12 Course Catalog
Subject

Scientific Research
EthicsCreditAbout the course

2

Scientific development relies on trueness, trust and fairness of research
practice. Scientific misconduct -violation of these norms- hampers the sounddevelopment of science. We discuss scientific misconduct and questionable
research practice through case study and cultivate research ethics as practical
wisdom.

1

In this seminar, we conduct talk series of scientists who are well-known
throughout the world in cutting edge in the field of neuroscience, behavioral
sciences, and computational theory. Participants will not only learn the cuttingedge of the latest research, but also will attempt to obtain a wider perspectiveon their own field by gaining a wider point of view bridging understanding
across the nervous, behavioral, and social levels that form the bases of thebrain sciences. This seminar is partly conducted in the Brain Science Retreat.

1In this seminar, we conduct talk series of scientists who are well-known
throughout the world in cutting edge in the field of neuroscience, behavioral
sciences, and computational theory. Participants will apply their own
experiences in `Advanced Brain Sciences II' to obtain effective information as
discussing with top researchers working in a variety of fields. This seminar ispartly conducted in the Brain Science Retreat.

2In the information processing of the brain, any information-integration isrelated to “learning and memory.” Therefore, in order to understand high orderfunctions, it is very important to study learning and memory systems. In thislecture, learning and memory systems from the synapse level of a single
neuron to the network level of neurons are explained. The mechanism anddynamics of learning and memory are introduced from both the experimentalside and the theoretic side. In addition, the relation between information
representation and the memory function in the brain will be touched upon.
Furthermore, the latest knowledge about learning and memory will bepresented.

2In the case of communication between human subjects, one tries to estimate
what the other party intends to do in order to establish optimal mutualinteractions, because the other party is a human being with his/her own will.
Lectures in Communication Robot Engineering cover theoretical models
required for constructing robots that can interact with humans, for thedevelopment of cognitive functions and for algorithms for control systems.
While studying the literature, graduate students introduce and discuss thelatest researches, which will be provided by the professors, to learn about thebackgrounds and perspectives of researches in the field of communication
robot engineering, and about how to read the literature.

2

The aim of this course is to learn about symptoms of psychiatric disorder, suchas schizophrenia, depression, autistic disorder, and neurological disorder. A
further aim is to investigate appropriate methods to identify neuronal bases ofpsychiatric and behavioral symptoms using neuroimaging techniques.

2In system-neuroscience, well-controlled stimulus presentation and accurate
measurement of behavior are indispensable. Experimental psychology has
developed psychophysical methods to analyze the relationship between
stimulus and response. In this course, we will systematically study
psychophysical methods and related psychological theories, as well as discuss
recent psychological studies. We will also talk on how we can apply
psychophysical techniques to neuroscience research.

研究者倫理論

Advanced Brain
Sciences Ⅰ
脳科学先端セミナーⅠ

Advanced Brain
Sciences Ⅱ
脳科学先端セミナーⅡBrain-type LearningSystems
脳型学習システム

Communication RobotEngineering
コミュニケーションロボット工学

Pathological
Neuroscience
病態神経科学

Psychophysics
心理物理学

144

2018 大学院要覧

Advanced Systems
Neuroscience

About the course

2Higher-order brain functions such as sensory perception, behavioral actions,emotion, decision-making and thinking are mediated by nerve cells in the brain,
more than 10 billion of which exist in the cerebral cortex alone, making local
and global, hierarchical networks, and representing and processing neuronal
information under specialized working principles. In Advanced System
Neuroscience, graduate students are expected to master the coding of nerve
signals, detection and perception of sensory stimuli, control of actions andmotor learning, emotion and decision-making. Classes will consist of lectures,workshops and discussions in a small group of students and professors.

2

To understand the mechanism of the neural system, researchers need to obtain
precise and reliable experimental data by an appropriate combination ofseveral experimental techniques. In this lecture, students will learn the basics
and applications of anatomical and physiological techniques widely used inneuroscience, such as tracer injections, microscopy, electroencephalograms, andextracellular and intracellular recordings. The students will learn how to selectexperimental techniques and how to analyze their experiment data inaccordance with the purpose of their own studies.

2In this course, we review theoretical and computational neuroscience, which isan approach for understanding brain functions through mathematicalformulation. Participants learn how to analyze and hypothesize through a
computational point of view on their own project. The approaches ofcomputational neuroscience try to understand brain functions by analyzing
multiple levels of neuroscientific phenomena on molecular, cell, network andsystem levels. The goal of this course is to study mathematical and statisticalconcepts bridging multiple levels of neural and behavioral data, such as neural
encoding and decoding, information theory, and Bayesian statistics.

2

Computer simulation is an effective method to confirm what phenomena
emerge from a hypothesized model. For instance, we can easily examine theeffect of a certain cause by using a simulation of a biologically detailed model.
This also allows us to understand the background mechanisms of an observed
phenomenon by looking for the smallest model required in order to reproducethat phenomenon. This lecture provides concrete examples to study therequired basic techniques in regards to the 2 contrary courses of action of
pursuing biological fidelity on one side and of simplification in order to findmechanisms on the other.

2The goals of this class are to master the theory of human non-invasive
measurement of brain activity, functional magnetic resonance imaging（fMRI），and to cultivate the skills for experimental designs and analyses for fMRI.
In the first half, students will learn about possible dangers, ethical issues forparticipants, and imaging mechanisms in MRI experiments. Also, students will
gain understanding on RF pulse sequences and the meanings of the MR images.
Furthermore, students will learn how to control interface devices, such as
stimulus presentation systems, recording systems for biological reaction etc.,
which are necessary for fMRI experiments.
In the latter half, students will study from basic analyses to applied ones for
fMRI data. Then, in order to understand the detailed research methods of fMRI
correctly, students will gain the knowledge required for task design withconsideration of the characteristics of fMRI. Furthermore, students will actually
try to make task designs along some given themes and have discussions inorder to make up their skills for their own fMRI research.

2The aim of this course is to learn about procedures for fMRI studies. The
student will be shown how to perform fMRI tasks and how to calculate fMRI
data. The student will also experience 3 tesla MRI operation.

2018 大学院要覧145

システム神経科学論Systems Neuroscience
Techniqueシステム神経科学実験法

ComputationalNeuroscience
計算論的神経科学

Computer Simulation
Technique
コンピュータシミュレーション実験法

脳画像解析学

Neuroimaging
Techniqueニューロイメージング実験法

脳科学研究科

Brain Image Analysis

Ⅱ 教育課程表および講義内容

Credit脳科学専攻（博士課程後期）

SubjectSubject

Developmental Science
発達科学

Developmental Science
Technique

CreditAbout the course

2This course is intended for students to seek the essence of human behavioral
changes with a focus on cognitive psychology, developmental psychology andlinguistics, in order to deepen their understanding. In particular, students willlearn about the latest research on scientific approaches to understanding avariety of findings in the developmental process of infants. The first half of thecourse will focus on explaining the concept of development in science（HiroyukiOkada）．We will also touch upon the modeling of learning mechanisms
through a connectionist approach, which has become a hot topic in recentyears. In the latter half, we will reveal various experimental aspects of its
development, by concentrating on language acquisition in infants（MutsumiImai）．

2

This course provides opportunities to learn and experience various researchmethods of developmental sciences so that students can apply suggestions
from brain research to education, connecting information from linguistics,
cognitive psychology, and developmental psychology. Students will experience
data collection and analysis of questionnaires, surveys, behavioral observations,and behavioral experiments. Especially in behavioral observations, we will
discuss the correlation between mother-child/child-child social interaction andfirst/second language acquisition. Students will also learn manipulations andacoustic analyses of sounds, which are used in studies of speech perception andproduction. By comparing these multiple research methods, we will discussappropriate usage of these methods.

2The goal of doctorate course research is to aim at a truly original study byseeking novel findings, innovative technique, or sophisticated theories in a
specific field of brain science. To achieve this, students have to have broad
knowledge of past and current researches, available and effective techniques,
and most importantly, future directions of the field. In this class, students willobtain sufficient knowledge to design their own studies appropriately, bysearching, reading, and understanding valuable literature in brain science.

2

Scientific research is a methodology, which provides new experiences fromwhich new knowledge is also deduced, by conducting well-organizedexperiments, analyzing their results and inspecting these results carefully.
In order to clarify the differences between newly obtained knowledge andconventional knowledge, it is necessary to design a well-organized plan and tocarry out experiments according to this plan for the achievement of one’s own
purposes.
This class provides methodology that allows students to establish their own
projects by themselves through discussion with instructors.
It is required to complete the “Brain Sciences MethodⅠ（Research Survey）”
course to take this course.

2

Natural phenomena generally look stochastic unless all of the causes arecontrolled. There are uncontrollable internal states in the brain. Therefore, astochastic view is inevitable to understand the brain through experimental
data. Methods to infer objective conclusions from finite observations arerequired to understand stochastic phenomena. In this class, we discuss
statistical methods to infer an objective conclusion from specific experimental
data obtained by proper experiments in brain science and discuss approaches
to construct testable hypotheses. It is required to complete the two courses:“Brain Sciences Research Method Ⅰ（Research Survey）” and “Brain Sciences
Research Method Ⅱ（Research Planning）” to take this course.

発達科学実験法

Brain Sciences
Research Method Ⅰ（Research Survey）

脳科学研究法Ⅰ（研究サーベイ）

Brain Sciences
Research Method Ⅱ（Research Planning）
脳科学研究法Ⅱ（研究計画）

Brain Sciences
Research Method Ⅲ（Data Analysis）

脳科学研究法Ⅲ（データ解析）1462018 大学院要覧

SubjectBrain Sciences
Research Method Ⅳ（Thesis Writing）

About the course

2

The goal of scientific study is to write an original paper, in which theexperimental procedures and results have to be described clearly in order forthe readers to realize its originality and usefulness. Without basic techniques ofscientific writing, it is hard to show the scientific validity and originality in one’s paper. In this class, the supervisor provides an individual with training on
how to write scientific papers. Students are required to have completed thecourses “Brain Sciences Research Methods Ⅰ ” （Research Survey），“ Ⅱ（Research Planning）” and “Ⅲ（Data Analysis）” to take this course.

2This is a seminar for writing a doctoral thesis as a compilation of all
professional skills, knowledge, and research findings the student has gathered,after mastering research surveys, research planning, data analysis. This is a
literacy to advance scientific research and develop new technology. Students
will also join in discussions of other students’ research, and learn how to utilize
what they learned from the discussions to their own researches. Before taking
Brain Sciences Research Method Seminar, Students are required to havefinished Brain Sciences Research MethodⅠ, Ⅱ, Ⅲ, and Ⅳ.

脳科学研究法Ⅳ（論文作成）

Brain Sciences
Research MethodSeminar
脳科学研究法セミナー

Ⅱ 教育課程表および講義内容

Credit脳科学研究科
脳科学専攻（博士課程後期）2018 大学院要覧147