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MAKITA Kai
Graduate School of Intercultural Studies / Department of Culture and Globalization
Associate Professor

Researcher basic information

■ Research Keyword
  • 発達障害
  • 脳プロ
  • 包括脳ネットワーク
  • 外国語学習
■ Research Areas
  • Humanities & social sciences / Foreign language education
  • Humanities & social sciences / Cognitive sciences
  • Life sciences / Cognitive neuroscience

Research activity information

■ Paper
  • Kai Makita, Ryo Kitada, Takuya Makino, Nodoka Sakakihara, Ayaka Fukuoka, Hirotaka Kosaka
    AIM: Previous studies have reported atypical sensory responses in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their implications for social touch. Although adults with ASD often report discomfort with being touched by others, their preferences for the physical properties of objects are less well understood. In a prior study, we observed that, in typically developed (TD) adults, compliance (a physical correlate of softness) increased tactile pleasantness for deformable surfaces up to levels comparable to those of human body parts. In the present study, we conducted psychophysical experiments to test whether individuals with ASD show atypical affective responses to soft objects resembling human body parts. METHODS: Thirty-six adults with ASD and 36 TD adults numerically estimated the perceived pleasantness or softness while lightly pressing urethane rubbers with their right index fingers. RESULTS: The results revealed that pleasantness increased as a function of compliance, but this increase was significantly smaller for patients with ASD than TD adults, particularly at compliance levels including human body parts. However, the perceived softness increased as a function of compliance highly similarly between the ASD and TD groups. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate an atypical preference of individuals with ASD for soft objects such as human body parts, which may help explain their tendency to avoid social touch.
    Mar. 2025, Psychiatry and clinical neurosciences, English, International magazine
    [Refereed]
    Scientific journal
    Link to Kobe Univ. Repository (Kernel)

  • Akiko Yao, Shota Nishitani, Yutaka Yamada, Hideyuki Oshima, Yuka Sugihara, Kai Makita, Shinichiro Takiguchi, Natasha Y. S. Kawata, Takashi X. Fujisawa, Hidehiko Okazawa, Masaru Inatani, Akemi Tomoda
    Abstract Childhood maltreatment is reportedly associated with atypical gray matter structures in the primary visual cortex (V1). This study explores the hypothesis that retinal structures, the sensory organs of vision, are associated with brain atypicality and child maltreatment and examines their interrelation. General ophthalmologic examinations, visual cognitive tasks, retinal imaging, and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were conducted in children and adolescents aged 9–18 years with maltreatment experiences (CM) and typically developing (TD) children. The retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), the most superficial of the ten distinct retinal layers, was found to be significantly thinner in both eyes in CM. While whole-brain analysis using Voxel-based morphometry revealed a significantly larger gray matter volume (GMV) in the thalamus in CM, no significant correlation with RNFL thickness was observed. However, based on region-of-interest analysis, a thinner RNFL was associated with a larger GMV in the right V1. Although it cannot be ruled out that this outcome resulted from maltreatment alone, CM demonstrated subclinical structural atypicality in the retina, which may also correlate with the immaturity of V1 development. Examination of retinal thickness offers a novel clinical approach to capturing characteristics associated with childhood maltreatment.
    Springer Science and Business Media LLC, May 2024, Scientific Reports, 14(1) (1)
    [Refereed]
    Scientific journal

  • Natasha Y.S. Kawata, Shota Nishitani, Akiko Yao, Shinichiro Takiguchi, Yoshifumi Mizuno, Sakae Mizushima, Kai Makita, Shoko Hamamura, Daisuke N. Saito, Hidehiko Okazawa, Takashi X. Fujisawa, Akemi Tomoda
    Apr. 2024, NeuroImage
    [Refereed]
    Scientific journal

  • Nobuko Sakakibara, Kai Makita, Ryoko Kasaba, Ryo Kuboshita, Takashi X. Fujisawa, Akemi Tomoda
    Oct. 2023, The Journal of Child & Brain Development, English
    [Refereed]
    Research institution

  • Daiki Hiraoka, Kai Makita, Nobuko Sakakibara, Shigemi Morioka, Makoto Orisaka, Yoshio Yoshida, Akemi Tomoda
    Introduction Infant stimuli attract caregiver attention and motivate parenting behavior. Studies have confirmed the existence of attentional bias toward infant face stimuli; however, relatively little is known about whether attentional bias exists for infant cry stimuli, which are as important as faces in child-rearing situations. Furthermore, scarce longitudinal evidence exists on how attentional bias toward infant crying changes through the postpartum period. Methods In the present study, we conducted an experiment to assess bias toward infant crying at two postpartum time points: at Time 1 (Mean = 75.24 days), 45 first-time mothers participated and at Time 2 (Mean = 274.33 days), 30 mothers participated. At both time points, the mothers participated in a Stroop task with infant crying and white noise as the stimuli. They were instructed to answer the color out loud as quickly and accurately as possible, while ignoring the sound. Four types of audio stimuli were used in this task (the cry of the mother’s own infant, the cry of an unfamiliar infant, white noise matched to the cry of the mother’s own infant, and white noise matched to the cry of an unfamiliar infant), one of which was presented randomly before each trial. Response time and the correct response rate for each condition were the dependent variables. Results For response time, the main effect of familiarity was significant, with longer response times when the participant’s infant’s cry was presented. In addition, response times were lower at Time 2 than at Time 1 in some conditions in which crying was presented. Discussion The results suggest that mothers may be less disturbed by infant crying as they gain more experience. Elucidating the characteristics of postpartum mothers’ changes in cognitive performance related to infants’ cries would be useful in fundamental and applied research to understand the process of parents’ adaptation to parenting.
    Frontiers Media SA, Sep. 2023, Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 17, 1192275
    [Refereed]
    Scientific journal

  • Mizuno Y, Cai W, Supekar K, Makita K, Takiguchi S, Silk TJ, Tomoda A, Menon V.
    May 2023, Biol. Psychiatry, 93(9, Supplement) (9, Supplement), S103, English
    [Refereed]

  • Yoshifumi Mizuno, Weidong Cai, Kaustubh Supekar, Kai Makita, Shinichiro Takiguchi, Timothy J Silk, Akemi Tomoda, Vinod Menon
    BACKGROUND: Methylphenidate, a first-line treatment for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), is thought to influence dopaminergic neurotransmission in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and its associated brain circuitry, but this hypothesis has yet to be systematically tested. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover trial including 27 children with ADHD. Children with ADHD were scanned twice with resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging under methylphenidate and placebo conditions, along with assessment of sustained attention. We examined spontaneous neural activity in the NAc and the salience, frontoparietal, and default mode networks and their links to behavioral changes. Replicability of methylphenidate effects on spontaneous neural activity was examined in a second independent cohort. RESULTS: Methylphenidate increased spontaneous neural activity in the NAc and the salience and default mode networks. Methylphenidate-induced changes in spontaneous activity patterns in the default mode network were associated with improvements in intraindividual response variability during a sustained attention task. Critically, despite differences in clinical trial protocols and data acquisition parameters, the NAc and the salience and default mode networks showed replicable patterns of methylphenidate-induced changes in spontaneous activity across two independent cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: We provide reproducible evidence demonstrating that methylphenidate enhances spontaneous neural activity in NAc and cognitive control networks in children with ADHD, resulting in more stable sustained attention. Our findings identified a novel neural mechanism underlying methylphenidate treatment in ADHD to inform the development of clinically useful biomarkers for evaluating treatment outcomes.
    May 2023, Biological psychiatry: Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging, 8(3) (3), 271 - 280, English, International magazine
    [Refereed]
    Scientific journal

  • Kai Makita, Akiko Yao, Koji Shimada, Ryoko Kasaba, Takashi X. Fujisawa, Yoshifumi Mizuno, Akemi Tomoda
    Apr. 2023, Brain Imaging and Behavior, 17, 436 - 449, English
    [Refereed]
    Scientific journal
    Link to Kobe Univ. Repository (Kernel)

  • Daiki Hiraoka, Kai Makita, Sayo Hamatani, Akemi Tomoda, Yoshifumi Mizuno
    Apr. 2023, Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 60, 101209
    [Refereed]
    Scientific journal

  • Shinichiro Takiguchi, Kai Makita, Takashi X. Fujisawa, Shota Nishitani, Akemi Tomoda
    Reactive attachment disorder (RAD) is associated with socially and emotionally withdrawn/inhibited behaviors and reduced neural responses to rewards. Children and adolescents with RAD show aberrant attachment behaviors, and existing psychotherapies are difficult to maintain; therefore, pharmacological interventions to aid and boost treatment responses are needed. Oxytocin (OT) administration is known to promote reward functioning. We investigated whether single-use intranasal OT administration improved neural responses during reward processing in patients with RAD compared with healthy controls. Twenty-four male children and adolescents with RAD (10–18 years old) and 27 age- and sex-matched typically developing individuals (10–17 years old) were included in this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over, functional magnetic resonance imaging study. Following a single intranasal OT (24 IU) or placebo administration, neural responses were investigated using a monetary reward task. In the RAD group, OT significantly increased subjective motivation scores, significantly enhanced activation in the right middle frontal gyrus, and reduced activation in the right precentral gyrus during the monetary reward task. Additional analyses revealed increased activation in the bilateral caudate at a more lenient threshold. Under placebo conditions, the severity of internalizing problems in patients with RAD was negatively correlated with ventral striatal activity. Moreover, the effect of OT on ventral striatum activity was positively associated with the severity of internalizing problems in patients with RAD. Intranasal OT administration enhanced activity in the reward pathway in male children and adolescents with RAD, suggesting that exogenous OT promotes reward processing and reward-related motivational behavior in these individuals. Further investigation is needed to fully understand the neural mechanisms of intranasal OT and identify novel targets for pediatric cases with RAD. Clinical trial registration: UMIN-CTR; UMIN000013215. URL: https://upload.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr/ctr_view.cgi?recptno=R000015419
    Frontiers Media SA, Jan. 2023, Frontiers in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 1, 1056115, English
    [Refereed]
    Scientific journal

  • Sayo Hamatani, Daiki Hiraoka, Kai Makita, Akemi Tomoda, Yoshifumi Mizuno
    Abstract A large longitudinal study on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in children is limited. This large-scale longitudinal observational study examines the pandemic’s effects on children’s mental health while considering the effects of parental care styles. The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study is a large-scale, longitudinal multicenter study in the United States. Of the 11,875 children aged 9–12 years in its database, 4702 subjects were selected for this study. The child behavior checklist and parental monitoring questionnaire (PMQ) were used to assess children’s mental health and parental support styles, respectively. Data collected before and during the pandemic were compared. Withdrawn/depressed and attention problems significantly worsened during compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic (p < 0.001, withdrawn/depressed; 53.4 ± 5.7 to 53.7 ± 5.9, attention problems; 53.4 ± 5.4 to 53.6 ± 5.6). However, the T scores are in the normal range both before and during the crisis. Simple slope analysis found withdrawn/depressed problems and aggressive behavior worsened when the PMQ was 1 SD below the mean, and rule-breaking behavior was improved when the PMQ was 1 SD above the mean. While the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated children’s depressive symptoms and attention issues, the effects may be minor. Additionally, parental involvement serve as a protective factor for the child’s mental health even during the pandemic.
    Springer Science and Business Media LLC, Nov. 2022, Scientific Reports, 12, 19601
    [Refereed]
    Scientific journal

  • Daisuke N Saito, Takashi X Fujisawa, Hisakazu T Yanaka, Takeshi Fujii, Takanori Kochiyama, Kai Makita, Akemi Tomoda, Hidehiko Okazawa
    Attention ability is one of the most important cognitive functions. It develops mainly during school age. However, the neural basis for the typical development of attentional functions has not been fully investigated. To clarify the development of the aforementioned function and its neural basis, this study examined brain function in children and adolescents during the performance of an attention network test (ANT) using functional magnetic resonance imaging. One hundred and sixty-three volunteers (8-23 years, 80 female) participated in this study. Using a modified version of ANT, we assessed the efficiency of two attentional functions-orienting and executive attention-by measuring how reaction time is affected by spatial cue location and flanker congruency and examined the functional brain areas-attentional networks-associated with two attentional functions. Consistent with the findings of previous studies, the superior parietal lobule, visual association cortex, left precentral gyrus, and supplementary motor area were activated during the orienting attention, while the anterior cingulate cortex, visual association cortex, lateral prefrontal cortex, thalamus, and caudate were activated during the executive attention. Moreover, negative correlations with age were found for activations in the inferior frontal gyrus, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, and caudate nucleus in the orienting attention, while no correlations with age related to executive attention were found. In conclusion, this study revealed common and distinct features in the neural basis of the attentional functions in children and adolescents compared with that of adults and their developmental changes with age.
    Jun. 2022, Neuropsychopharmacology reports, 42(2) (2), 191 - 198, English, International magazine
    [Refereed]
    Scientific journal

  • Yoshifumi Mizuno, Weidong Cai, Kaustubh Supekar, Kai Makita, Shinichiro Takiguchi, Akemi Tomoda, Vinod Menon
    Methylphenidate is a widely used first-line treatment for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but the underlying circuit mechanisms are poorly understood. Here we investigate whether a single dose of osmotic release oral system methylphenidate can remediate attention deficits and aberrancies in functional circuit dynamics in cognitive control networks, which have been implicated in ADHD. In a randomized placebo-controlled double-blind crossover design, 27 children with ADHD were scanned twice with resting-state functional MRI and sustained attention was examined using a continuous performance task under methylphenidate and placebo conditions; 49 matched typically-developing (TD) children were scanned once for comparison. Dynamic time-varying cross-network interactions between the salience (SN), frontoparietal (FPN), and default mode (DMN) networks were examined in children with ADHD under both administration conditions and compared with TD children. Methylphenidate improved sustained attention on a continuous performance task in children with ADHD, when compared to the placebo condition. Children with ADHD under placebo showed aberrancies in dynamic time-varying cross-network interactions between the SN, FPN and DMN, which were remediated by methylphenidate. Multivariate classification analysis confirmed that methylphenidate remediates aberrant dynamic brain network interactions. Furthermore, dynamic time-varying network interactions under placebo conditions predicted individual differences in methylphenidate-induced improvements in sustained attention in children with ADHD. These findings suggest that a single dose of methylphenidate can remediate deficits in sustained attention and aberrant brain circuit dynamics in cognitive control circuits in children with ADHD. Findings identify a novel brain circuit mechanism underlying a first-line pharmacological treatment for ADHD, and may inform clinically useful biomarkers for evaluating treatment outcomes.
    May 2022, NeuroImage, 257, 119332 - 119332, English, International magazine
    [Refereed]
    Scientific journal

  • Akemi Sato, Koji Tominaga, Yoshiko Iwatani, Yoko Kato, Mari Wataya-Kaneda, Kai Makita, Kiyotaka Nemoto, Masako Taniike, Kuriko Kagitani-Shimono
    Mar. 2022, Frontiers in Neurology, 13, 782479, English
    [Refereed]
    Scientific journal

  • Takashi X Fujisawa, Shota Nishitani, Kai Makita, Akiko Yao, Shinichiro Takiguchi, Shoko Hamamura, Koji Shimada, Hidehiko Okazawa, Hideo Matsuzaki, Akemi Tomoda
    The present study examined the relationship between DNA methylation differences and variations in brain structures involved in the development of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). First, we used monozygotic (MZ) twins discordant (2 pairs of 4 individuals, 2 boys, mean age 12.5 years) for ADHD to identify candidate DNA methylation sites involved in the development of ADHD. Next, we tried to replicate these candidates in a case-control study (ADHD: N = 18, 15 boys, mean age 10.0 years; Controls: N = 62, 40 boys, mean age 13.9 years). Finally, we examined how methylation rates at those sites relate to the degree of local structural alterations where significant differences were observed between cases and controls. As a result, we identified 61 candidate DNA methylation sites involved in ADHD development in two pairs of discordant MZ twins, among which elevated methylation at a site in the sortilin-related Vps10p domain containing receptor 2 (SorCS2) gene was replicated in the case-control study. We also observed that the ADHD group had significantly reduced gray matter volume (GMV) in the precentral and posterior orbital gyri compared to the control group and that this volume reduction was positively associated with SorCS2 methylation. Furthermore, the reduced GMV regions in children with ADHD are involved in language processing and emotional control, while SorCS2 methylation is also negatively associated with emotional behavioral problems in children. These results indicate that SorCS2 methylation might mediate a reduced GMV in the precentral and posterior orbital gyri and therefore influence the pathology of children with ADHD.
    Jan. 2022, Frontiers in neuroscience, 15, 799761 - 799761, English, International magazine
    [Refereed]
    Scientific journal

  • Eri Nakagawa, Takahiko Koike, Motofumi Sumiya, Koji Shimada, Kai Makita, Haruyo Yoshida, Hirokazu Yokokawa, Norihiro Sadato
    Japanese English learners have difficulty speaking Double Object (DO; give B A) than Prepositional Object (PO; give A to B) structures which neural underpinning is unknown. In speaking, syntactic and phonological processing follow semantic encoding, conversion of non-verbal mental representation into a structure suitable for expression. To test whether DO difficulty lies in linguistic or prelinguistic process, we conducted functional magnetic resonance imaging. Thirty participants described cartoons using DO or PO, or simply named them. Greater reaction times and error rates indicated DO difficulty. DO compared with PO showed parieto-frontal activation including left inferior frontal gyrus, reflecting linguistic process. Psychological priming in PO produced immediately after DO and vice versa compared to after control, indicated shared process between PO and DO. Cross-structural neural repetition suppression was observed in occipito-parietal regions, overlapping the linguistic system in pre-SMA. Thus DO and PO share prelinguistic process, whereas linguistic process imposes overload in DO.
    Jan. 2022, Frontiers in human neuroscience, 15, 753245 - 753245, English, International magazine
    [Refereed]
    Scientific journal

  • Shota Nishitani, Takashi X Fujisawa, Daiki Hiraoka, Kai Makita, Shinichiro Takiguchi, Shoko Hamamura, Akiko Yao, Koji Shimada, Alicia K Smith, Akemi Tomoda
    Child maltreatment dysregulates the brain's oxytocinergic system, resulting in dysfunctional attachment patterns. However, how the oxytocinergic system in children who are maltreated (CM) is epigenetically affected remains unknown. We assessed differences in salivary DNA methylation of the gene encoding oxytocin (OXT) between CM (n = 24) and non-CM (n = 31), alongside its impact on brain structures and functions using multi-modal brain imaging (voxel-based morphometry, diffusion tensor imaging, and task and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging). We found that CM showed higher promoter methylation than non-CM, and nine CpG sites were observed to be correlated with each other and grouped into one index (OXTmi). OXTmi was significantly negatively correlated with gray matter volume (GMV) in the left superior parietal lobule (SPL), and with right putamen activation during a rewarding task, but not with white matter structures. Using a random forest regression model, we investigated the sensitive period and type of maltreatment that contributed the most to OXTmi in CM, revealing that they were 5-8 years of age and physical abuse (PA), respectively. However, the presence of PA (PA+) was meant to reflect more severe cases, such as prolonged exposure to multiple types of abuse, than the absence of PA. PA+ was associated with significantly greater functional connectivity between the right putamen set as the seed and the left SPL and the left cerebellum exterior. The results suggest that OXT promoter hypermethylation may lead to the atypical development of reward and visual association structures and functions, thereby potentially worsening clinical aspects raised by traumatic experiences.
    Nov. 2021, Translational psychiatry, 11(1) (1), 589 - 589, English, International magazine
    [Refereed]
    Scientific journal

  • Ryo Kuboshita, Takashi X. Fujisawa, Kai Makita, Ryoko Kasaba, Hidehiko Okazawa, Akemi Tomoda
    Nov. 2020, Scientific Reports, 10(1) (1), Article number - 18903, English
    [Refereed]
    Scientific journal

  • Maro G. Machizawa, Giuseppe Lisi, Noriaki Kanayama, Ryohei Mizuochi, Kai Makita, Takafumi Sasaoka, Shigeto Yamawaki
    Oct. 2020, Journal of Neural Engineering, 17(5) (5)
    [Refereed]
    Scientific journal

  • Mizuno Y, Jung M, Makita K, Takiguchi S, Fujisawa TX, Tomoda A.
    Oct. 2020, Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 59(10(Supplement)) (10(Supplement)), S164 - S165, English
    International conference proceedings

  • Kai Makita, Shinichiro Takiguchi, Hiroaki Naruse, Koji Shimada, Shigemi Morioka, Takashi X Fujisawa, Keigo Shimoji, Akemi Tomoda
    Childhood maltreatment is associated with altered brain structure and function and is a major risk factor for psychopathology, including reactive attachment disorder (RAD). However, whether changes to white matter microstructural integrity are associated with RAD is unclear. We used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to assess group differences in fractional anisotropy (FA) in patients with RAD (n = 25; mean age = 13.2) to typically developing (TD) controls (n = 33; mean age = 13.0). To further interpret differences in FA, additional parameters such as mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD) and radial diffusivity (RD) were assessed. We found that FA values in the body of corpus callosum (CC) and in the projection and thalamic pathways, including the posterior limb of the internal capsule and corona radiata (anterior, posterior, and superior), were significantly higher in the RAD than in the TD group. Additionally, RAD group showed significantly lower RD values in the body of the CC and abovementioned pathways than TD group. Our findings indicate that RAD is associated with altered structure of the CC and projection and thalamic pathways, which may play a role in emotion regulation. The aberrant development of these tracts in RAD may reflect stress-related psychophysiological responses.
    Elsevier BV, Sep. 2020, Psychiatry research. Neuroimaging, 303, Article number - 111129, English, International magazine
    [Refereed]
    Scientific journal

  • Maro Machizawa, Giuseppe Lisi, Noriaki Kanayama, Ryohei Mizuochi, Kai Makita, Takafumi Sasaoka, Shigeto Yamawaki
    OBJECTIVES: Multiple facets of human emotion underlie diverse and sparse neural mechanisms. Among the many existing models of emotion, the two-dimensional circumplex model of emotion is an important theory. The use of the circumplex model allows us to model variable aspects of emotion; however, such momentary expressions of one's internal mental state still lacks a notion of the third dimension of time. Here, we report an exploratory attempt to build a three-axis model of human emotion to model our sense of anticipatory excitement, "Waku-Waku" (in Japanese), in which people predictively code upcoming emotional events. APPROACH: Electroencephalography (EEG) data were recorded from 28 young adult participants while they mentalized upcoming emotional pictures. Three auditory tones were used as indicative cues, predicting the likelihood of the valence of an upcoming picture: positive, negative, or unknown. While seeing an image, the participants judged its emotional valence during the task and subsequently rated their subjective experiences on valence, arousal, expectation, and Waku-Waku immediately after the experiment. The collected EEG data were then analyzed to identify contributory neural signatures for each of the three axes. MAIN RESULTS: A three-axis model was built to quantify Waku-Waku. As expected, this model revealed the considerable contribution of the third dimension over the classical two-dimensional model. Distinctive EEG components were identified. Furthermore, a novel brain-emotion interface was proposed and validated within the scope of limitations. SIGNIFICANCE: The proposed notion may shed new light on the theories of emotion and support multiplex dimensions of emotion. With the introduction of the cognitive domain for a brain-computer interface, we propose a novel brain-emotion interface. Limitations of the study and potential applications of this interface are discussed.
    Jul. 2020, Journal of neural engineering, 17(3) (3), Article number - 036011, English, International magazine
    [Refereed]
    Scientific journal

  • Yuko Okamoto, Ryo Kitada, Takanori Kochiyama, Hiroaki Naruse, Kai Makita, Motohide Miyahara, Hidehiko Okazawa, Hirotaka Kosaka
    Abstract The lateral occipitotemporal cortex (LOTC) that responds to human bodies and body parts has been implicated in social development and neurodevelopmental disorders like autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Neuroimaging studies using a representational similarity analysis (RSA) revealed that body representation in the LOTC of typically developing (TD) adults is categorized into 3 clusters: action effector body parts, noneffector body parts, and face parts. However, its organization of younger people (i.e., children and adolescents) and its association with individual traits remain unclear. In this functional MRI study, TD adults and children/adolescents observed photographs of hands, feet, arms, legs, chests, waists, upper/lower faces, the whole body, and chairs. The univariate analysis showed that fewer child/adolescent participants showed left LOTC activation in response to whole-body images (relative to those of chairs) than adult participants. Contrastingly, the RSA on both age groups revealed a comparable body representation with 3 clusters of body parts in the bilateral LOTC. Hence, this result indicates that, although response to whole-body images can differ, LOTC body part representations for children/ adolescents and adults are highly similar. Furthermore, sensory atypicality is associated with spatial LOTC organization, suggesting the importance of this region for understanding individual difference, which is frequently observed in ASD.
    Oxford University Press (OUP), Apr. 2020, Cerebral Cortex Communications, 1(1) (1), 1 - 13, English
    [Refereed]
    Scientific journal

  • Yoshifumi Mizuno, Kuriko Kagitani-Shimono, Minyoung Jung, Kai Makita, Shinichiro Takiguchi, Takashi X Fujisawa, Masaya Tachibana, Mariko Nakanishi, Ikuko Mohri, Masako Taniike, Akemi Tomoda
    Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) share high rates of comorbidity, with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fifth Edition now acknowledging the comorbid diagnosis of ASD and ADHD. Although structural abnormalities in the prefrontal cortex, cerebellum, and basal ganglia occur in both ASD and ADHD, no structural studies have focused exclusively on patients with comorbid ASD and ADHD. We thus aimed to clarify the structural features and developmental changes in patients with comorbid ASD and ADHD in a relatively large sample from two sites. Ninety-two patients were age-matched to 141 typically developing (TD) controls (age range: 5-16 years) and assessed for volumetric characteristics using structural magnetic resonance imaging (i.e. surface-based morphometry). While there were no significant differences in prefrontal cortex, cerebellum, and basal ganglia volumes, patients with ASD and ADHD exhibited significantly lower left postcentral gyrus volumes than TD controls. We observed significantly lower postcentral gyrus volumes exclusively in children and preadolescents, and not in adolescents. Our findings suggest that abnormal somatosensory, attributed to delayed maturation of the left postcentral gyrus, leads to the core symptoms experienced by patients with comorbid ASD and ADHD.
    Dec. 2019, Translational psychiatry, 9(1) (1), Article number - 332, English, International magazine
    [Refereed]
    Scientific journal

  • Kawamichi H, Sugawara SK, Hamano YH, Makita K, Kochiyama T, Kikuchi Y, Ogino Y, Saito S, Sadato N
    Informa UK Limited, Oct. 2018, Social neuroscience, 14(5) (5), 618 - 630
    [Refereed]
    Scientific journal

  • Nakamura T, Matsui T, Utsumi A, Yamazaki M, Makita K, Harada T, Tanabe HC, Sadato N
    Oct. 2018, Social neuroscience, 13(5) (5), 1 - 13, English
    [Refereed]
    Scientific journal

  • Wanlu Yang, Kai Makita, Takashi Nakao, Noriaki Kanayama, Maro G Machizawa, Takafumi Sasaoka, Ayako Sugata, Ryota Kobayashi, Ryosuke Hiramoto, Shigeto Yamawaki, Makoto Iwanaga, Makoto Miyatani
    Using appropriate stimuli to evoke emotions is especially important for researching emotion. Psychologists have provided several standardized affective stimulus databases-such as the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) and the Nencki Affective Picture System (NAPS) as visual stimulus databases, as well as the International Affective Digitized Sounds (IADS) and the Montreal Affective Voices as auditory stimulus databases for emotional experiments. However, considering the limitations of the existing auditory stimulus database studies, research using auditory stimuli is relatively limited compared with the studies using visual stimuli. First, the number of sample sounds is limited, making it difficult to equate across emotional conditions and semantic categories. Second, some artificially created materials (music or human voice) may fail to accurately drive the intended emotional processes. Our principal aim was to expand existing auditory affective sample database to sufficiently cover natural sounds. We asked 207 participants to rate 935 sounds (including the sounds from the IADS-2) using the Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM) and three basic-emotion rating scales. The results showed that emotions in sounds can be distinguished on the affective rating scales, and the stability of the evaluations of sounds revealed that we have successfully provided a larger corpus of natural, emotionally evocative auditory stimuli, covering a wide range of semantic categories. Our expanded, standardized sound sample database may promote a wide range of research in auditory systems and the possible interactions with other sensory modalities, encouraging direct reliable comparisons of outcomes from different researchers in the field of psychology.
    Aug. 2018, Behavior research methods, 50(4) (4), 1415 - 1429, English, International magazine
    [Refereed]
    Scientific journal

  • Sho K. Sugawara, Takahiko Koike, Hiroaki Kawamichi, Kai Makita, Yuki H. Hamano, Haruka K. Takahashi, Eri Nakagawa, Norihiro Sadato
    Elsevier Ireland Ltd, Jul. 2018, Neuroscience Research, 132, 37 - 45, English
    [Refereed]
    Scientific journal

  • Noriaki Kanayama, Tomohisa Asai, Takashi Nakao, Kai Makita, Ryutaro Kozuma, Takuto Uyama, Toshiyuki Yamane, Hiroshi Kadota, Shigeto Yamawaki
    May 2017, FRONTIERS IN HUMAN NEUROSCIENCE, 11, Article number - 00232, English
    [Refereed]
    Scientific journal

  • Jiajia Yang, Ryo Kitada, Takanori Kochiyama, Yinghua Yu, Kai Makita, Yuta Araki, Jinglong Wu, Norihiro Sadato
    Feb. 2017, SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, 7, Article number - 40931, English
    [Refereed]
    Scientific journal

  • Kai MAKITA, Noriaki KANAYAMA, Takuto UYAMA, Maro MACHIZAWA, Takafumi SASAOKA, Shigeto YAMAWAKI
    Japanese Society for Physiological Psychology and Psychophysiology, Dec. 2016, Japanese Journal of Physiological Psychology and Psychophysiology, 34(1) (1), 53 - 60, Japanese
    [Refereed]
    Scientific journal

  • Hiroaki Kawamichi, Sho K. Sugawara, Yuki H. Hamano, Kai Makita, Masahiro Matsunaga, Hiroki C. Tanabe, Yuichi Ogino, Shigeru Saito, Norihiro Sadato
    Nov. 2016, Frontiers in Psychology, 7, Article number - 1763, English
    [Refereed]
    Scientific journal

  • Hiroaki Kawamichi, Sho K. Sugawara, Yuki H. Hamano, Kai Makita, Takanori Kochiyama, Norihiro Sadato
    Apr. 2016, Scientific Reports, 6, Article number - 24561, English
    [Refereed]
    Scientific journal

  • Hiroaki Kawamichi, Kazufumi Yoshihara, Sho K. Sugawara, Masahiro Matsunaga, Kai Makita, Yuki H. Hamano, Hiroki C. Tanabe, Norihiro Sadato
    Mar. 2016, SOCIAL NEUROSCIENCE, 11(2) (2), 109 - 122, English
    [Refereed]
    Scientific journal

  • K. Shimada, M. Hirotani, H. Yokokawa, H. Yoshida, K. Makita, M. Yamazaki-Murase, H. C. Tanabe, N. Sadato
    Aug. 2015, NEUROSCIENCE, 300, 474 - 492, English
    [Refereed]
    Scientific journal

  • Kai Makita, Mika Yamazaki, Hiroki C. Tanabe, Takahiko Koike, Takanori Kochiyama, Hirokazu Yokokawa, Haruyo Yoshida, Norihiro Sadato
    Dec. 2013, MIND BRAIN AND EDUCATION, 7(4) (4), 213 - 224, English
    [Refereed]
    Scientific journal

■ MISC
  • Association of DNA methylation and empathy with brain activity to infant crying
    平岡大樹, 平岡大樹, 牧田快, 榊原信子, 倉田佐和, 森岡茂己, 折坂誠, 吉田好雄, 西谷正太, 友田明美
    2023, 日本心理学会大会発表抄録集, 86th

  • ASDの非定型的な触覚の特徴と社会性の関連
    福岡彩加, 北田亮, 牧田快, 牧野拓也, 小坂浩隆
    2023, 日本精神神経学会総会プログラム・抄録集, 119th

  • 産後2時点における乳児の泣き声に対する脳活動の変化
    平岡大樹, 平岡大樹, 牧田快, 榊原信子, 倉田佐和, 森岡茂己, 折坂誠, 吉田好雄, 友田明美
    2022, 日本赤ちゃん学会学術集会抄録集(CD-ROM), 22nd

  • 反応性愛着障害の症状スクリーニング 日本語版愛着関係問題質問票(RPQ-J)の開発
    藤澤隆史, 濱村尚子, 島田浩二, 滝口慎一郎, 牧田快, 友田明美, 友田明美
    2021, 日本発達心理学会大会プログラム(CD-ROM), 32nd

  • Oxytocin effects on neural reward processing in children and adolescents with reactive attachment disorder: a randomized controlled trial
    滝口慎一郎, 牧田快, 藤澤隆史, 西谷正太, 島田浩二, 小坂浩隆, 友田明美, 友田明美
    2021, 臨床薬理の進歩, (42) (42)

  • 初産後の母親における乳児の泣き声に対する神経活動と共感性・行動賦活系の関連
    平岡大樹, 平岡大樹, 牧田快, 榊原信子, 倉田佐和, 森岡茂己, 折坂誠, 吉田好雄, 西谷正太, 島田浩二, 藤澤隆史, 友田明美
    2021, 日本心理学会大会発表論文集, 85th

  • 産後うつ傾向と我が子の泣き声に対する注意バイアスの関連
    平岡大樹, 平岡大樹, 牧田快, 榊原信子, 倉田佐和, 森岡茂己, 折坂誠, 友田明美
    2021, 日本赤ちゃん学会学術集会プログラム・要旨集, 21st (CD-ROM)

  • 反応性愛着障害児における脳白質線維構造解析
    滝口 慎一郎, 牧田 快, 島田 浩二, 藤澤 隆史, 友田 明美
    (一社)日本小児精神神経学会, Nov. 2019, 日本小児精神神経学会プログラム・抄録集, 122回, 63 - 63, Japanese

  • 藤澤 隆史, 石盛 真徳, 牧田 快, 久保下 亮, 笠羽 涼子, 友田 明美
    公益社団法人 日本心理学会, Sep. 2019, 日本心理学会大会発表論文集, 83(0) (0), 2D - 015-2D-015, Japanese

  • 岡本 悠子, 北田 亮, 河内山 隆紀, 成瀬 廣亮, 宮原 資英, 牧田 快, 岡沢 秀彦, 小坂 浩隆
    公益社団法人 日本心理学会, Sep. 2019, 日本心理学会大会発表論文集, 83(0) (0), 1A - 074-1A-074, Japanese

  • A preliminary study of the effects of behavioral parent training on executive function in children with ADHD
    矢尾 明子, 島田 浩二, 笠羽 涼子, 牧田 快, 友田 明美
    発達科学研究教育センター, 20 Jun. 2019, 発達研究 : 発達科学研究教育センター紀要, 33, 175 - 179, Japanese

  • Effects of alloparenting status for brain development in children: Resting-state fMRI study
    Fujisawa TX, Kuboshita R, Kasaba R, Makita K, Tomoda A
    09 Jun. 2019, The Organization for Human Brain Mapping Annual Meeting (OHBM 2019), T463, English
    [Refereed]

  • 親子関係と養育環境が子の安静時脳機能に及ぼす影響
    藤澤 隆史, 牧田 快, 友田 明美
    (一社)日本児童青年精神医学会, Oct. 2018, 日本児童青年精神医学会総会抄録集, 59回, P21 - 4, Japanese

  • 島田 浩二, 笠羽 涼子, 矢尾 明子, 牧田 快, 友田 明美
    金原出版, 01 Jun. 2018, 小児科 = Pediatrics of Japan, 59(7) (7), 969 - 976, Japanese
    Introduction scientific journal

  • Fujisawa Takashi, Kubosita Ryo, Makita Kai, Kasaba Ryoko, Tomoda Akemi
    The Japanese Psychological Association, 2018, The Proceedings of the Annual Convention of the Japanese Psychological Association, 82(0) (0), 2PM - 087-2PM-087, Japanese

  • 外国語産出能力の習熟過程に関わる大脳基底核の脳活動の可塑的変化
    島田浩二, 島田浩二, HIROTANI Masako, 中川恵理, 牧田快, 濱野友希, 岡崎俊太郎, FOX Janna, 定藤規弘, 定藤規弘
    2015, 日本ヒト脳機能マッピング学会プログラム・抄録集, 17th, 70, Japanese

  • Sasaoka Takafumi, Kanayama Noriaki, Makita Kai, Yamawaki Shigeto, Okamoto Yoshihisa, Iwase Koji, Yoshida Toshihiro, Michida Nanae, Kishi Atsuhide, Chiba Masaki, Nouzawa Takahide, Machizawa Maro
    運転映像中に提示される視標の検出課題中の脳活動をfMRIによって測定した．実験では，水平線上の5カ所のうち1カ所に視標が提示され，実験協力者はできるだけ早くボタン押しを行った．実験条件は車速(60, 160km/h)×ピラー(垂直，傾斜)の4条件であった．反応時間の分散分析の結果，ピラー傾斜条件で右端（ピラーの外側）の視標検出が有意に遅いことがわかった．視標提示後2秒間の脳活動の分散分析の結果，ピラーと視標提示位置の交互作用が左楔前部に見られ，その活動は右端の視標提示時にピラー傾斜条件で活動が大きかった．先行研究でADHDや自閉症の青年に楔前部の過活動が報告されており，楔前部の活動はピラーの角度によって生じる運転と非関連な情報に注意が捕捉され，より注意のリソースが視標検出に必要になったことを反映していると考えられる．この結果は，脳活動測定を安全な自動車の設計へ利用できる可能性を示している．
    The Japanese Society for Cognitive Psychology, 2015, Proceedings of the Japanese Society for Cognitive Psychology, 2015(0) (0), 27 - 27, Japanese

  • 隠喩的表現における面白さと見劣り効果の神経基盤の検討
    中村太戯留, 松井智子, 内海彰, 山崎未花, 牧田快, 原田宗子, 田邊宏樹, 定藤規弘
    Oct. 2014, 第４回社会神経科学研究会抄録集, 33, Japanese
    Summary national conference

  • The Automatization of Second Language Sentence Production and the Neurophysiological Changes in Japanese Learners of English: An fMRI study
    中川恵理, 横川博一, 小池耕彦, 牧田快, 島田浩二, 定藤規弘
    Previous syntactic priming study on Japanese English as a foreign language (EFL) learners has shown different priming rate subject to the learners' proficiency level. The present study investigated the neuralsubstrates of syntactic priming in Japanese EFL learners, and how it would change as they became more proficient speakers. The activation difference between when sentences with syntactic structures were repeatedly produced and when no syntactic structure was produced in the previous trial was compared between subjects. As a result, the difference was larger among lower proficiency participants than the higher proficiency participants in the anterior cingulate cortex.
    一般社団法人電子情報通信学会, 14 Dec. 2013, 電子情報通信学会技術研究報告, 113(354(TL2013 47-60)) (354(TL2013 47-60)), 59 - 64, Japanese

  • 隠喩的表現における面白さの情動生起の神経基盤の検討
    中村太戯留, 松井智子, 内海彰, 山崎未花, 牧田快, 原田宗子, 田邊宏樹, 定藤規弘
    Nov. 2013, 第３回社会神経科学研究会抄録集, 25, Japanese
    Summary national conference

  • The Development of Skills In Regard to Composition on the Basis of the Data : From an Academic Writing Course
    牧田 快
    岐阜聖徳学園大学, 2013, 岐阜聖徳学園大学教育実践科学研究センター紀要, (13) (13), 107 - 111, Japanese

  • The Role of the Amygdala in the Process of Humour Appreciation.
    Tagiru Nakamura, Tomoko Matsui, Akira Utsumi, Mika Yamazaki, Kai Makita, Hiroki C. Tanabe, Norihiro Sadato
    cognitivesciencesociety.org, 2012, Proceedings of the 34th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, CogSci 2012, Sapporo, Japan, August 1-4, 2012
    [Refereed]

  • 第二言語音声処理の自動化に関わる前頭前野二領域の脳活動の可塑的変化
    島田浩二, 島田浩二, 田邊宏樹, 横川博一, 吉田晴世, 牧田快, 山崎未花, 定藤規弘
    2012, 日本ヒト脳機能マッピング学会プログラム・抄録集, 14th, 67, Japanese

  • 隠喩的表現における面白さと関連性の神経基盤の検討
    中村太戯留, 松井智子, 内海彰, 山崎未花, 牧田快, 田邊宏樹, 定藤規弘
    Oct. 2011, 第１回社会神経科学研究会抄録集, 49, Japanese
    Summary national conference

  • Neural bases associated with novice word learning by vocal imitation and repetition and its automatization process
    吉田晴世, 横川博一, 村瀬未花, 田邊宏樹, 牧田快, 定藤規弘
    The purpose of this study is to reveal how the human brain works while learners are imitating and repeating. We conducted the functional MRI (fMRI) during practice of imitation of foreign words by native subjects. The findings indicate that the neural substrates of the vocal imitation learning are left lateralized frontal mirror neuron system. In order to ensure the effectiveness of the fMRI results, the psychophysical test of medical words, technical and unknown words for the subjects, was conducted. The results show the learning effect of the repetitive observation without overt pronunciation. This study took the first step to illuminate the process of automatization.
    一般社団法人電子情報通信学会, 11 Jul. 2009, 電子情報通信学会技術研究報告, 109(140(TL2009 8-24)) (140(TL2009 8-24)), 17 - 22, Japanese

  • Students' support for elementary school English activities in the department of English education
    吉田 晴世, 牧田 快, 片桐 杏実, 山本 長紀, 本田 勝久
    大阪教育大学教科教育学研究会, 2007, 教科教育学論集, (6) (6), 93 - 109, Japanese

■ Books And Other Publications
  • 外国語運用能力はいかに熟達化するか
    横川 博一, 定藤 規弘, 吉田 晴世
    松柏社, Apr. 2014, ISBN: 4775402021

■ Lectures, oral presentations, etc.
  • Empathy and Behavioral Activation System Predict Neural Activation to Infant Crying in New Mothers
    Hiraoka D, Makita K, Sakakibara N, Kurata S, Morioka S, Orisaka M, Yoshida Y, Nishitani S, Shimada K, Fujisawa TX, Tomoda A.
    The Organization for Human Brain Mapping Annual Meeting 2021, Jun. 2021, English

  • 産後うつ傾向と我が子の泣き声に対する注意バイアスの関連
    平岡大樹,牧田快,榊原信子,倉田佐和,森岡茂己,折坂誠,友田 明美
    日本赤ちゃん学会第21回学術集会, Jun. 2021, Japanese

  • Effects of methylphenidate on aberrant brain network dynamics in children with ADHD
    Mizuno Y, Cai W, Supekar K, Makita K, Takiguchi S, Tomoda A, Menon V.
    第63回 日本小児神経学会学術集会, May 2021, English

  • Effects of Methylphenidate on Aberrant Brain Network Dynamics in Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial
    Mizuno Y, Cai W, Supekar K, Makita K, Takiguchi S, Tomoda A, Menon V.
    Society of Biological Psyciatry 2021 Virtual Meeting, May 2021, English

  • 反応性愛着障害の症状スクリーニング－日本語版愛着関係問題質問票（RPQ-J）の開発－
    藤澤隆史、濱村尚子、島田浩二、滝口慎一郎、牧田快、友田明美
    ⽇本発達⼼理学会第32回⼤会, Mar. 2021, Japanese

  • 非侵襲的脳機能画像検査を用いた愛着障害の神経基盤の評価システム～オキシトシン点鼻による脳賦活変化～
    滝口慎一郎、牧田快、藤澤隆史、西谷正太、島田浩二、友田明美
    第25回 福井大学高エネルギー医学研究センター 研究発表会, Feb. 2021, Japanese

  • Structural Brain Abnormalities in Children and Adolescents with Comorbid Autism Spectrum Disorder
    Mizuno Y, Jung M, Makita K, Takiguchi S, Fujisawa TX, Tomoda A.
    American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP's) Virtual Annual Meeting, Oct. 2020, English

  • White matter tract abnormalities in children with reactive attachment disorder
    Takiguchi S, Makita K, Fujisawa TX, Shimada K, Tomoda A
    第62回日本小児神経学会学術集会, Aug. 2020, English

  • "Personality Traits Predict Insular Activation during Anticipation of Affective Pictures: an fMRI study."
    Makita, K, Kanayama, N, Uyama, T, Okada, G, Sasaoka, T, Machizawa, M, Onoda, K, Yamawaki, S
    The 45th Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, Oct. 2015, English, International conference
    Poster presentation

  • "The impact of second language proficiency on an automatic process of written words: an fMRI study."
    Makita K, Oishi H, Kinoshita T, Shimada K, Tanabe H.C, Sadato N
    The 43th Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, Nov. 2013, English, International conference
    Poster presentation

  • “The role of the right cerebellum during foreign language vocabulary learning enhanced by the phonological loop: an fMRI study.”
    Makita K, Yokokawa H, Tanabe H.C, Yoshida H, Yamazaki M, Sadato N
    The 41th Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, Nov. 2011, English, International conference
    Poster presentation

■ Affiliated Academic Society
  • Society for Neuroscience

  • 日本児童青年精神医学会

■ Research Themes
  • 不適切養育が子どもの心の発達に及ぼす影響：多角的手法による生物学的基盤の解明
    牧田 快
    日本学術振興会, 科学研究費助成事業 基盤研究(C), 基盤研究(C), 福井大学, 01 Apr. 2021 - 31 Mar. 2025
    不適切養育（虐待やネグレクト等）を経験することで，神経発達症様の症状やトラウマ関連障害の症状が発現するリスクが高まり，多動性障害，気分障害，人格障害などの重篤な精神疾患へ推移していく可能性もある。このような症状は，重症化率，併存率も高く，治療応答性が低い。よってこのような子どもには，より早期の対応が望ましく，教育社会面での支援が急務である。しかし，現状では不適切養育を背景要因としたこのような疾患様は，そうでない他の発達障害との鑑別困難性から，適切な診断とそれに基づく対応の構築は未だ十分とは言えない。 本研究では，不適切養育を受けた子どもを主な対象とし，認知神経科学，小児発達学，分子生物学の手法を用いて，子どもの心の発達を多角的に，また同じ参加者を複数回計測することで縦断的に検討することを目的としている。計測内容は，質問紙による心理・臨床指標，MRIを用いた脳構造・脳機能データ，唾液採取による生体試料の収集である。本研究から得られる知見は，不適切養育を受けた子どもの心の発達の理解とその対応方策，社会的養育の在り方やその構築方法の確立に寄与するものである。 研究対象は児童青年期の不適切養育下にあった子ども（不適切養育群）と，対照となる子ども（定型群）である。同一対象に対して年１度の頻度で複数回データを収集することにより、横断データのみならず縦断データとしてその発達の過程を計測する。 初年度（令和３年度）は実験内容・実験環境の構築を行い、次年度以降のデータ収集・解析に向けて準備を整えている。

  • Study of Objective Methods for Evaluating and Supporting Attachiment Disorders
    友田 明美, 島田 浩二, 牧田 快, 水野 賀史, 藤澤 隆史, 滝口 慎一郎, 松崎 秀夫
    Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A), Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A), University of Fukui, 01 Apr. 2019 - 31 Mar. 2023
    愛着障害を有する子どもの1）脳MR拡散テンソル画像（DTI）および2）視線計測検出装置による視線パターンによる社会性発達データを取得し、定型発達児を対照に群間解析を行った。その結果は、愛着障害の病態解明および病態特徴に基づいた治療方針の選択等を目指した臨床応用への発展に貢献した。
    1）DSM-5の診断基準を満たした愛着障害（反応性アタッチメント障害）児31名（平均年齢：12.7歳）の拡散テンソル画像を用いて大脳白質の神経の走行性を調べてみた。定型発達児41名（平均年齢：12.5歳）と比べて、視床の灰白質容積と視床から前頭葉を繋げる白質線維（Anterior Thalamic Radiations）が増加していた(Jung et al., Cerebral Cortex 2020)。さらに、視床の灰白質容積の増加と臨床病状の評価尺度との関連性を調べたところ、視床の灰白質容積の増加と子どもの問題行動尺度との間に有意な関連性が認められた。今回の検討で、愛着障害児は感覚入力（視覚・聴覚・体性感覚）に重要な役割を担う視床と問題行動との間に関連性が示唆された。 2）乳児院や児童養護施設に入所する被虐待経験のある幼児（マルトリートメント群：以下CM）に視線計測を行った結果、非定型的視線パターンが確認され、社会行動特性との関連性も示唆された(Suzuki et al., Sci Rep 2020)。また社会性に関連すると言われている唾液中オキシトシンホルモン濃度が対照群（一般家庭養育下にあるCM歴のない幼児）に比べて低くその差異が認められ、視線や行動調整に関与している可能性が確認できた。先天的な発達課題に限らず、幼い時期に受けた養育的問題によって生じうる子どもの問題行動や社会性発達の課題を予測する簡便な一手段として、早期発見や早期療育に関連する有益な見解を得た。

  • Makita Kai
    Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists, Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists, University of Fukui, 01 Apr. 2018 - 31 Mar. 2021, Principal investigator
    In this study, we investigated the effects of parent training (PT) intervention on children with ADHD and their caregivers and related changes in the neural substrates. The subjects were divided into two groups: one group received PT before the other (trained group), and the other did not participate in PT until the end of the experiment (waiting group). The results showed that only mothers in the trained group showed a significant decrease in the child-rearing stress index, and that brain activity during the emotion estimation task increased in the left fusiform gyrus, which is involved in emotional processing of facial expressions. For children, the ADHD symptom scale improved and resting brain activity increased in the medial part of the frontal gyrus, which is involved in social understanding and cognition of self and others.
    Competitive research funding

  • TANABE Hiroki, MORITO Yusuke, SAKAI Tomoko, FUJII Takeshi, MAKITA Kai, YAMAZAKI Mika
    Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C), Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C), National Institute for Physiological Sciences, 2008 - 2010
    We identified the elements (regions) of the system regarding paired association learning, which human has an excellent ability to bind unknown items. Especially, we showed that VLPFC has an important role for it. Second, we verified the reliability of DCM, a new tool to treat the brain as a deterministic nonlinear dynamic system that is subject to inputs and produces outputs, in terms of applying to several experiments. Finally, we examined the neural mechanisms of unknown foreign language learning, and observed that cerebellum might have a special role.

■ Industrial Property Rights
  • 脳の島皮質活動抽出方法
    金山 範明, 牧田 快, 笹岡 貴史, 町澤 昌宏, 松本 知也, 山脇 成人
    特願2016-157238, 10 Aug. 2016, 国立大学法人広島大学, 特開2018-023586, 15 Feb. 2018, 特許第6742628号, 31 Jul. 2020
    Patent right
    IRI

  • 乗員の感性向上システム
    山脇 成人, 笠岡 貴史, 町澤 昌宏, 金山 範明, 牧田 快, 松本 知也, 武田 雄策, 本田 正徳, 岡本 宜久, 道田 奈々江, 原 利宏, 岸 篤秀, 西川 一男, 農沢 隆秀
    特願2015-246009, 17 Dec. 2015, 国立大学法人広島大学, マツダ株式会社, 特開2017-109635, 22 Jun. 2017, 特許第6731718号, 09 Jul. 2020
    Patent right
    IRI

  • 感性評価方法
    金山 範明, 牧田 快, 笹岡 貴史, 町澤 昌宏, 松本 知也, 山脇 成人
    特願2016-116449, 10 Jun. 2016, 国立大学法人広島大学, 特開2017-074356, 20 Apr. 2017, 特許第6590411号, 27 Sep. 2019, 広島大学
    Patent right
    IRI

  • Sensitivity evaluation method
    金山 範明, 牧田 快, 笹岡 貴史, 町澤 昌宏, 松本 知也, 山脇 成人
    特願US 15/768,782, 10 Aug. 2016, 広島大学, 特開US 2018,0303370,A1, 25 Oct. 2018
    Patent right

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