Division of Behavioral Development
Section of National Bio-Resource Project
National Institutes of Natural Sciences,
Japan
NIH Zoom Meeting Invitation Link - Meeting ID: 160 933 6182, Passcode: 774912
RESEARCH
The Division of Behavioral Development conducts experimental research using the Japanese macaque to understand the neural mechanism of social cognitive functions. In particular, we clarify how cortical and subcortical brain regions process behavioral information derived from self and other. For this purpose, we develop novel behavioral procedures using pairs of monkeys and record neural activity in target brain regions. We also clarify a causal role for functional coordination between brain regions in social information processing by using viral vector-mediated pathway-selective intervention. Additionally, we perform cognitive genomic studies in monkeys with mutations in genes linked to central nervous system disorders. Because altered social cognitive capabilities are commonly observed in neurodevelopmental (e.g., autism spectrum disorders) and psychiatric (e.g., schizophrenia) disorders, understanding the neural mechanism of social cognition meets a social demand.
PUBLICATIONS
Isoda M (2021)Socially relative reward valutaion in the primate brain.Curr Opin Neurobiol. 68:15-22. DOI
Noritake A, Ninomiya T, Isoda M (2021)Subcortical encoding of agent-relevant associative signals for adaptive social behavior in the macaque. Neurosci Biobehav Rev.125:78-87. DOI
Isoda M (2021)The role of the medial prefrontal cortex in moderating neural representations of self and other in primates. Annual Review of Neuroscience. 44:295-313. DOI