Progress Report

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Development of “Jizai Hon-yaku-ki (At-will Translator)” connecting various minds based on brain and body functions[A1] Development of long-term neural indicators linked to mental well-being

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Progress until FY2025

1. Outline of the project

In our R&D Item A1, we aim to develop technology to identify components of brain activity that serve as long-term neural indicators of mental “well-going” and read them in real time.
In addition to joy, anger, sadness, and happiness, human emotions include higher-level emotions that are complex mixtures of these emotions. To precisely read the state of the human mind using JIZAI Translator, it is essential to be able to read these higher-level emotions.

Illust

In this research project, we are working on developing technology to identify components related to "relieving fear and anxiety (sense of safety)" and "a mind that remains unaffected by emotional disturbances (resilience)" from EEG, fMRI, and MEG signals, and to read these in real time.

2. Outcome so far

  1. Establishment of novel concurrent EEG-fMRI setup with peripheral physiological measures
  2. Identification of candidate markers related to fear extinction
  3. Identification of brain activity markers that show how humans stay mentally stable during emotional stress
  4. Translational finding: lower excitability in visual areas is linked to resilience in mice and humans

Outcome 1: We established a technically advanced concurrent EEG-fMRI setup with carbon-wire-loop technology during a 3-day fear extinction protocol, also including the application of light footshocks and the measurement of skin conductance responses. This setup allows us to record human brain activity simultaneously with EEG and fMRI. We can now investigate the neural signatures reflecting the transition from negative to positive mental/emotional states, such as the transition from fear to safety.

Fig.
Outcomes 1 (left & middle) & 2 (right) — illustrative summary
Source: T. O. Bergmann（LIR）

Outcome 2: We found that, during the process of fear extinction, “relief” is represented as a prediction-error signal in the ventral striatum.
Outcome 3: Our research shows that a key brain region called the right Inferior Frontal Gyrus (IFG) helps keep us focused during

FIg.
Outcome 3 — illustrative summary
Source: E. Pinzuti & O. Tüscher (LIR)

Outcome 4: We found in both humans and mice, that lower excitability (lower bursts) in visual areas is linked to better visual performance and protection from stimuli interference, highlighting a shared brain mechanism for resilience across species. We have developed new analysis tools to gain a better understanding of the role of these transient (bursts) activations.

Fig.
Outcome 4 — illustrative summary
Source: E. Pinzuti & O. Tüscher (LIR)

3. Future plans

Going forward, we will use our newly developed measurement systems and analytical tools to identify brain-state transitions between stable and stressed states, and between fear and safety, in humans, monkeys, and mice. By comparing brain activity patterns across species and models such as ADHD and ASD, we aim to establish cross-species neural markers of safety and resilience.

(LIR: T. O. Bergman, O. Tüscher)

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