Half-day Workshop at IROS 2015

Title: Half-day Workshop on Embodied-Brain Systems Sciences

Organizers: Jun Ota, The University of Tokyo, Eiichi Naito, CiNET, NICT, Shin-ichi Izumi, Tohoku University, and Toshiyuki Kondo, TUAT

Abstract:

As the society ages rapidly, we are experiencing a significant increase in the number of paralysis and other motor dysfunctions resulting from stroke, and neurodegenerative diseases. Thus, establishing effective rehabilitation techniques to overcome them is of paramount importance. The key to achieving this is to elucidate the mechanisms by which the brain adapts to changes in body functions. However, abnormalities in somatognosia (e.g., sense of ownership) can occur even in diseases that do not cause motor dysfunction. This indicates that we create and maintain an internal representation of the body in the brain. Accordingly, interdisciplinary research to elucidate the neural mechanisms of the body representation in the brain and the mechanism of the long-term changes in this representation and to apply these findings to rehabilitation interventions is highly expected.

To achieve the above-mentioned goals, we have started a five-years research program on ’’Understanding brain plasticity on body representations to promote their adaptive functions’’ funded as a grant-in-aid for scientific research on innovative areas (FY2014-2018, PI: Prof. Ota) by MEXT, Japan. In the program, we attempt to combine brain science and rehabilitation medicine by using systems engineering to create a new academic discipline that is known as embodied-brain systems science. It is organized from six research projects. Research Projects A01/02 conduct interventional neuroscience experiments on humans and monkeys in an attempt to understand the neural mechanisms of the body representation in the brain and to identify biomarkers that reflect changes of the representation. Research projects B01/B02 create dynamic models of the differing time constants of the fast dynamics and slow dynamics of the body representation in the brain based on neurophysiological experimental data and clinical data from patients undergoing rehabilitation. Research projects C01/C02 attempt to quantify the rehabilitative effects with the biomarkers. By integrating this with a model of the body representation in the brain, we will implement model-based neurorehabilitation and create predictions of prognosis for intervention.

This workshop aims to have an oppotunity to bring together neuroscientists, clinicians and robotics researchers who are interested in the embodied-brain systems sciences and to discuss about related research topics and future direction in the field.

List of Speakers:

      • Jun Ota, The University of Tokyo
        Title of the presentation: Introduction to embodied-brain systems science
        Biographical sketch of the Speaker:
        He received B.E., M.E. and Ph.D degrees from the Faculty of Engineering, the University of Tokyo in 1987, 1989 and 1994. From 2009, he became a Professor at Research into Artifacts, Center for Engineering (RACE), the University of Tokyo. From 1996 to 1997, he was a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University. His specialty is robotics and systems engineering.
      • Hiroshi Imamizu, Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR)
        Title of the presentation: Neural mechanisms inducing plasticity on body representation
        Biographical sketch of the Speaker:
        He received a Ph.D. (Experimental Psychology, 1995) and MS (Experimental Psychology, 1989) both from the University of Tokyo. Since 1992, he has been worked in Advanced Telecommunication Research Institute (ATR) in Kyoto as a researcher, a senior researcher, and a department head. In 2010, he became a director of ATR Cognitive Mechanisms Laboratories.
      • Hajime Asama, The University of Tokyo
        Title of the presentation: Modeling of slow dynamics on body representations in brain
        Biographical sketch of the Speaker:
      • Tetsunari Inamura, NII
        Title of the presentation: Neurorehabilitation based upon plasticity on body representations
        Biographical sketch of the Speaker:
        He received BE, MS and PhD at the University of Tokyo in 1995, 1997 and 2000. He conducted research at the CREST program from 2000 to 2003, and then joined the Department of Mechano-Informatics at the University of Tokyo as a Lecturer from 2003 to 2006. He is an Associate Professor in the National Institute of Informatics.
      • Enrico Pagello and Luca Tonin, University of Padova
        Title of the presentation: Neuro-driven prostheses for rehabilitation
        Biographical sketch of the Speaker:
      • Kazuhiko Seki, NCNP
        Title of the presentation: Neural adaptive mechanism for physical changes
        Biographical sketch of the Speaker:
        He received Ph.D degrees from the Faculty of Medical Sciences from Tsukuba University, in 1998. From 1998 to 2001, he was an HFSP long-term fellow at University of Washington. From 2001 to 2009, he was Assistant Professor at National Institute of Physiological Sciences. From 2009, he is Director of National Institute of Neuroscience, NCNP.
      • Ryosuke Chiba, Asahikawa Medical University
        Title of the presentation: Modeling of motor control that alters body representation in brain
        Biographical sketch of the Speaker:
        He received BE, MS and PhD at the University of Tokyo in 1999, 2001 and 2004. From 2004 to 2008, he was a Project Assistant Researcher in Department of Precision Engineering, the University of Tokyo. He was an Assistant Professor in Tokyo Metropolitan University from 2008 to 2014 and he is currently an Associate Professor in Asahikawa Medical University.
      • Kahori Kita, Chiba University
        Title of the presentation: Neural basis of task-specific focal hand dystonia
        Biographical sketch of the Speaker:
        She received PhD at the University of Tokyo in 2009. From 2009 to 2010, she worked in the University of Tokyo as a post doctoral researcher. She was a JSPS research fellow during 2007-2009 and 2010-2013, a researcher in Advanced Telecommunication Research Institute (ATR) in 2013 and National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry (NCNP) in 2014. Currently, she is an assistant professor in Chiba University.

Agenda (Tentative):

Time Talk
8:30 – 8:40 Opening
8:40 – 9:10

Talk 1: Prof. J. Ota (The University of Tokyo)

“Overview of the research program on embodied-brain systems sciences — understanding brain plasticity on body representations to promote their adaptive functions –”

9:10 – 9:30

Talk 2: Dr. H. Imamizu (Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International)

“Neural mechanisms inducing plasticity on body representation”

9:30 – 9:50

Talk 3: Prof. H. Asama (The University of Tokyo)

“Modeling of slow dynamics on body representations in brain”

9:50 – 10:10

Talk 4: Prof. T. Inamura (National Institute of Informatics)

“Neurorehabilitation based upon plasticity on body representations”

10:10 – 10:30 Coffee Break
10:30 – 11:00

Talk 5: Prof. Enrico Pagello and Dr. Luca Tonin (Intelligent Autonomous Lab, Dept. of Information Engineering, University of Padua, Italy)

”Neuro-driven prostheses for rehabilitation”

11:00 – 11:20

Talk 6: Dr. K. Seki (National Institute of Neuroscience)

“Neural adaptive mechanism for physical changes”

11:20 – 11:40

Talk 7: Prof. R. Chiba (Asahikawa Medical University)

“Modeling of motor control that alters body representation in brain”

11:40 – 12:00

Talk 8: Dr. K. Kita (Chiba University)

“Rehabilitation for postural/movement impairments using sensory intervention”

12:00 – 12:10 Closing