Systems Neuroscience

Laboratory of Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience

Susumu Takahashi, Ph.D.

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It is generally accepted that the functioning of cognition and behavior such as listening, touching, moving, memorizing and remembering is realized by transmitting neuronal activity in the brain – a sophisticated and complex network consisting of several billions of neurons. However, the fundamental principle remains unclear. The aim of our laboratory is to unravel how the brain realizes the cognition and behavior. Since we believe that a multi-faceted approach is a prerequisite for realizing our aim, we employ five multidisciplinary methodologies: 1) large-scale multi-unit recording across the hippocampal formation, cortex and basal ganglia of freely behaving mice and rats, 2) optogenetics with transgenic animals, 3) behavior analysis based on operant conditioning, 4) statistical analyses for neuronal recordings based on machine learning, 5) automatic recording/stimulation devices based on real-time processing.
For instance, we preferentially focus on place cells, i.e., hippocampal pyramidal cells maximally firing at a specific location. To decipher the encoding and retrieval of episodic memory of what happened at a specific place and time, we decode experienced episodic-like memory from the hippocampal place cell activity sequences. Moreover, we attempt to manipulate those memories by selectively controlling the place cell activities. On the other hand, wild animals such as seabirds sometimes traverse several hundred kilometers long journeys without landmarks. We examine the neuronal mechanisms underlying such an astounding navigation ability by comparing the place cell activity among species.

Research topics

1. Neural substrates of episodic memory encoding and retrieval
2. Neuronal mechanisms underlying spatial navigation

Selected publications

1. Takahashi, S. Hombe, T., Takahashi, R., Ide K., Okamoto S., Yoda, K., Kitagawa, T., Makiguchi, Y., "Wireless logging of extracellular neuronal activity in the telencephalon of free-swimming salmonids", Animal Biotelemetry, 9:9, 2021.
2. Maekawa T, Ohara K, Zhang Y, Fukutomi M, Matsumoto S, Matsumura K, Shidara H, Yamazaki S, Fujisawa R, Ide K, Nagaya N, Yamazaki K, Koike S, Miyatake T, Kimura K, Ogawa H, Takahashi S, Yoda K, "Deep Learning-assisted Comparative Analysis of Animal Trajectories with DeepHL", Nature Communications, 11, 5316, 2020.
3. Hoshino, S., Takahashi, R, Mieno, K., Tamatsu, Y., Azechi, H., Ide, K., Takahashi, S., "The reconfigurable maze provides flexible, scalable, reproducible and repeatable tests", iScience, Volume 23, Issue 1, 2020.
4. Karube, F., Takahashi, S., Kobayashi, K., Fujiyama, F., "Motor cortex can directly drive the globus pallidus neurons in a projection neuron type-dependent manner in the rat", eLife, 2019.
5. Nakazono, T., Takahashi, S., Sakurai, Y., "Enhanced theta and high-gamma coupling during late stage of rule switching task in rat hippocampus", Neuroscience, 412:216-232, 2019.
6. Song, K., Takahashi, S., Sakurai, Y., "Reinforcement schedules differentially affect learning in neuronal operant conditioning in rats", Neuroscience Research, S0168-0102(19)30138-5. doi: 10.1016/j.neures.2019.04.003. 2019.
7. Oh, YM., Karube, Y., Takahashi, S., Kobayashi, K., Takada M., Uchigashima, M., Watanabe, M., Nishizawa, K., Kobayashi, K., Fujiyama, F., “Using a novel PV-Cre rat model to characterize pallidonigral cells and their terminations”, Brain Structure and Function, 2016.
8. Takahashi, S., Episodic-like memory trace in awake replay of hippocampal place-cell activity sequences, eLife, 4:e08105, 2015.
9. Takahashi, S., Hierarchical organization of context in the hippocampal episodic code, eLife, 2:e00321, 2013.
10. Terada S., Takahashi S., and Sakurai Y., Oscillatory interaction between amygdala and hippocampus coordinates behavioral modulation based on reward expectation, Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience. 7(177), 1:12, 2013.

Members

Susumu Takahashi, Ph.D. (Principal investigator, Professor)
Kaoru Ide, Ph.D. (Research assistant professor)
Hirotsugu Azechi, Ph.D. (Research assistant professor)

Links

Takahashi Lab

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