May 12, 2022
Keio University
Kochi University of Technology
ARAYA Inc.
Kaho Tsumura and Reiko Shintaki (at the time of the research; completed their master's degrees in 2019 and 2022, respectively) of the Master's Program at the Graduate School of Science and Technology, Keio University, and Associate Professor Koji Jimura of the Department of Biosciences and Informatics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, in a joint research project with Professor Kiyoshi Nakahara and Project Professor Masaki Takeda of Kochi University of Technology, and Team Leader Junichi Chikazoe of ARAYA Inc., have discovered that when suppressing inappropriate behavior in situations where external information is uncertain, the signal transmission between the prefrontal cortex and the occipitotemporal cortex via the superior temporal sulcus in the human brain is reversed. These findings indicate that response inhibition, which depends on the perception of the external world, is achieved by a circuit between the prefrontal cortex and the temporal lobe centered on the superior temporal sulcus. This exemplifies how advanced cognitive functions unique to humans are realized by large-scale, sophisticated neural circuits. This research was published in the early release edition of The Journal of Neuroscience, published by the Society for Neuroscience, on May 2.
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