Research is underway, bamboo shoot rice, and a trip to Tokyo!

Research updates

            In the third week of my internship I conducted the initial experiments delivering a different tone to each ear of a marmoset monkey using 30Hz, 40Hz, and 80Hz. On Monday, Dr. Konoike and I prepared the apparatus for presenting the sounds to the animals. We used a computer to play the tones through in-ear earphones, and a second channel was set up to play a single tone “click” when the stimulus tone began. This channel then passed through a device that recorded the time the tones played onto the computer using the same software that recorded the EEG signals from the marmosets. I spent most of Tuesday checking the code for presenting the tones and the associated instrumentation. On Wednesday, our subject was not available, so I attended a separate experiment by another member of the lab who was using an MRI machine to investigate the structure of the brain non-invasively. Then, on Thursday, I was able to conduct my experiment with Dr. Konoike. First, the apparatus was buckled onto the marmoset, and then the animal was placed into a sound attenuated room to block any outside noise. We presented the tone stimulus through the earphones and recorded the resulting EEG ASSR data. We also recorded ASSRs when presenting the same tone to each ear as an experimental control. A set time of 5 minutes with no stimulation was also recorded to obtain spontaneous EEG signals. On Friday we reviewed the procedure for analyzing the ASSR data. In previous studies – in which the same tone was presented to both ears – bins were created for specific frequencies: 30, 40, or 80Hz. In our study, since different tones were presented to each ear, additional bins had to be created for combinations of 30, 40, and 80Hz.

            On Monday and Tuesday of the subsequent week I discussed the analysis with Dr. Konoike and created all the separate bins needed. I was then able to begin to work through Matlab and create some of the graphs to compare the data from same vs. different tones sent to each ear. However, there was an issue of 60Hz powerline noise making it into the data and the filtering process done to remove this noise was not working. I began working to fix this issue on Wednesday, but I unfortunately got sick later in the day with tonsillitis. I saw a doctor and then stayed in my dorm room on Thursday and Friday to recover. Next week I will return to data analysis, but first I’ll fix the powerline noise issue and any other potential complications. I’ll also decide if any modifications are needed to the experiment.

Cultural Experiences

            Over the weekend, I took a trip to Tokyo to meet friends and do a bit of sightseeing. Before that trip, I had dinner with Dr. Hiroyuki Tanaka and a few other students here at the institute in Inuyama. The dinner was bamboo shoot rice, miso soup, and tea. Dr. Tanaka had gathered the bamboo shoots himself from around the institute and cooked it with rice. We discussed Japanese culture and language over dinner (picture below), and we enjoyed ukelele music kindly played by Dr. Tanaka. I had a great time meeting with everyone and hope to do so again soon. After dinner I took the Shinkansen to Tokyo and started my weekend stay there. On Saturday, I went for a stroll in the park close to my hotel and later walked around the Roppongi district where I took some night pictures of Tokyo Tower. For Sunday, I started out the day meeting with a friend. We went to a local history museum and a garden park. I later joined another friend for a nabe dinner. (Nabe is a Japanese style “hot pot” dish that typically includes vegetables, mushroom, meat, and seafood boiled in a flavorful broth.) I took an early morning shinkansen (bullet train) back to Inuyama on Monday morning to start research again.

See you!

Dakota

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.