KEER 2016 Pre-conference Workshop: How Brain-Sciences Reveal the Human Emotional Mechanism
30th August 29, 2016
University House, University of Leeds

***

Our Trial of Physiologically Measuring of the Objective Human Emotion and Animal Model Studies for Reveal the Emotional Process in Brain 
SHUTOH Fumihiro, D.V.M., Ph.D (University of Tsukuba)

Perception of environmental sensory stimuli through sounds, odors, foods or air conditions induces several kinds of emotions, despite the underlying biological mechanism is still unclear. To clarify the mechanism, we have attempted to establish some useful experimental models. Here, I will explain our recent studies of physiological human emotional responses that induced by sensing stimulation tasks.
We also trying establishment of useful animal model study methods for reveal the neuronal network functions in the brain. Because of biological or biochemical aspects of emotional appearance cannot examine by human participants. 
Briefly introduce of some studies about sounds here, to explore attractive sounds for human, we examined physical effects caused by the auditory stimulations. Near infra-red spectroscopy recording showed that particular sounds judged by participants as attractive make their frontal cortex activity stable. By the other way, we exposed mice to these sounds. Interestingly,
serotonin concentration in the frontal forebrain was shown to be higher in the sound-exposed mice than in mice kept in silence. The result suggests that environmental auditory stimulation can affect emotions through the serotonergic neuron system.
In another study, we exposed mice to some sound stimulation under pleasant and unpleasant housing conditions. Mice were spent in both of the two conditions in a day during nine days. After the task, the sound that exposed in present housing can decrease the mice heat rate. This suggests emotional mechanism of mice also can be controlled by acquired environment, not only by intrinsic response. This might be a primitive Kansei function in mice.
(This presentation is supported by KAKENHI: No.15H02765)

Early mother-infant interaction: Comparative analyses in humans and mice
YOSHIDA Sachine, Ph.D
Toho University, JST, PRESTO

Mother-infant bonding is the earliest and most important relationship of mammalian infants. To promote this bond, infants have innate behaviors to seek maternal proximity. However, the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying these infant behaviors remain largely unknown. There are a lot of difficulties to understand the neural basis of infant behaviors. Since infants have immature motor and cognitive abilities, there have only been a few behavioral testing
paradigms available at specific developmental stages.
Here we show a novel set of infant cooperative responses during maternal carrying using comparative analyses in humans and mice. Infants carried by a walking mother immediately stopped voluntary movement and crying and exhibited a rapid heart rate decrease, compared with those held by a sitting mother. Mouse pups also show similar calming responses as defined by immobility and diminished ultrasonic vocalizations and heart rate. Further
mouse experiments revealed that somatosensory and proprioceptive input signaling are required for induction, and parasympathetic and cerebellar functions mediate cardiac and motor output, respectively. This calming response occurred within a specific postnatal time window in a well-matched manner with the maturation of ambulatory ability in the pups. In addition, pups showed an increased pain tolerance during the calming response. The loss of the calming response hindered maternal rescue of pups, suggesting a functional significance
for this response.
These findings collectively indicate that the infant calming response is a coordinated set of central, motor, and cardiac regulations and is a conserved component of mammalian mother-infant interactions. Such scientific understanding of the physiological infant response would be beneficial to parents by reducing frustrations and anxieties.

Classification of factors affecting the impression of “Yuru-sa”
in Japanese Yuru-kyara mascots
MASUDA Tomoyuki, Ph.D
University of Tsukuba

Recently, “Yuru-kyara” mascots, a class of mascot characters that possess yuru-sa (looseness), have been playing a crucial role in the promotions of regional events and products in Japan. Although previous studies implicated the importance of structural and emotional factors for yuru-sa in Yuru-kyara mascots, it is unclear what factors affect the impression of yuru-sa in these mascots. Here we showed structural and emotional factors that affect the yuru-sa impression in Yuru-kyara mascots. Cluster factor analyses revealed the correlation of the “interestingness” factor with a stronger impression of yuru-sa. In addition, we found that the ratio or size of structural factors affected the yuru-sa impression on the perceivers. We propose that our results may utilize the design of Yuru-kyara mascots to be more effective in promoting brand images of local communities.

***

Biography of Presenters
YAMANAKA Toshimasa, Ph.D
Provost of the Faculty of Art and Design, Executive Officer, University of Tsukuba professor, Kansei Information and Product Design since 2005 President of Japanese Society for the Science of Design since 2012-2015, board member of IASDR since 2005. Advisor of the Japan Society of Kansei Engineering. Former, worked as design researcher at Asahi Opt. Co, Ltd, 1982-1994 and started education at University of Tsukuba. Spend visiting researcher at
IIT, Chicago from 1990-1991, TU Delft 2002-2003.

SHUTOH Fumihiro, D.V.M., Ph.D
Lecturer/ Assistant Professor of Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba since 2005
Research fields are Neurophysiology and General neuroscience
Research keywords; Systems neuroscience, Biohumanics, Kansei-Emotional
Brain Science, and Veterinary medicine.
Former, worked as Research Associate, Jichi Medical School, Dept. of Physiology, 2000-2004 Researcher, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Lab. for Motor learning Control 2004-2005

YOSHIDA Sachine, Ph.D
Assistant Professor, School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University since 2014
JST PRESTO Researcher since 2014
A research field is Behavioral neuroscience
Research keywords: Human infant, Mouse pup, Development, Somatic sensation,
Attachment, Social bond
Former, worked as Researcher at RIKEN Brain Science Institute 2008-2013, University of
Tsukuba 2013-2014, and The University of Tokyo 2014.
MASUDA Tomoyuki, Ph.D
Associate professor of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Japan, 2013-2016
Councilor of the Japanese Association of Anatomist, 2012-2016
Recent research includes molecular and applied neurosciences, neurology and Kansei
engineering (subculture)
Former, worked as an associate professor at Dokkyo Medical University, Japan, 2012-2103,
and as a lecturer at Fukushima Medical University, Japan, 2008-2012.