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- MIYAZAKI Makoto
MIYAZAKI Makoto
Research outline
In our laboratory, we investigate the brain mechanisms underlying perception, cognition, and motor behavior using psychophysical methods and brain-function measurement techniques (e.g., fMRI, EEG, and TMS). Currently, we are working on basic research on the key topics of “body,” “time,” and “uncertainty,” and developing collaborations with research groups from the educational, industrial, and clinical fields.
Body
The “body” forms the basis of our perception, cognition, and motor behavior. We interact with external environments through motor actions. Behind the apparent motor behavior, the perception of the body also changes in a flexible manner. In our laboratory, we investigate the neural mechanisms underlying the adaptability of body perception. Moreover, based on the concept of “tool-body” assimilation, we work toward applying our findings to sports, craft, and prosthetic research.
Time
“Time” involves diverse aspects of our daily mental and physical activity, such as memories of the past, prospections of the future, and activities such as walking and catching a ball. It is known that different brain regions operate according to the different time scales (days, hours, minutes, or seconds). Our present research focuses on perception and motor behavior that occur in short time intervals (e.g., <0.1 sec) that reflect “the moment” or “the present.”
Uncertainty
Our daily environment is highly diverse and variable, which results in uncertainty. In our laboratory, we investigate the ways in which the human brain overcomes uncertainty to achieve precise and stable perception, cognition, and motor behavior. Our results could provide fundamental knowledge that may allow us to develop techniques for human skill training, error prevention, and robot control, to name a few.
Own web site
Psychophysics: Identification of the relationships between sensory inputs and subjective experience/motor outputs
Theoretical modeling: Construction of theories to account for psychophysical phenomena
Theoretical modeling: Construction of theories to account for psychophysical phenomena