The151th Advanced ICT Kobe Colloquium
| Date&Time | Monday, August 3, 2026, 10:00-11:00 |
| Place | TV Conference Room ( 2 ), 3 F of Research Building 2 , Advanced ICT Research Institute(Kobe), NICT |
| Lecturer | Synaptic Actuation: Probing the Causal Roles of Synaptic Plasticity in Learning and Brain States |
| Speaker | Dr. Takeshi Sawada |
| Abstract | Synapses have been reported to change in association with learning, psychiatric disorders, and sleep?wake regulation. However, methods for selectively manipulating defined synapse populations in vivo have been limited, leaving the causal roles of specific synaptic changes in behavior and brain states poorly understood. We developed chemogenetic approaches that enable synaptic connections in targeted neurons to be artificially strengthened or their plasticity to be transiently suppressed in vivo. Using these tools, we found that synaptic potentiation in the prefrontal cortex promotes non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and delta activity, suggesting that synaptic changes accumulating during wakefulness may provide a basis for sleepiness (Sawada et al., Science, 2024). Conversely, transient suppression of synaptic plasticity across the cortex acutely impaired coordinated activity among neurons and cognitive functions without markedly changing neuronal firing rates. These findings suggest that synaptic plasticity, beyond its established role in memory formation, supports ongoing cognition and behavior on short timescales, and sleep?wake regulation on longer timescales. |
| Language | Japanese |
| Admission | Free |
| Organizer | Name, Yasushi Naruse Brain Function Analysis and Imaging Laboratory, Advanced ICT Research Institute, NICT |