Research Project Outline
This study aims to elucidate the neural mechanisms that underlie voluntary motor control driven by networks linking the motor-related areas in the cerebral cortex, cerebellum, and basal ganglia. To address this issue, we adopt three distinct approaches in primates. For structural analyses, we investigate the network architecture surrounding the primary motor cortex using novel anatomical methods, such as transneuronal labeling with rabies virus. For functional analyses, we examine the neuronal activity pattern simultaneously recorded from multiple brain regions in monkeys performing motor tasks, thereby elucidating the functional framework of the brain in which a final motor command is synthesized. For pathophysiological analyses, we investigate the relationship between behavioral changes in motor execution and dysfunction of each brain region or inter-regional connection.