SASAKI LAB

Division of Multisensory Integration Systems, National Institute for Physiological Sciences

Sections

Research

Our goal is to clarify the dynamics of brain networks underling flexible cognitive behaviors and decision-making using non-human primates. Furthermore, we investigate the biological basis of cognitive diversity through multisensory integration, which is the origin of the mind and intelligence of primates.
We conduct multispecies empirical comparative research mainly focusing on approaches using non-human primate model animals that have higher-order brains, which will enable us to clarify the evolutionary background of the dynamics of brain neural circuits that lead to the complexity and multidimensionality of decision-making and behavioral choice in animals including humans.
To achieve these goals, we develop various behavioral paradigms with realistic environment utilizing virtual reality (VR) technology, and perform computational analysis based on large-scale neural activity recordings and neural circuit manipulation applying optogenetics. Through these techniques, we aim to understand the neural dynamics of diverse cognitive behavioral systems from both functional and causal aspects. In particular, we focus on motion systems, spatial navigation systems, balancing system for risk-reward decisions, tracking and avoidance systems, as well as artistic cognition created through flexible integration processing of multisensory inputs and its generating mechanism of impressions and emotions.

People

Ryo Sasaki

Principal Investigator
rsasaki@nips.ac.jp

Yoshiyuki Kubota

Senior Research Associate
Group Leader for Electron Microscopy Techniques

Takaaki Miyazaki

Postdoctoral Fellow

Nilton Kamiji

Postdoctoral Fellow

Mohammed Youssef Saleh Ahmed

Postdoctoral Fellow

Anna Simankova

Postdoctoral Fellow

Chih-wei Fu

Postdoctoral Fellow

Shobha Upreti

Postdoctoral Fellow

Toth Estilla

Postdoctoral Fellow

Masanobu Ishio

Graduate Student

Yuri Yanagawa

Graduate Student

Hiroko Kita

Technical staff

Naomi Egawa

Technical staff

Norihiko Nakashima

Technical staff

Selected Publications

Balancing risk-return decisions by manipulating the mesofrontal circuits in primates

Sasaki R et al. (2024) Science 383(6678):55-61
ABSTRACT

Flexible coding of object motion in multiple reference frames by parietal cortex neurons

Sasaki R et al. (2020) Nat Neurosci 23(8): 1004-1015
ABSTRACT

Dynamic Readout of Behaviorally Relevant Signals from Area MT during Task Switching

Sasaki & Uka. (2009) Neuron 62(1): 147-157
ABSTRACT

All Publications

Task-Specific Employment of Sensory Signals Underlies Rapid Task Switching

Sasaki R et al. (2022) Cerebral Cortex, 32(21):4657–4670.
ABSTRACT

Processing of object motion and self-motion in the lateral subdivision of the medial superior temporal area in macaques

Sasaki R et al. (2019) Journal of neurophysiology 121(4):1207-1221.
ABSTRACT

Dissociation of Self-Motion and Object Motion by Linear Population Decoding That Approximates Marginalization

Sasaki R et al. (2017) Journal of neuroscience 37(46):11204-11219.
ABSTRACT

A Leaky-Integrator Model as a Control Mechanism Underlying Flexible Decision Making during Task Switching

Mitani A et al. (2013) PLOS ONE 8(3) e59670.
ABSTRACT

Change in Choice-Related Response Modulation in Area MT during Learning of a Depth-Discrimination Task is Consistent with Task Learning

Uka T et al. (2012) Journal of neuroscience 32(40):13689-13700.
ABSTRACT

Psychophysical evidence for contraction of the range of spatial integration as a mechanism for filtering out spatial noise in a random dot motion display

Sasaki & Uka. (2011) Vision research 51(17):1979-1985.
ABSTRACT

Alumni