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Research Divisions

Parallel Brain Interaction Sensing Division

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  2. Introduction
  3. Research Divisions
  4. Parallel Brain Interaction Sensing Division

Overview

Director

Hiroshi TAKEMURAProfessor

Affiliation
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology
RIDAI

Comment

Our division unites researchers from both within and beyond the university, focusing on brain science, neural information, and systems. Our mission is to pioneer the groundbreaking academic field known as ‘Parallel Brain,’ which originates from Tokyo University of Science. We strive to uncover the intricate interactions of brain activity among multiple individuals.

Research Content

Unlocking the Next Era: The Internet of Brains (IoB) in the Next-Generation Brain Project

Objectives

Our mission is to transcend traditional brain research and technology development, which often focuses on individual subjects. Instead, we aim to forge a new frontier in brain science—an area that delves into the intricate interactions among multiple brains.

Future Development Goals

We’ll host open seminars and workshops, fostering a shared language among researchers in diverse fields. Our aim is to educate young investigators and students while enhancing collaboration and integration among researchers.

SDGs

Members

Name Job Title Affiliation
Hiroshi TAKEMURA Director・Professor Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology
Akiyoshi SAITOH Vice Director・Professor Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Eri SEGI-NISHIDA Vice Director・Professor Department of Biological Science and Technology, Faculty of Advanced Engineering
Takeshi  NAKAMURA  Vice Director・Professor Research Division,Research Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Organization for Research Advancement
Hiroko ICHIKAWA  Vice Director・Associate Professor Institute of Arts and Sciences,Noda Division, Institute of Arts and Sciences
Osamu SAKATA  Professor Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering
Takeo USHIJIMA Professor Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science and Technology
Takuya Hashimoto  Associate Professor Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering
Akari HAGIWARA  Associate Professor Department of Applied Biological Science, Faculty of Science and Technology
Takahiko YAMAMOTO  Associate Professor Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology
Takumi ASAKURA   Junior Associate Professor Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology
Daisuke YAMADA   Junior Associate Professor Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Kanzo SUZUKI   Junior Associate Professor Department of Biological Science and Technology, Faculty of Advanced Engineering
Masataka YAMAMOTO   Junior Associate Professor Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology
Shingo KOINUMA   Junior Associate Professor Research Division, Research Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Organization for Research Advancement

Original Website

Click here for the original website.

Research Summary

Unlocking the Next Era: The Internet of Brains (IoB) in the Next-Generation Brain Project

Background and purpose of the division

In the 21st century, neuroscience (brain science) is rapidly evolving. People anticipate that maintaining brain health will enhance quality of life in an aging society, while leveraging brain information processing mechanisms will drive innovative technologies. With most things now connected to the Internet (IoT: Internet of Things) and wearable devices seamlessly linking humans to the digital realm (IoB: Internet of Bodies), It is not far-fetched to envision a future where human minds connect to the Internet (IoM: Internet of Minds). This marks the dawn of the Internet of Brains. Our division aims to create an interdisciplinary research platform, pooling expertise and neural information to pioneer the academic field of ‘Parallel Brain’ at Tokyo University of Science, in anticipation of the forthcoming Internet of the Brain era.

Research Organization and Members

Within our research organization, we propose cutting-edge technology for sensing and replicating biological information. By synchronously measuring the brains of multiple individuals—both mice and humans—we forge an original interdisciplinary field of brain research. Our division’s mission is
twofold: to unravel the mechanisms behind group formation and symbiosis in social spaces, and to establish a theoretical framework describing interactions among social animals’ multiple brains. Leveraging common sensing technology across mouse and human experiments, we operate in three distinct groups, synergistically driving emergent results.

Animal experiment group (mouse/human)

This group delves into multidimensional brain research, exploring cognition-related aspects such as depression (characterized by pessimistic cognition), senile dementia (with impaired cognition and memory functions), and autism (involving impaired social cognition and communication). From molecular and neural circuits to animal models, we aim to elucidate underlying mechanisms and lay the groundwork for improved drugs and diagnostic agents.

Sensing Group

Focused on brain dysfunction related to personality traits, this group analyzes gaze behavior and physiological indicators in developmental disorders. Our goal is to develop measurement technologies and assistive devices that enhance understanding and support.

Mathematical Model Group

Here, we construct models and theories for brain information processing systems. Drawing insights from multidimensional studies—including functional brain imaging and cognitive psychology experiments—we emphasize human social correlation.

The division consists of 18 researchers in interdisciplinary neuroscience-related fields, including the Faculty of Science and Technology (Hiroshi Takemura, Takeo Ushijima, Takahiko Yamamoto, Akari Hagiwara, Takumi Asakura, Masataka Yamamoto), the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Akiyoshi Saito, Daisuke Yamada), the Research Institute for Biomedical Sciences (Takeshi Nakamura, Shingo Koinuma), the Faculty of Engineering (Osamu Sakata, Takuya Hashimoto), the Faculty of Advanced Engineering (Eri Segi (Nishida), Kanzo Suzuki), the Institute of Arts and Sciences (Hiroko Ichikawa),
and three visiting researchers: Ryohei Hasegawa and Toshihiro Takamatsu from the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) and Asami Oguro-Ando from the University of Exeter Medical School.

Ongoing Research Topics

We are mainly engaged in collaborative and cooperative research use of the unique talents and strengths of each member. The following is a port of list of ongoing collaborative research projects that transcend the boundaries of each specialized field, which are possible only in this division. For details, please see the division’s website.

・ Elucidation of brain functions controlling social behavior
(Segi and Oguro-Ando [University of Exeter])

・ Investigation of cross-species vocal communication
(Ichikawa, Saito, and Yamada)

・ Examination of cross-species vocal communication: Relationship between ultrasonic vocalizations in mice and the effects of ultrasonic listening in humans
(Ichikawa, Saito, Yamada, and Asakura)

・ Analysis of Stress-Induced Depression-like State
(Saito, Yamada, Takemura, and Yamamoto)

・ Study on the Relationship between Human Gait Behavior and Personality Traits : Extraction and Evaluation of Gait Characteristics Derived from Human Internal State
(Ichikawa, Takemura, and Yamamoto)

・ Biomechanical Analysis of Age-Dependent Gait Deficiency in Cerebellar Neural Transmission Deficient Mice
(Hagiwara, Takemura, and Yamamoto)

・ Evaluation of the neural basis of stress sensitivity in synaptic protein-deficient mice
(Hagiwara, Saito, Yamada, Takemura, and Yamamoto)

・ Analysis of Jakmip1-deficient mice, a mouse model for autism
(Saito, Oguro-Ando, Hagiwara, Yamada)

・ DNA methylation analysis in various mouse models
(Oguro-Ando, Segi, Saito, Hagiwara, Yamada)

・ Elucidation of brain functions that regulate social behavior ‘Evaluation of social behavior and brain developmental changes in a human chromosome deletion disease model of autism’
(Segi-Nishida and Oguro-Ando)

・ Examination of cross-species vocal communication: Relationship between ultrasonic
vocalizations in mice and the effects of ultrasonic listening in humans
(Ichikawa, Saitoh, Yamada and Asakura)

・ Analysis of stress-induced depression-like state
(Saitoh, Yamada, Takemura, and Yamamoto)

・ Physiological changes due to pleasant emotional experiences and positive perception of other people’s facial expressions
(Ichikawa and Oguro-Ando)

・ Biomechanical analysis of age-dependent gait deficiency in mice deficient in cerebellar neural transmission
(Hagiwara, Takemura and Y. Yamamoto)

・ Evaluation of the neural basis of stress sensitivity in synaptic protein-deficient mice
(Hagiwara, Saitoh, Yamada, Takemura, and Y. Yamamoto)

・ Analysis of Jakmip1-deficient mice, a mouse model for autism
(Saitoh, Oguro-Ando, Hagiwara, and Yamada)

・ DNA methylation analysis in various mouse models
(Oguro-Ando, Segi-Nishida, Saitoh, Hagiwara, and Yamada)

・ Unveiling Emotional Resonance in Classical Music Through Brainwave Analysis
(Asakura, and Hasegawa)

・ Research on Causality Analysis Technology Between Various Biological Signals for Visualization of Brain-Gut Correlation Phenomenon
(Sakata)