Brain Activity during Observation of Another Person`s Hand Action with a Tangible User Interface

( Shigekazu Higuchi ),( Kana Sueyohi ),( Kazuo Isoda ),( Ichiro Hisanaga ),( Stephanie Orlic ),( Yeon Kyu Kim ) 한국감성과학회 2014 춘계학술대회 Vol.2014 No.-

A tangible user interface is characterized by physical representation using graspable objects. The alpha frequency band rhythm that appears in central area (mu wave) is suppressed by observation of an action. Mu wave suppression has been used as an index of human mirror system, which reflects action recognition and empathy to others behavior. In the present study, we examined the effects of a tangible user interface on an observer`s brain activity. The participants were fifteen right-handed males. Three types of user interface for learning art objects (tangible interface, touch panel interface, and keyboard interface) were used. A manipulator grasps a model porcelain object as an input device and moves it to the plate with a sensor in front of the screen. A 64-channel electroencephalogram (EEG) was measured while the participants were observing a person manipulating the user interface. Significant mu wave suppression was found in the tangible interface condition and it was localized in the left central area. These results suggest that the tangible user interface with object-directed and goal-oriented hand actions can enhance activity of the mirror neuron system in the sensorimotor area in observers.

Brain Activity during Observation of Another Person`s Hand Action with a Tangible User Interface

Shigekazu Higuchi,Kana Sueyohi,Kazuo Isoda,Ichiro Hisanaga,Stephanie Orlic,Yeon-Kyu Kim 대한인간공학회 2014 대한인간공학회 학술대회논문집 Vol.2014 No.5

A missense I394T Variant in Human Melanopsin Gene is Associated with Non-Image Forming Responses, inc luding Pupillary Light Reflex and Sleep/Wake Timing

Sang-il Lee,Shigekazu Higuchi 대한인간공학회 2014 대한인간공학회 학술대회논문집 Vol.2014 No.5

Melanopsin, a new photoreceptor, plays an important role in non-image forming (NIF) responses, such as circadian photoentrainment, light-induced melatonin suppression, pupillary light reflex, and sleep habits. In humans, a small subset of retinal ganglion cells express the photopigment melanopsin. There are single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in human melanopsin (OPN4) gene, indicating that the genetic variations could influence the function of melanopsin. However, the association of OPN4 gene SNPs with NIF responses remains unknown. Hence, the aim of this study was to determine the association between OPN4 gene polymorphisms and NIF responses, including pupillary light reflex and sleep habits. A missense variant I394T (rs1079610) which is an amino acid-changing SNP was considered, and the genotypes of I394T were classified as TT, TC, or CC. As a first step, we examined whether there is an association between I394T SNP and pupillary light reflex (PLR) in Japanese young university students. We found that I394T SNP functionally interacts with PLR, depending on light intensity and particularly wavelength and that an individual with the C allele is more sensitive than an individual with the TT genotype to bright light with a short wavelength. If subjects with the C allele is more sensitive to light compared to subjects with the TT genotype, this could influence an individual circadian phase. To examine this idea, sleep/wake timing, which is thought to reflect individual circadian phase, among I394T genotypes was investigated. We found that Sleep/wake timing of CC subjects was found to be significantly later than that of TT and TC subjects. In conclusion, our findings in this study clearly demonstrate that human OPN4 gene polymorphism I394T is associated with PLR and sleep/wake timing and that responsiveness to light is different among I394T genotype groups, especially between C allele and TT genotype groups.

A missense I394T Variant in Human Melanopsin Gene is Associated with Non-Image Forming Responses, including Pupillary Light Reflex and Sleep/Wake Timing

( Sang Il Lee ),( Shigekazu Higuchi ) 한국감성과학회 2014 춘계학술대회 Vol.2014 No.-

Melanopsin, a new photoreceptor, plays an important role in non-image forming (NIF) responses, such as circadian photoentrainment, light-induced melatonin suppression, pupillary light reflex, and sleep habits. In humans, a small subset of retinal ganglion cells express the photopigment melanopsin. There are single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in human melanopsin (OPN4) gene, indicating that the genetic variations could influence the function of melanopsin. However, the association of OPN4 gene SNPs with NIF responses remains unknown. Hence, the aim of this study was to determine the association between OPN4 gene polymorphisms and NIF responses, including pupillary light reflex and sleep habits. A missense variant I394T (rs1079610) which is an amino acid-changing SNP was considered, and the genotypes of I394T were classified as TT, TC, or CC. As a first step, we examined whether there is an association between I394T SNP and pupillary light reflex (PLR) in Japanese young university students.

EEG Responses to Group Action-Related Stimuli

( Yeon Kyu Kim ),( Hiroki Tomihara ),( Kenta Akashima ),( Shigekazu Higuchi ) 한국감성과학회 2014 춘계학술대회 Vol.2014 No.-

Empathy and group formation have been important to win the struggle for survival in the process of human evolution. For this reason, we have bias for group and are influenced by only observing group action. Recently, mirror neuron system (MNS) is considered to be important for neural basis of empathy. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether observing group action effects or not to mirror neural activity, and relationships between personal empathic ability and mu rhythm suppression. The result suggests that group condition evoked more mirror neural activity than individual condition in RC (right central) and RT (right temporal). Furthermore, Mu rhythm suppression occurred during observing group action have a significant correlation with personal empathic ability (point of IRI`s perspective taking) in CM (central midline) and LC (left central). In conclusion, observing group action modulate mu rhythm suppression.

EEG responses to group action-related stimuli

Yeon-Kyu Kim,Hiroki TOMIHARA,Kenta AKASHIMA,Shigekazu HIGUCHI 대한인간공학회 2014 대한인간공학회 학술대회논문집 Vol.2014 No.5

Empathy and group formation have been important to win the struggle for survival in the process of human evolution. For this reason, we have bias for group and are influenced by only observing group action. Recently, mirror neuron system (MNS) is considered to be important for neural basis of empathy. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether observing group action effects or not to mirror neural activity, and relationships between personal empathic ability and mu rhythm suppression. The result suggests that group condition evoked more mirror neural activity than individual condition in RC (right central) and RT (right temporal). Furthermore, Mu rhythm suppression occurred during observing group action have a significant correlation with personal empathic ability (point of IRI’s perspective taking) in CM (central midline) and LC (left central). In conclusion, observing group action modulate mu rhythm suppression.

Enhanced Nogo-P3 amplitudes of mothers compared with non-mother women during an emotional Go/Nogo task

Hayashi, Sayuri,Wada, Hiroko,Kim, Sung-Phil,Motomura, Yuki,Higuchi, Shigekazu,Kim, Yeon-Kyu BioMed Central 2018 Journal of Physiological Anthropology Vol.37 No.1

<P><B>Background</B></P><P>It is known that emotion regulatory responses of humans are changed by the experiences they have, but in particular, they are changed by becoming a mother. A recent study has found how a woman’s emotion regulatory response to a child’s crying changes after becoming a mother. However, mothers’ emotion regulatory responses other than those to children and the association between emotion regulatory response and parental stress are still unknown.</P><P><B>Methods</B></P><P>Eighteen healthy Japanese females (nine mothers and nine non-mothers) participated in the experiment. They performed an emotional Go/Nogo task, with facial expressions of others (angry, happy, and neutral faces) used as emotional stimuli. The percentage of correct responses, response time, and event-related potentials (ERPs) during the task was measured.</P><P><B>Results</B></P><P>This comparison revealed that the mother group had a larger P3 (Nogo-P3) amplitude than the non-mother group when Nogo trials were held. This indicates that in mothers, there was greater activation of the behavioral inhibition-related brain areas than in non-mother women when they inhibited inappropriate behavior following recognition of facial expressions of others. In addition, in the mother group, there was a negative correlation between parental stress levels and Nogo-P3 amplitudes evoked by angry faces. This suggests that there is a relation between the level of parental stress of mothers and their emotion regulatory responses to angry faces.</P><P><B>Conclusions</B></P><P>Our results demonstrate that mothers’ emotion regulatory processes may differ from those of non-mothers in response, not only to a child’s crying but also to expressions of emotions by others, and also suggest that the inhibitory recognition activity of mothers can be affected by parental stress.</P>