RIKEN BSI News No. 18 (Nov. 2002) - RIKEN Brain Science Institute (RIKEN BSI)



	Group Director Keiji Tanaka Given the Toshihiko Tokizane Memorial Award
	On July 8 Keiji Tanaka, Director of the Cognitive Brain Science Research Group, received the Toshihiko Tokizane Memorial Award for the year 2002 at the 25th Annual Meeting of the Japan Neuroscience Society, held at Tokyo Big Site. The award was in recognition of Group Director Tanaka's remarkable research elucidating the expression of visual images of objects in the temporal association area of the brain. The award was established in 1999 to acknowledge and assist brain researchers as part of promoting medical science. Keiji Tanaka is the fourth recipient.

The BSI Summer 2002 Program

The Summer Program spanned two months beginning in July in the midst of fierce summer heat. This year, the 4th Annual Summer Program included an internship program and a two-week lecture series. Participants in the internship were divided into teams. Everyday, the teams conducted research and strove to acquire techniques. After two months, they presented research results at a meeting.
The lecture series was a two-week, intensive course. Distinguished lecturers, from home and abroad, were invited to speak. This year's theme was "Seeing the Brain in Action". The purpose of the course was to present basic concepts and cutting edge research connected with visualization of brain activity. It provided a coherent platform to cover a wide variety of important new techniques that allowed us to demonstrate how advanced techniques can lead to new insights in brain science.
The participants and BSI researchers raised a great number of questions, and the discussions were lively.
There were also poster sessions and laboratory visits, as part of an effort to promote research exchanges between participants and BSI staff members.
The summer program aims to provide opportunities for researchers from BSI, Japan, and various countries around the world to exchange opinions, interact, and collaborate. We hope to develop researchers who will play an important role in the worldwide development of brain science and to qualitatively improve BSI.
The tentative theme for next year's summer program is "Nurturing the Brain".We plan to post an outline with essential information about applications on the website (http://www. summer.brain.riken.go.jp/). Please take a look.

Neuronal Circuit Mechanisms Research Group Review
(Group Director: Masao Ito; three laboratories in the group)

The Committee met from July 30 through August 1.It comprised 9 members and was chaired by Prof. John H. Byrne (The University of Texas-Houston Medical School).
The Neural Circuit Mechanisms Research Group has emerged as one of the premier groups working to understand ways in which neural circuits generate behaviors and how those circuits are modified to support behavioral modification. The Group uses interdisciplinary approaches ranging from behavioral to molecular.The Review Committee gave the group its full support for another five years of research.
Specific Recommendations
-Establish a Laboratory for Systems-Level Motor Function in the Group: The Committee believes that the overall strength of the Group will be greatly enhanced by establishing this new laboratory.The Committee further believes that the focus should be a systems-level approach to motor control using rodent as a model. Such a focus would propel the Group to the center of research on motor control and learning. Such an approach would also provide a better basis for related, intra-group and intra-BSI research.

-Laboratory for the Neurobiology of Emotion: The review team believes that research on brain mechanisms of emotion is important and timely. However, decisions on the future of this research in BSI must be taken. If new research on the brain mechanisms of emotion were to be pursued in primates, as Dr. Niki himself suggested, then one possibility would be to incorporate it into an existing laboratory performing systems level research, such as Dr. K. Tanaka's. Another possibility would be to set up a new laboratory to study brain mechanisms of emotion in rodent, or to investigate motor function at the systems level in rodent.

-Enhance Collaborative Interactions: The Committee suggested that there was insufficient co-operation between the three laboratories. The potential for co-operation between the three laboratories is very high. Although the Committee strongly believes that collaboration cannot be forced, certain reasonable steps should be taken to realize the full benefits of co-operation.The Committee specifically recommends the following steps. 1) Establish a laboratory for systems-level analysis of motor function. 2) Hold an annual workshop or minisymposium on a specific topic of interest to the Group. 3) Relax further the current policy of restricting appointments of research staff to a five-year duration so that individuals will have more time to devote to collaborative projects. 4) Set aside additional funds in the BSI budget that would be specifically designated for collaborative projects.

-Recruitment of International Scientists: The Group as a whole has been successful in attracting excellent scientists and technicians from outside Japan. However, individual laboratories could do more in this respect. One way of achieving this objective would be to establish prestigious BSI fellowships to support young investigators.

5th BSAC Meeting

5th BSAC Meeting

The 5th Brain Science Institute Advisory Council (BSAC) met for 3 days from September 18-20. BSAC consists of 20 prominent scientists and is chaired by Michel Cuenod (former Secretary General of the International Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP)). This group's mandate is to inspect the operating management of BSI and offer advice. As BSI reaches its first 5 year evaluation since establishment, most of the BSAC members service terms are ending. This year's review is a milestone for BSI.
In the current BSAC report, BSI received international recognition,. The report also names BSI as one of the world's leading brain research institutes, and states that it presents a new and exciting model for Japanese biological laboratory research. Among other things, it also notes that:  the cutting edge technological development team is making vigorous and important contributions.  teams researching computer neuroscience, robotics, and brain type computers should be more integrated. BSI should consider employing a world-class computer neuroscientist, who would be able to mediate, as director, among its members.  it is essential that imaging research devote efforts to developing uses for all available applications, not only fMRI and MEG.  The RIKEN-MIT joint research project should continue and be enhanced further.  BSI's plans to contribute to lifelong education and national educational projects by utilizing the benefits of field of neuroscience is benefical and supported by BSAC.

A Memorial Service for Laboratory Animals

A Memorial Service for Laboratory Animals

On September 24, a memorial service was held for those animals that were sacrificed in the course of research. This year marked the 13th time such services were held. Starting in the Brain Science Institute, researchers throughout Wako main campus offered consolation to the spirits of animals sacrificed in the course of experiments. This event commemorates the role animals play in experiments and research carried out here in the effort to understand our world and our selves.