of consciousness. However, integrated information in any realistic organisms has been extremely difficult to compute due to several computational and experimental challenges. Here, we propose a novel practical measure to quantify the integrated information. We applied our new measure to the electrocorticogram (ECoG) data simultaneously recorded with 128 electrodes in four monkeys before and after injection of anesthetic drugs to test whether the amount of integrated information actually drops when consciousness is lost. We found that when the monkey lost consciousness, the integrated information in 8-24Hz sharply dropped as the theory predicted. Our results imply that the low-frequency activity across the brain might serve to integrate information, the degree of which might be correlated with the level of consciousness. Keywords: Consciousness, Integrated information, Anesthesia, electrocorticography (ECoG), monkey, Information Theory Conference: ACNS-2012 Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference, Brisbane, Australia, 29 Nov - 2 Dec, 2012. Presentation Type: Oral Presentation Topic: Other Citation: Oizumi M, Yanagawa T, Amari S, Tsuchiya N and Fujii N (2012). Measuring the level of consciousness based on the amount of integrated information. Conference Abstract: ACNS-2012 Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Conference. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2012.208.00075 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 25 Oct 2012; Published Online: 07 Nov 2012. * Correspondence: Dr. Masafumi Oizumi, RIKEN, Brain Science Institute, Wako-City, Saitama, 351-0198, Japan, c-oizumi@g.ecc.u-tokyo.ac.jp Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Masafumi Oizumi Toru Yanagawa Shun-ichi Amari Naotsugu Tsuchiya Naotaka Fujii Google Masafumi Oizumi Toru Yanagawa Shun-ichi Amari Naotsugu Tsuchiya Naotaka Fujii Google Scholar Masafumi Oizumi Toru Yanagawa Shun-ichi Amari Naotsugu Tsuchiya Naotaka Fujii PubMed Masafumi Oizumi Toru Yanagawa Shun-ichi Amari Naotsugu Tsuchiya Naotaka Fujii Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

Sound imaging system for visualizing multiple sound sources from two species

Sound imaging system for visualizing multiple sound sources from two species

Microphone-Array Tracking of Echolocating Bats Foraging in the Field

Microphone-Array Tracking of Echolocating Bats Foraging in the Field

Layer specific neuronal activities in response to visual object images in the inferior temporal cortex revealed by current source density analysis

Layer specific neuronal activities in response to visual object images in the inferior temporal cortex revealed by current source density analysis