In collaboration with Brain/MINDS Beyond and the Johns Hopkins of Medicine, the research group developed non-invasive high-resolution brain imaging for studying the neural circuits of various primate species. This valuable resource enhances our understanding of the human brain and neurological conditions through data-driven research. The findings have been published in Neuroimage as an invited article.

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by seizures due to excessive electrical activity in the brain. However, the precise mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of epilepsy remain unknown. Using a novel radiotracer, [11C]K-2, the first technology to visualize and quantify α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) receptor in the living human brain, researchers have been able to offer insight into the role of AMPA receptor trafficking in epileptogenesis. Their findings could lead to the development of novel therapeutics for patients with epilepsy.

We performed systematic whole brain connectivity mapping of the marmoset prefrontal cortex (PFC) and found two types of projections (patchy and diffuse), which were topographically arranged in the cortex and striatum. We expect this new resource to deepen our understanding of the local and long-range connectivity of the primate PFC.

Employing transcranial focused ultrasound combined with intravenously administered microbubbles, a novel technique was established to deliver systemically injected adeno-associated virus vector selectively into particular brain regions of macaques through transient opening of the blood-brain barrier. This may be a viable tool to express target genes focally and non-invasively, contributing to the development of therapeutic approaches against neurodegenerative disorders.

Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we have developed and released a digital brain database of the common marmoset, a small primate. It contains a wide range of information such as age, sex, and body size (weight), and is currently the world's largest public database of common marmoset brains.

We found that decreased inhibitory-self connection of the Limbic network was the common aberrant large-scale network interaction across schizophrenia, major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder by applying dynamic causal modeling to the multi-site resting-state fMRI datasets. This would lead to the elucidation of the pathophysiological mechanisms for the psychiatric disorders.

We developed a new strategy termed flip-excision switch (FLEX) system with unilateral spacer sequence (USS) by using AAV vector for a precise and selective control of transgene expression in target cell populations. The FLEX/USS system will enable us a detailed understanding of the structure and function of specific neural circuits.