Hannah in Japan I: Research begins and Inuyama sightseeing

こんにちは ! 私の名前はハナです。(Kon'nichiwa ! Watashi no namae wa Hana desu.)

This means, “Hello! My name is Hannah.”

I am a second year Master’s student in the Biological Anthropology program at Kent State University. This past fall, I was granted the opportunity to spend nine weeks conducting research at Kyoto University’s Center for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior (EHUB), courtesy of a National Science Foundation International Research Experience for Students grant to Drs. Tosi, Raghanti, Meindl, & Lovejoy (Award #1853937). While at Kyoto University, I will work in Dr. Kenichi Inoue’s lab in the Systems Neuroscience section.

I will be studying corticostriatal connectivity in primates. The striatum has many important functions such as regulating motor skills, cognition, and social behavior. The dorsal striatum consists of the caudate and putamen, and the main afferent projections originate from different cortices. For instance, the visual cortex connects to the caudate to regulate visual attention and eye movement, while the motor and premotor cortices connect to the putamen to plan and perform motor functions. However, there is some overlap in these networks. Therefore, my research will focus on uncovering the distinct cortical and subcortical projections to the caudate and putamen.

My first week at EHUB consisted of observing other students’ and professors’ research. Dr. Naho Konoike showed Dakota Smallridge (another Kent State student) and I the area where she houses the marmosets for her studies. For those who are unfamiliar with nonhuman primates, marmosets are very small monkeys (weighing only 200-300g!) native to South America. I also observed several behavioral studies with rhesus macaques, which involved them learning to associate objects shown on a screen with a reward, such as a favored treat.

My second week consisted mainly of tissue examination to study the cortical neurons projecting to the dorsal striatum. During the staining process, the tissues are incubated in different types of antibodies. In one type of stain known as immunohistochemistry (IHC), the targeted proteins in the tissue will change color, allowing us to easily observe the neurons under a microscope. In immunofluorescence (IF), chemical compounds known as fluorophores are attached to the antibodies. Special microscopes containing color filters are needed to observe the targeted neurons; lasers of a specific wavelength are used to excite the fluorophores, so they will emit light at a wavelength that can be visualized.

Outside of the lab

I’ve started taking weekly language classes on Sundays at the Inuyama Community Center. For 100 yen (less than $1) a class, I can practice my Japanese speaking and listening skills, as well as learning new vocabulary, with local volunteers. On one of my trips to the community center, I noticed many people were walking around wearing colorful makeup and matching outfits. After class, I followed a large crowd to a nearby park where I found the people I had seen earlier; the different groups were performing dance routines with drums, fans, umbrellas, and very large flags and banners on stage!

The next weekend I went to an international food exchange event at the Inuyama Community Center. I tasted sweets and snacks from several different countries! After the event, I visited nearby Inuyama Castle with other EHUB students. The tour guide told us many interesting facts about the castle's architecture, including (1) there are several peach sculptures that are thought to protect against evil, (2) there is a male and female shachihoko (a statue of a sea creature that is part fish and part tiger) on the roof that have been replaced a number of times after being struck by lightning, and (3) the adjacent "guardian tree" had actually saved the castle by taking the brunt of many lightning strikes for hundreds of years!

じゃまたね! (Ja mata ne!)

See you later!

Hannah

This opportunity to conduct research in Japan is supported by NSF-IRES Award #1853937 to Drs. Tosi, Raghanti, Meindl, and Lovejoy at Kent State University.