Research Topics

The main research themes of our laboratory include "motor and embodied cognition" and "social cognition". Topics related to the former include sensori-motor learning, motor (body) imagery, and body awareness (sense of agency, sense of self-ownership, and interoception), while topics related to the latter include the mirror neuron system (also related to the former), theory of mind, perspective-taking, and empathy.

We use human behavioral experiments together with brain imaging (functional nuclear magnetic resonance imaging: fMRI) to investigate the neural mechanisms, learning (plasticity), and developmental processes. In recent years, we have also attempted to alter cognition and behavior using methods that manipulate brain activity, such as fMRI neurofeedback and transcranial direct current electrical stimulation (tDCS).

Sensory-motor learning/adaptation

Humans can flexibly learn a variety of motor skills. This is thought to be due to the fact that the brain retains the correspondence between sensory information and motor commands as an internal model (also called motor memory/procedural memory). We are investigating the neural representations of the internal models involved in sensorimotor learning and adaptation using functional brain imaging in humans.
Using fMRI multi-voxel pattern analysis, we have found that the pathway from the visual cortex to the parietal lobe is responsible for the visual-to-motor coordinate transformation (Ogawa & Inui, 2012, Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience), that multiple sensory-motor skills are retained in the sensorimotor cortex and cerebellum (Ogawa & Imamizu, 2013, Journal of Neuroscience), and that the left inferior parietal lobule retains tool-use skills regardless of the hand used (Ogawa & Imai, 2016, Experimental Brain Research).

【Related articles】

Ogawa K., Mitsui K., Imai F., & Nishida S. (2019) Long-term training-dependent representation of individual finger movements in the primary motor cortex, Neuroimage, 202:116051 [PubMed]
Ogawa K., & Imai F. (2016) Hand-independent representation of tool-use pantomimes in the left anterior intraparietal cortex, Experimental Brain Research. [PubMed]
Ohata R., Ogawa K., & Imamizu H. (2016) Single-trial prediction of reaction time variability from MEG brain activity, Scientific Reports, 6, 27416. [PubMed]
Kim S*., Ogawa K.*, Lv J., Schweighofer N., & Imamizu H. (2015) Neural substrates related to motor memory with multiple timescales in sensorimotor adaptation, PLoS Biology, 13(12): e1002312. (*Equal contribution) [PubMed] [Press release]
Ogawa K. & Imamizu H. (2013) Human sensorimotor cortex represents conflicting visuomotor mappings. Journal of Neuroscience, 33(15), 6412-6422. [PubMed]
Ogawa K. & Inui T. (2012) Reference frame of human medial intraparietal cortex in visually guided movements. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 24(1), 171-182. [PubMed]
Ogawa K., Nagai C., & Inui T. (2010) Brain mechanisms of visuomotor transformation based on deficits in tracing and copying. Japanese Psychological Research, 52(2), 92-106. [REVIEW] [Article]
Ogawa K. & Inui T. (2009) The role of the posterior parietal cortex in drawing by copying. Neuropsychologia, 47(4), 1013-1022. [PubMed]

Embodied/Social cognition

It has been suggested that one's own motor representations are also used to recognize the actions of others. The neural representations common to oneself and others are called the mirror neuron system (MNS).
Using fMRI multi-voxel pattern analysis, we have shown that the MNS (including parietal and premotor regions) encode observed actions independent of retinal variations, which may subserve our capacity for invariant action recognition of others (Ogawa & Inui, 2013, NeuroImage). Our study also revealed that distinct brain regions are involved in the recognition of multiple aspects of transitive actions, which is largely consistent with a visuomotor circuit of action production by the observer (Ogawa & Inui, 2012, Experimental Brain Research).

【Related articles】

Murata, A., Saito, H., Schug, J., Ogawa, K., & Kameda, T. (2016) Spontaneous facial mimicry is enhanced by the goal of inferring emotional states: evidence for moderation of “automatic” mimicry by higher cognitive processes. PLoS ONE, 11(4), e0153128. [PubMed]
Shibata H., Inui T., & Ogawa K. (2013) Role of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in understanding hand actions performed in social contexts: An fMRI study. Neuroreport, 24(14), 803-807. [PubMed]
Ogawa K. & Inui T. (2012) Multiple neural representations of object-directed action in an imitative context. Experimental Brain Research, 216(1), 61-69. [PubMed]
Shibata H., Inui T. & Ogawa K. (2011) Understanding interpersonal action coordination: An fMRI study. Experimental Brain Research, 211(3-4), 569-579. [PubMed]
Ogawa K. & Inui T. (2011) Neural representation of observed actions in the parietal and premotor cortex. NeuroImage, 56(2), 728-735. [PubMed]