1. |
- Kinoshita, Masaharu, et al.
(author)
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Genetic dissection of the circuit for hand dexterity in primates
- 2012
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In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 487:7406, s. 235-U1510
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- It is generally accepted that the direct connection from the motor cortex to spinal motor neurons is responsible for dexterous hand movements in primates(1-3). However, the role of the 'phylogenetically older' indirect pathways from the motor cortex to motor neurons, mediated by spinal interneurons, remains elusive. Here we used a novel double-infection technique to interrupt the transmission through the propriospinal neurons (PNs)(4-6), which act as a relay of the indirect pathway in macaque monkeys (Macaca fuscata and Macaca mulatta). The PNs were double infected by injection of a highly efficient retrograde gene-transfer vector into their target area and subsequent injection of adeno-associated viral vector at the location of cell somata. This method enabled reversible expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged tetanus neurotoxin, thereby permitting the selective and temporal blockade of the motor cortex-PN-motor neuron pathway. This treatment impaired reach and grasp movements, revealing a critical role for the PN-mediated pathway in the control of hand dexterity. Anti-GFP immunohistochemistry visualized the cell bodies and axonal trajectories of the blocked PNs, which confirmed their anatomical connection to motor neurons. This pathway-selective and reversible technique for blocking neural transmission does not depend on cell-specific promoters or transgenic techniques, and is a new and powerful tool for functional dissection in system-level neuroscience studies.
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2. |
- Morokuma, Tomoki, et al.
(author)
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OISTER optical and near-infrared monitoring observations of peculiar radio-loud active galactic nucleus SDSSJ110006.07+442144.3
- 2017
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In: Nippon Tenmon Gakkai obun kenkyu hokoku. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0004-6264. ; 69:5
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present monitoring campaign observations at optical and near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths for a radio-loud active galactic nucleus (AGN) at z = 0.840, SDSSJ110006.07+442144.3 (hereafter, J1100+4421), which was identified during a flare phase in late 2014 February. The campaigns consist of three intensive observing runs from the discovery to 2015 March, mostly within the scheme of the OISTER collaboration. Optical-NIR light curves and simultaneous spectral energy distributions (SEDs) are obtained. Our measurements show the strongest brightening in 2015 March. We found that the optical-NIR SEDs of J1100+4421 show an almost steady shape despite the large and rapid intranight variability. This constant SED shape is confirmed to extend to similar to 5 mu m in the observed frame using the archival WISE data. Given the lack of absorption lines and the steep power-law spectrum of alpha(upsilon) similar to -1.4, where f(v) proportional to v(alpha upsilon), synchrotron radiation by a relativistic jet with no or small contributions from the host galaxy and the accretion disk seemsmost plausible as an optical-NIR emission mechanism. The steep optical-NIR spectral shape and the large amplitude of variability are consistent with this object being a low.peak jet-dominated AGN. In addition, sub-arcsecond resolution optical imaging data taken with Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam does not show a clear extended component and the spatial scales are significantly smaller than the large extensions detected at radio wavelengths. The optical spectrum of a possible faint companion galaxy does not show any emission lines at the same redshift, and hence a merging hypothesis for this AGN-related activity is not supported by our observations.
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3. |
- Tanaka, Masaomi, et al.
(author)
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DISCOVERY OF DRAMATIC OPTICAL VARIABILITY IN SDSS J1100+4421 : A PECULIAR RADIO-LOUD NARROW-LINE SEYFERT 1 GALAXY?
- 2014
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In: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - 2041-8205 .- 2041-8213. ; 793:2, s. L26-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present our discovery of dramatic variability in SDSS J1100+4421 by the high-cadence transient survey Kiso Supernova Survey. The source brightened in the optical by at least a factor of three within about half a day. Spectroscopic observations suggest that this object is likely a narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy (NLS1) at z = 0.840, however, with unusually strong narrow emission lines. The estimated black hole mass of similar to 10(7) M-circle dot implies bolometric nuclear luminosity close to the Eddington limit. SDSS J1100+4421 is also extremely radio-loud, with a radio loudness parameter of R similar or equal to 4 x 10(2)-3 x 10(3), which implies the presence of relativistic jets. Rapid and large-amplitude optical variability of the target, reminiscent of that found in a few radio- and gamma-ray-loud NLS1s, is therefore produced most likely in a blazar-like core. The 1.4 GHz radio image of the source shows an extended structure with a linear size of about 100 kpc. If SDSS J1100+4421 is a genuine NLS1, as suggested here, this radio structure would then be the largest ever discovered in this type of active galaxies.
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