2021/01/26
Keio University
Kochi University of Technology
Kaho Tsumura, a graduate student at the time of the research (completed her master's degree in the Graduate School of Science and Technology in 2019) in the Department of Biosciences and Informatics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, and Associate Professor Koji Jimura, in a joint study with Professor Kiyoshi Nakahara, Project Professor Maki Takeda, and Assistant Professor Ryuta Aoki (at the time of the research) of Kochi University of Technology, discovered that the prefrontal and occipitotemporal cortices of the human brain complementarily function when switching behavior in situations with perceptual uncertainty. These results indicate that the flexibility of behavior dependent on perceptual decision-making is realized by a global mechanism of the cerebral cortex. They also exemplify that the advanced cognitive functions unique to humans are supported by large-scale, elaborate neural circuits. This research was published in the early release of The Journal of Neuroscience, issued by the Society for Neuroscience, on January 19.
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