Development of technologies for pathway-specific manipulation and structural analysis of neural circuits aiming at functional brain research of common marmosets

We aim to generate the map of structure and function of the common marmoset brain and develop the technologies for pathway-specific manipulation of neural function and analysis of detailed structure of the circuit. The viral vectors for highly efficient/neuron-specific retrograde gene transfer enable to manipulate specific neural pathways, which results in the elucidation of behavioral and physiological roles of the pathways and the development of models for neurological and neuropsychiatric diseases. The analytical technology at light and electron microscopic levels, including pathway tracing and cell type identification, leads to the elucidation of brain structure underlying the behavior and physiology.