Research activity information

• 2020 Nanyang Technological University (NTU-MIND Initiative), The Best Presentation Award


• 2019 The Singapore Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience, The Outstanding Poster Award


• 2016 日本学術振興会, 育志賞


• 2015 日本視覚学会, ベストプレゼンテーション賞

• White matter tracts adjacent to the human cingulate sulcus visual area (CSv)

  Maiko Uesaki, Michele Furlan, Andrew T. Smith, Hiromasa Takemura

  Human cingulate sulcus visual area (CSv) was first identified as an area that responds selectively to visual stimulation indicative of self-motion. It was later shown that the area is also sensitive to vestibular stimulation as well as to bodily motion compatible with locomotion. Understanding the anatomical connections of CSv will shed light on how CSv interacts with other parts of the brain to perform information processing related to self-motion and navigation. A previous neuroimaging study (Smith et al. 2018, Cerebral Cortex, 28, 3685–3596) used diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) to examine the structural connectivity of CSv, and demonstrated connections between CSv and the motor and sensorimotor areas in the anterior and posterior cingulate sulcus. The present study aimed to complement this work by investigating the relationship between CSv and adjacent major white matter tracts, and to map CSv’s structural connectivity onto known white matter tracts. By re-analysing the dataset from Smith et al. (2018), we identified bundles of fibres (i.e. streamlines) from the whole-brain tractography that terminate near CSv. We then assessed to which white matter tracts those streamlines may belong based on previously established anatomical prescriptions. We found that a significant number of CSv streamlines can be categorised as part of the dorsalmost branch of the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF I) and the cingulum. Given current thinking about the functions of these white matter tracts, our results support the proposition that CSv provides an interface between sensory and motor systems in the context of self-motion.

  Public Library of Science (PLoS), Apr. 2024, PLOS ONE, 19(4) (4), e0300575 - e0300575, English, International magazine

  Scientific journal


• Blue-yellow combination enhances perceived motion in Rotating Snakes illusion.

  Maiko Uesaki, Arnab Biswas, Hiroshi Ashida, Gerrit Maus

  The Rotating Snakes illusion is a visual illusion where a stationary image elicits a compelling sense of anomalous motion. There have been recurring albeit anecdotal claims that the perception of illusory motion is more salient when the image consists of patterns with the combination of blue and yellow; however, there is limited empirical evidence that supports those claims. In the present study, we aimed to assess whether the Rotating Snakes illusion is more salient in its blue-yellow variation, compared to red-green and greyscale variations when the luminance of corresponding elements within the patterns were equated. Using the cancellation method, we found that the velocity required to establish perceptual stationarity was indeed greater for the stimulus composed of patterns with a blue-yellow combination than the other two variants. Our findings provide, for the first time, empirical evidence that the presence of colour affects the magnitude of illusion in the Rotating Snakes illusion.

  2024, i-Perception, 15(2) (2), 20416695241242346 - 20416695241242346, English, International magazine

  Scientific journal


• Cross-modal size-contrast illusion: Acoustic increases in intensity and bandwidth modulate haptic representation of object size

  Maiko Uesaki, Hiroshi Ashida, Akiyoshi Kitaoka, Achille Pasqualotto

  Oct. 2019, SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, 9(1) (1), 14440 - 14440, English, International magazine

  Scientific journal


• White Matter Connections of the Human Cingulate Sulcus Visual Area (CSv)

  Maiko Uesaki, Michele Furlan, Andrew T. Smith, Hiromasa Takemura

  Sep. 2019, I-PERCEPTION, 10, 80 - 80, English


• Vertical spatial representation of numbers across two cultures

  Achille Pasqualotto, Maiko Uesaki, Hiroshi Ashida

  2019, PSIHOLOGIJA, 52(2) (2), 127 - 137, English

  Scientific journal


• Computational neuroanatomy of human stratum proprium of interparietal sulcus

  Maiko Uesaki, Hiromasa Takemura, Hiroshi Ashida

  Jan. 2018, BRAIN STRUCTURE & FUNCTION, 223(1) (1), 489 - 507, English, International magazine

  Scientific journal


• Approaching Auditory Trees Make Wooden Sticks Feel Shorter

  Maiko Uesaki, Hiroshi Ashida, Akiyoshi Kitaoka, Achille Pasqualotto

  Oct. 2017, I-PERCEPTION, 8, 92 - 93, English


• White-matter pathway connecting sensory cortical regions involved in optic-flow processing

  Maiko Uesaki, Hiromasa Takemura, Hiroshi Ashida

  Aug. 2015, PERCEPTION, 44, 204 - 204, English


• Optic-flow selective cortical sensory regions associated with self-reported states of vection

  Maiko Uesaki, Hiroshi Ashida

  Jun. 2015, FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY, 6, 775 - 775, English, International magazine

  Scientific journal


• Categorical speech perception during active discrimination of consonants and vowels

  Christian F. Altmann, Maiko Uesaki, Kentaro Ono, Masao Matsuhashi, Tatsuya Mima, Hidenao Fukuyama

  Nov. 2014, NEUROPSYCHOLOGIA, 64, 13 - 23, English, International magazine

  Scientific journal


• On the Role of Suppression in Spatial Attention: Evidence from Negative BOLD in Human Subcortical and Cortical Structures (July, pg 10347, 2014)

  Andre D. Gouws, Ivan Alvarez, David M. Watson, Maiko Uesaki, Jessica Rodgers, Antony B. Morland

  Oct. 2014, JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, 34(42) (42), 14164 - 14164, English


• On the Role of Suppression in Spatial Attention: Evidence from Negative BOLD in Human Subcortical and Cortical Structures

  Andre D. Gouws, Ivan Alvarez, David M. Watson, Maiko Uesaki, Jessica Rodgers, Antony B. Morland

  Jul. 2014, JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, 34(31) (31), 10347 - 10360, English, International magazine

  Scientific journal


• Connectivity between brain regions associated with optic flow processing

  Maiko Uesaki, Hiroshi Ashida

  2014, I-PERCEPTION, 5(4) (4), 370 - 370, English

• オプティックフロー選択性脳領域を結ぶ白質線維束

  2015, VISION, 27(2) (2), 84 - 86


• 嗅覚情報が両眼視野闘争に与える影響

  光村麻衣子, 上﨑麻衣子, 蘆田宏

  2015, VISION, 27(4) (4), 140 - 142


• 'Face inversion effect' on perception of the vertical gaze direction

  J. Stevanov, M. Uesaki, A. Kitaoka, H. Ashida, H. Hecht

  2013, PERCEPTION, 42, 199 - 199, English

  Summary international conference


• The face inversion effect on perception of the vertical gaze direction: a preliminary report

  2012, The Journal of Three Dimensional Images: The Forum for Advancement of Three Dimensional Image Technology and Arts, 26(1) (1), 4 - 8

• 蛇の回転錯視における色の効果

  上﨑麻衣子, Biswas, A., 蘆田宏, Maus, G.

  日本視覚学会2023年夏季大会, Sep. 2023


• White matter tracts adjacent to the cingulate sulcus visual area (CSv) assessed with diffusion MRI

  Uesaki, M, Takemura, H, Furlan, M, Smith, A.T

  The 2019 Organization for Human Brain Mapping Annual Meeting, Aug. 2019


• White matter connections of the human cingulate sulcus visual area (CSv)

  Uesaki, M, Furlan, M, Smith, A.T, Takemura, H

  The 14th Asia-Pacific Conference on Vision, Jul. 2019


• Brain areas selective for optic-flow as a cue to self-motion and the white matter tract that links them

  Uesaki, M.

  International Workshop on Vision and Brain, Oct. 2017

  [Invited]


• Cross-modal size-contrast illusion: hearing sounds of increasing intensity leads to underestimation of object size by touch

  Uesaki, M, Ashida, H, Kitaoka, A, Pasqualotto, A

  European Conference on Visual Perception 2017, Aug. 2017


• Approaching auditory trees make wooden sticks feel shorter

  Uesaki, M, Ashida, H, Kitaoka, A, Pasqualotto, A

  The 13th Asia-Pacific Conference on Vision, Jul. 2017


• 頭頂葉と後部島皮質を連絡する白質線維束の検討

  竹村浩昌, 上﨑麻衣子, 蘆田宏

  第19回日本ヒト脳機能マッピング学会, Mar. 2017


• Neuronal representation of optic flow as a cue to self-motion, and white matter pathway supporting multisensory integration underlying self-motion perception

  Uesaki, M

  Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz, Jan. 2017

  [Invited]


• Human white-matter pathway communicating parietal and posterior-insular cortex

  Takemura, H, Uesaki, M, Ashida, H

  The 46th Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, Nov. 2016


• Olfactory effects on visual perception for pictures and words in binocular rivalry

  Komura, M, Uesaki, M, Miyoshi, K, Ashida, H

  The 12th Asia-Pacific Conference on Vision, Jul. 2016


• White-matter pathway connecting sensory cortical regions involved in optic-flow processing

  Uesaki, M, Takemura, H, Ashida, H

  European Conference on Visual Perception 2015, Sep. 2015


• 嗅覚情報が両眼視野闘争に与える影響

  光村麻衣子, 上﨑麻衣子, 蘆田宏

  日本視覚学会2015年夏季大会, Jul. 2015


• Neuronal representation of optic flow as a cue to self-motion

  Uesaki, M, Ashida, H

  The 16th International Multisensory Research Forum, Jun. 2015


• Cortical representation of optic flow as a cue to self-motion and the white matter tract that supports the process

  Uesaki, M

  Sabancı Üniversitesi, Apr. 2015

  [Invited]


• ベクションの脳内表象とそれを支える白質線維束について

  上﨑麻衣子

  東北大学電気通信研究所共同プロジェクト研究会「多感覚統合への自己身体運動の寄与」, Mar. 2015

  [Invited]


• オプティックフロー選択性脳領域を結ぶ白質線維束

  上﨑麻衣子, 竹村浩昌, 蘆田宏

  日本視覚学会2015年冬季大会, Jan. 2015


• Neural accounts of ‘A-ha’ experience in preference for ambiguous images

  Stevanov, J, Ashida, H, Uesaki, M, Carlson, T.A, Cupchik, G.C, Kitaoka, A

  The 44th Annual Meeting of the Society of Neuroscience, Nov. 2014


• Categorical perception of consonants and vowels: behavioural and magnetoencephalographic evidence

  Altmann, C.F, Uesaki, M, Ono, K, Matsuhashi, M, Mima, T, Fukuyama, H

  5th International Conference on Auditory Cortex, Sep. 2014


• Vection: Neuronal representation of optic flow as a cue to self-motion

  Uesaki, M, Ashida, H

  European Conference on Visual Perception 2014, Aug. 2014


• Neural substrates of the local-to-global shift in mosaic images

  Stevanov, J, Ashida, H, Uesaki, M, Kitaoka, A

  European Conference on Visual Perception 2014, Aug. 2014


• Connectivity between brain regions associated with optic-flow processing

  Uesaki, M, Ashida, H

  The 10th Asia-Pacific Conference on Vision, Jul. 2014


• Effects of categorical speech perception during active discrimination of stop-consonants and vowels within the left superior temporal cortex

  Altmann, C.F, Uesaki, M, Ono, K, Matsuhashi, M, Mima, T, Fukuyama, H

  The 12th International Cognitive Neuroscience Conference, Jul. 2014


• オプティカルフロー処理と視覚性自己運動感覚に関連する大脳皮質領野

  上﨑麻衣子

  東北大学電気通信研究所共同プロジェクト研究会「自己身体の運動が関与する多感覚統合」, Dec. 2013

  [Invited]


• Face inversion effect on perception of vertical gaze direction

  Stevanov, J, Uesaki, M, Kitaoka. A, Ashida, H, Hecht, H

  European Conference on Visual Perception 2013, Aug. 2013


• Neural correlates of perceptual pleasure and Aha experience triggered by perceptual flips in ambiguous images

  Stevanov, J, Uesaki, M, Ashida, H, Carlson, T. A, Cupchik, G. C, Kitaoka, A

  日本視覚学会2013年冬季大会, Jan. 2013


• Representation of egomotion in the brain and its relation to vection

  Uesaki, M, Ashida, H

  European Conference on Visual Perception 2012, Sep. 2012


• Neural correlates of perceptual pleasure and "Aha" experiences triggered by perceptual flips in ambiguous images

  Stevanov, J, Uesaki, M, Ashida, H, Carlson, T, Cupchik, G, Kitaoka, A

  European Conference on Visual Perception 2012, Sep. 2012


• 視覚誘導性自己運動感覚の脳内表象

  上﨑麻衣子, 蘆田宏

  日本視覚学会2012年夏季大会, Aug. 2012


• The face inversion effect on perception of the vertical gaze direction: a preliminary report

  Stevanov, J, Uesaki, M, Hecht, H, Kitaoka, A

  三次元映像のフォーラム, Mar. 2012


• オプティックフローに応答する大脳領野の定位

  上﨑麻衣子, 蘆田宏

  日本視覚学会2012年冬季大会, Jan. 2012


• Negative BOLD in the lateral geniculate nucleus: Neuronal implications and cortico-thalamic feedback

  Uesaki, M, Morland, A, Gouws, A, Hymers, M, Alvarez, I, Aslet, M, Bird, J, Dearden, R, Maslanka, S, Ashida H

  The 7th Asia-Pacific Conference on Vision, Jul. 2011


• Negative BOLD in the lateral geniculate nucleus: Evidence for cortico-thalamic feedback

  Alvarez, A, Gouws, A, Hymers, M, Aslet, M, Bird, J, Dearden, R, Maslanka, S, Uesaki, M, Morland, A

  The 21st National Biennial Meeting, British Neuroscience Association, Apr. 2011


• Negative BOLD in the lateral geniculate nucleus: evidence for cortico-thalamic feedback

  Gouws, A, Hymers, M, Alvarez, I, Aslet, M, Bird, J, Dearden, R, Maslanka, S, Uesaki, M, Morland, A

  The 40th Annual Meeting of the Society of Neuroscience, Nov. 2010


• 外側膝状体におけるネガティブBOLD反応

  上﨑麻衣子, 蘆田宏, Gouws, A, Hymers, M, Alvarez, I, Aslet, M, Bird, J, Dearden, R, Maslanka, S, Morland, A

  日本視覚学会2011年夏季大会


• White matter tracts adjacent to the cingulate sulcus visual area (CSv) assessed with diffusion MRI

  Uesaki, M., Furlan, M., Smith, A.T., Takemura, H.

  Neuroscience Singapore 2019


• From perception of self-motion to locomotion – MRI studies

  Uesaki, M.

  The 5th NTU-MIND Symposium

  [Invited]

• 自己運動制御のための視空間情報処理を司る神経機構の解明

  上崎 麻衣子

  日本学術振興会, 科学研究費助成事業, 若手研究, 国立研究開発法人情報通信研究機構, 01 Apr. 2024 - 31 Mar. 2027


• Optic-flow processing and navigation in the intraparietal cortex: Combination of anatomical, retinotopic and functional brain mapping techniques

  Maiko Uesaki

  Nanyang Technological University, Research Grant for Nanyang Technological University Presidential Postdoctoral Fellows, Nov. 2018 - Oct. 2021, Principal investigator


• Investigation into neuronal mechanisms underlying self-motion perception - Brain function, structure and placiticity

  上﨑 麻衣子

  Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research, Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows, Ritsumeikan University, 22 Apr. 2016 - 31 Mar. 2019

  博士課程時より継続的に取り組んできた（当時）トルコ・サバンチ大学所属の研究者との数字の空間表象についての文化間比較研究がPsihologija Journalに受理された．
  同研究者と行った感覚変換ソフトを用いた研究は，自己運動に関する聴覚的手がかりの触覚への影響について検討することを目的とした．感覚変換ソフトを用い，視覚的自己運動情報を聴覚情報に変換し，その聴覚的自己運動情報が触覚を用いた物体の大きさの評定に及ぼす影響を検討した．本研究の成果をまとめた論文は現在Scientific Reportsに投稿中である．
  今年度は主に，脳情報通信融合研究センターの研究者の協力を得て，イタリア・SISSA，英国・ロンドン大学の研究者と共同で，オプティックフロー選択性領域の一つ，cingulate sulcus visual area (CSv)周辺の白質繊維についての研究を行った．機能的磁気共鳴画像法（functional magnetic resonance imaging: fMRI）を用いてCSvを同定し，拡散強調画像法（diffusion-weighted MRI; dMRI）データをもとにトラクトグラフィー法を用いてCSv周辺の白質繊維を再構築し，解剖学的実験により存在が証明されている白質繊維束と比較した．その結果，CSv周辺の白質繊維は前頭に投射する長距離繊維，頭頂・側頭に投射する短距離繊維，反対側の半球に投射する半球間繊維を含むことがわかった．さらに，その一部はsuperior longitudinal fasciculusの頭頂部（SLF I）,cingulum，callosal fibreを成すことがわかった．これら予備的分析の結果を，来年度開催されるOrganisation for Human Brain Mappingの学会に投稿する予定だ．


• Detection and integration of visual motion in terms of spatiotemporal gradients

  Ashida Hiroshi, van Tonder Gert Jakobus, Smith Andrew T., Lingnau Angelika, Schwarzbach Jens, Scott-Samuel Nicholas E., CHEN Chien-Chung, UESAKI Maiko, Stevanov Jasmina, Furlan Michele, YAMASAKI Daiki, FUJIMOTIO Kanon, HATTORI Mika, YANG Xirui, KOHMURA Maiko

  Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B), Kyoto University, 01 Apr. 2014 - 31 Mar. 2018

  We have found some new pieces of evidence on the mechanisms of human visual motion perception and the underlying brain mechanisms. Major findings: 1) we found that the spatial frequency dependency in speed perception is the basis of the recently created Spinner illusion (A. Ho & S. Anstis). 2) we found brain areas that are responsible in visual self motion perception, and re-discovered the white matter fascicle connecting these areas. 3) discovery of audio-visual interaction that is specific to looming motion and is dependent on spatial congruence. Dr van Tonder, who was initially a formal member of this project, has developed a computational model for anomalous motion illusions, which was presented at a conference but is still under development for publication.


• 視覚性自己運動感覚の神経基盤－複数感覚領野間結合の解明

  上﨑 麻衣子

  日本学術振興会, 科学研究費助成事業, 特別研究員奨励費, 京都大学, Apr. 2013 - Mar. 2016

  本研究の目的は、視覚性自己運動感覚の神経メカニズムを明らかにすることである。先行研究により、オプティカルフロー情報の処理に関わる脳領域が同定され、自己運動中に網膜に生じる動きのパターンの処理メカニズムが示唆された（e.g. Cardin & Smith 2011）。そこで研究代表者は、先行研究で得られた知見をもとに、それらオプティカルフロー選択性脳領域がどのように作用し合うことで、視覚情報や前庭感覚情報が統合され、自己運動が知覚されるかを検討するためfMRIを用いた研究を行った。その結果、視覚領域MT+・V5、前庭感覚領域PIVC/PICなどを含む領域が自己運動の知覚に深く関わっていること、そして、感覚連合野VIPが自己運動知覚に必要な視覚-前庭感覚の統合において重要な役割を果たしていることが明らかになった。 以上の研究は脳機能に焦点をあてて行ったものであるが、脳領域間の相互作用のより統合的な理解には、それを支える脳内の構造を解明することが必要不可欠である。そこで、もう一方の研究では、DWI及びトラクトグラフィー法を用い、オプティカルフロー選択性脳領域間を結ぶ白質繊維束を検討した。昨年度米国に渡航し行った実験・解析の結果、頭頂の感覚連合野群と側頭の前庭感覚野などを結ぶ白質繊維束SPISの同定に成功した。この白質繊維束SPISは死後脳研究においては過去にも報告があるが、生体脳における同定は本研究が初めてとなる。現在この研究成果についての論文の執筆を行っている。


• Research on the structure and function of the cortical visual motion perception

  ASHIDA Hiroshi, ASHIDA Masako, UESAKI Maiko, KITAOKA Akiyoshi, MURAKAMI Ikuya, HISAKATA Rumi, KURIKI Ichiro, ANDREW T Smith, MATT Wall, ANGELIKA Lingnau, KRISH Singh

  Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B), Kyoto University, 2008 - 2011

  Cortical areas for motion perception were investigated by using fMRI. First, motion-specific responses to an anomalous motion figure was measured and underlying visual pathways were identified. Second, motion-related areas were re-assessed by using multi-voxel analyses. Final conclusion is yet to be sought, but the merits and limitations of the method have been suggested for future study. Finally, activities of higher visual-motion-related areas for self-motion perception were observed, which suggests the next steps of research.