| Date and Time: |
November 28 (Tue.), 2017, 14：00 – 15:30 |
| Place: |
Meeting room #306, Building E-3, UEC |
| Speaker: |
Dr. Kazuhisa Kohda (Professor, Laboratory of Physiology, St. Marianna University School of Medicine) |
| Chair: |
Assoc. Prof. Shinya Matsuda |
| Title: |
How does the signaling of Cbln1-delta2glutamate receptor control the formation, maintenance and plasticity of synapses? |
| Abstract: |
脳の様々な部位で発生期から成体に至るまで生じているシナプス形成・維持とその可塑性は、脳がその機能を実現する上で必須の現象である。我々は、運動の協調性や運動学習に重要な役割を果たす、小脳の平行線維－プルキンエ細胞シナプスにおけるその分子機構について、特にCbln1－デルタ２グルタミン酸受容体（GluD2）シグナリングに焦点を当てて研究を進めてきた。本セミナーでは、GluD2及びCbln1欠損マウスを用いた表現型回復実験を通して明らかになった、平行線維－プルキンエ細胞シナプスの形成・維持と可塑性の特異なメカニズムを紹介するとともに、その普遍的意義について議論したい。 |
| Date and Time: |
November 14 (Tue.), 2017, 13：00 – 14:30 |
| Place: |
Meeting room #306, Building E-3, UEC |
| Speaker: |
Dr. Dmitri B. Papkovsky (Professor, School of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland) |
| Chair: |
Prof. Kazuto Masamoto |
| Title: |
New insights into cell/tissue function and metabolism by means of phosphorescent oxygen sensing probes |
| Abstract: |
Molecular oxygen (O2) has a multitude of important biological roles. It is also a useful marker of cell/tissue function and readout parameter which can report on changes in cell metabolism and bioenergetics, tissue (patho)physiology, responses to drug treatment and other stimuli. Various in vitro, ex-vivo and in vivo cell and tissue models are currently used in biomedical research, however for many of them control of sample oxygenation and cellular O2 levels is inadequate. Phosphorescence based O2 sensing technologies can address these challenges and provide convenient and versatile means for direct, real-time, quantitative monitoring of O2 levels in various compartments of complex biological samples, including in situ monitoring of cellular O2 and high-resolution mapping O2 concentration in 3D. A number of advanced O2 sensing and imaging platforms have been developed in recent years, which operate with solid-state sensors, soluble probes or imaging nanosensors and in conjunction with portable handheld instruments, commercial plate readers and sophisticated live cell imaging platforms. I will provide examples how these sensor systems can be used in physiological studies with simple 2D cell models, more complex micro-tissue models (multicellular spheroids, heterocellular organoids, cultured tissue slices), live animals, and with common disease models such as hypoxia, cancer, inflammation. |
| Date and Time: |
October 25 (Wed.), 2017, 13：00 – 14:30 |
| Place: |
Meeting room #306, Building E-3, UEC |
| Speaker: |
Dr. Soichi Ando (Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Intelligent Systems, Graduate School of Informatics and Engineering, The University of Electro-Communications) |
| Chair: |
Prof. Hidetaka Okada |
| Title: |
Transient excise and cognitive function |
| Abstract: |
近年，継続した運動だけではなく，一回の運動であっても認知機能に対して有益な効果がみられることは広く知られるようになりました．そこで今回のセミナーでは，低酸素環境下など様々な条件下での一過性の運動がヒトの認知機能に及ぼす影響に関して，我々のデータを中心に紹介します．さらに，一過性の運動による脳血流の変化が認知機能にどのような影響を及ぼすのかについて検討した研究についても紹介します．最後に，なぜ一過性の運動が認知機能を向上させるのかについて議論したい． |
| Date and Time: |
August 4 (Fri.), 2017, 13：00 – 14:30 |
| Place: |
Meeting room #306, Building E-3, UEC |
| Speaker: |
Dr. Tomoki Fukai (Laboratory Head, Laboratory for Neural Circuit Theory, Brain Science Institute, RIKEN) |
| Chair: |
Prof. Shigeru Tanaka |
| Title: |
Brain’s network mechanisms to model the external world |
| Abstract: |
How does the brain model the external world? What circuit mechanisms underlie this computation? These questions are deeply connected to the biological mechanisms of learning. To understand the underlying mechanisms of brain’s modeling of the external world, I show two recent computational studies from my group. The first topic is sequence learning in the hippocampus. Recently, the role of spontaneous activity, or preplay, in the formation of place-cell sequences has been debated. Preplay is a phenomenon in which spontaneous sequences preexisting before experience turn into place-cell sequences during spatial navigation. Preplay suggests that the innate structure of cortical circuits is useful for information coding, and hence is conceptually interesting. We construct a recurrent network of two-compartment neurons to utilize spontaneous sequences for robust one-shot learning of place-cell sequences. Our model suggests that dendritic computation in pyramidal cells is crucial for this processing. The second topics is chunking, which is the ability of the brain to detect repeated segments of patterns from complex sequences. I will present a novel mechanism of chunk learning in recurrent neural networks. The key is to use independent multiple reservoir computing systems that supervise each other during learning. Interestingly, readout neurons in our model behaves like “stop cells” which have been discovered in the basal ganglia after motor sequence learning. |
| Date and Time: |
July 20 (Thu.), 2017, 13：00 – 14:30 |
| Place: |
Meeting room #301, Building E-3, UEC |
| Speaker: |
Prof. CAO Qixin (Professor, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Visiting Professor of BLSC, UEC) |
| Chair: |
Assoc. Prof. JIANG Yinlai |
| Title: |
Present Status and Future Prospect in Application of Robotics to Surgical Operations |
| Abstract: |
中国のロボット販売台数は４年連続で世界No. 1となっている。その中でも、外科手術ロボットは、産業用ロボットに続いて将来第２位の売上規模になると予想されている。外科手術ロボットは、統合医学、ロボット工学、材料科学、機械工学、コンピュータおよび情報技術をインテグレーション（総合）する必要がある複雑なロボットシステムである。この高度な技術の応用は、伝統的な外科技術に大きな変化と効果をもたらしている。本講演では、外科手術の動向を紹介した上で整形外科手術、インターベンション手術、低侵襲内視鏡手術の３つの側面からロボット手術の研究状況を紹介する。医療ロボット開発の分野では，外科手術ロボットのダヴィンチと比べて、過大な外科手術スペースが要求されず、外傷が少なく、手術後の回復が速い単孔式外科手術ロボットが、次世代の手術ロボットプラットフォームとして期待されている。 |
| Date and Time: |
June 13 (Tue.), 2017, 13：00 – 14:30 |
| Place: |
Meeting room #306, Building E-3, UEC |
| Speaker: |
Dr. Haruo Hosoya (and Dr. Aapo Hyvarinen) (Senior Researcher, Department of Dynamic Brain Imaging, Brain Information Communication Research Laboratory Group, Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR)) |
| Chair: |
Prof. Yoichi Miyawaki |
| Title: |
A mixture of sparse coding models explaining properties of face neurons related to holistic and parts-based processing |
| Abstract: |
Experimental studies have revealed evidence of both parts-based and holistic representations of objects and faces in the primate visual system. However, it is still a mystery how such seemingly contradictory types of processing can coexist within a single system. Here, we propose a novel theory called mixture of sparse coding models, inspired by the formation of category-specific subregions in the inferotemporal (IT) cortex. We developed a hierarchical network that constructed a mixture of two sparse coding submodels on top of a simple Gabor analysis. The submodels were each trained with face or non-face object images, which resulted in separate representations of facial parts and object parts. Importantly, evoked neural activities were modeled by Bayesian inference, which had a top-down explaining-away effect that enabled recognition of an individual part to depend strongly on the category of the whole input. We show that this explaining-away effect was indeed crucial for the units in the face submodel to exhibit significant selectivity to face images over object images in a similar way to actual face-selective neurons in the macaque IT cortex. Furthermore, the model explained, qualitatively and quantitatively, several tuning properties to facial features found in the middle patch of face processing in IT as documented by Freiwald, Tsao, and Livingstone (2009). These included, in particular, tuning to only a small number of facial features that were often related to geometrically large parts like face outline and hair, preference and anti-preference of extreme facial features (e.g., very large/small inter-eye distance), and reduction of the gain of feature tuning for partial face stimuli compared to whole face stimuli. Thus, we hypothesize that the coding principle of facial features in the middle patch of face processing in the macaque IT cortex may be closely related to mixture of sparse coding models. |
| Date and Time: |
June 9 (Fri.), 2017, 13：00 – 14:30 |
| Place: |
Meeting room #306, Building E-3, UEC |
| Speaker: |
Dr. Hiroshi Kawaguchi (Senior Researcher, Brain Function Measurement Research Group, Human Informatics Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)) |
| Chair: |
Prof. Kazuto Masamoto |
| Title: |
R&D of elementary technologies of fNIRS for brain function monitoring in human life environment — toward actual implementation of neuro-rehabilitation — |
| Abstract: |
機能的近赤外分光法(fNIRS)は可搬性の高さや拘束性の低さから生活環境における脳機能モニタリングに適しています。一方、ノイズの影響が大きいことや計測が不安定であることが技術的課題として残されています。本セミナーではこれらfNIRSにおける課題の克服に向けて開発している要素技術を紹介します。また、ニューロリハビリテーションの社会実装を加速するために脳損傷後の運動機能の回復過程をサルモデルで解析しており、fNIRSを脳機能評価に応用しています。fNIRSをサルに適用した際の技術開発や損傷モデルでの計測から得られた知見も紹介します。 |
| Date and Time: |
May 23 (Tue.), 2017, 15：00 – 16:30 |
| Place: |
Meeting room #306, Building E-3, UEC |
| Speaker: |
Dr. Tatsuhiko Harada (Professor, Otorhinolaryngology, Atami Hospital, International University of Health and Welfare) |
| Chair: |
Prof. Takuji Koike |
| Title: |
Otoacoustic emission — From its fundamentals to clinical applications — |
| Abstract: |
蝸牛で発生した振動が外耳道内で検出される音響現象である「耳音響放射」について、その測定方法の実際から、これまでに知られている耳音響放射が検出された動物種とそれを踏まえた聴覚進化に関する知見、耳音響放射が発生するメカニズムに関する理論、そして臨床検査としての活用状況について網羅的に概説します。さらに、これらを踏まえて耳音響放射を含めた音響測定を用いた聴覚機能評価の今後について、最近の研究動向を踏まえ自身の見解を述べます。 |
| Date and Time: |
Apr. 19 (Wed.), 2017, 13：00 – 14:30 |
| Place: |
Meeting room #306, Building E-3, UEC |
| Speaker: |
Dr. Takeshi Nishijima, (Associate Professor, Sport Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Health Promotion Science, Graduate School of Human Health Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University) |
| Chair: |
Prof. Yutaka Kano |
| Title: |
Relationship between physical activities and brain functions |
| Abstract: |
この20年間で、数多くの研究が運動により脳機能が向上することを明らかにしてきました。一方、我々人類が直面している健康問題の多くは身体活動量が不十分であること（不活動、physical inactivity）に起因しており、事実、不活動は生活習慣病だけでなく精神疾患（アルツハイマー病、うつ病、など）の危険因子にもなります。ところが、実験動物の身体活動に着目した研究はこれまでほとんど行われておらず、不活動が脳機能にどのような弊害をもたらすかも明らかにされておりません。そこで本セミナーでは、そもそも運動と身体活動の違いについて理解を深め、１）身体活動量の減少が脳機能に及ぼす弊害、２）体内埋込型活動量計を用いた実験動物における身体活動研究の新展開、について紹介します。 |
In cooperation with Industry-UCB-UEC Workshop 2017 (IUUWS 2017)
| Date and Time: |
Mar. 27 (Mon.), 2017, 14:30-15:30 |
| Place: |
Meeting room #301, Building E-3, UEC |
| Speakers: |
Dr. Gerard Marriott (University of California, Berkeley, Professor)Dr. Shojiro Maki (Assist. Prof., Department of Engineering Science, UEC) |
| Title: |
[Dr. Gerard Marriott] Engineering platelets and optical probes for applications in translational medicine[Dr. Shojiro Maki] Chemistry of firefly bioluminescence |
| Abstract: |
[Dr. Gerard Marriott: Abstract] I will introduce recent work from my laboratory in two emerging areas of bioengineering. In the first part of my talk, I will discuss our approach to repurposing human platelets as living vehicles for in vivo imaging and targeted delivery of cytotoxins and immuno-therapeutics to cancer cells. In particular, I will elaborate on the chemistry detailed in Dai et al. to repurpose human platelets as tumour-targeted vehicles that involve mild surface modification of platelet membrane proteins using Traut’s reagent, and the subsequent coupling of platelets to maleimide conjugates of antibodies and other tumour targeting proteins directed against tumour biomarkers. Engineered platelets and nanoplatelets bind to tumours in the brains of mouse models of human cancer. I will also show how tumour-targeted platelets loaded with NIR-fluorophores, nanoparticles and MRI contrast agents can generate high contrast images of early-stage tumours in the brains of living mice. In the second part of my talk, I will introduce new classes of optical switch probes and optoresponsive biomaterials that have applications in high-contrast imaging and optical control of target proteins in the microenvironments of tumour cells.
[Dr. Shojiro Maki: Abstract] Firefly bioluminescence is produced by chemical reactions (luciferin-luciferase reaction) in the bodies of insects. Firefly bioluminescence finds many applications including in research in the life sciences, reporter assays, bioluminescence in vivo imaging. Research on oncology and regenerative medicine requires NIR (near infrared ray) probes. Although Amino luciferin (ca. 610 nm) and Tripluc® (ca. 630 nm) are commercially available, they do not cover the optical window region of 650-1000 nm: NIR. In an innovative approach, we synthesized AkaLumine® and TokeOni® having lmax675nm by analyzing data on structure and activity relationships. Whereas AkaLumine is the only commercially available luminescence probe with an optical window region, it has low water solubility (0.2 mg/ml). So the AkaLumine requires improvement. To resolve the problem of water solubility we succeeded in synthesizing next generation in vivobioluminescence probe “TokeOni” with improved water solubility of 100 to 200 folds compared with AkaLumine. Furthermore, we observed a 10 fold higher luminescence than the AkaLumine during vivo imaging on mice. Although “TokeOni” is an excellent material, it has strong acidity (pH = 2), that causes problems in some animal experiment research. So we synthesized a new material “SeMpai” that has NIR activity under neutral buffer conditions. “SeMpai” will put on the international market soon. |
