世界におけるナイトライフ研究の動向と日本における研究の発展可能性

東京五輪開催（2020）に始まる都市観光活性化の動きのなか，ナイトライフ観光への注目が高まりつつある。本研究は，プレ五輪，ポスト五輪における東京の夜間経済や夜間観光の発展可能性を視野に，世界のナイトライフ研究・ナイトライフ観光研究の動向とその具体性に関して展望を行った。その結果，同研究は2010年代以降増加しつつあるが，アジア圏と欧米圏とでナイトライフの語義が異なり，前者はより広義であるのに対し，後者ではナイトクラブやバーといった特定の観光資源を意味する点，また飲酒やパーティ等の観光行動と結び付くため若者集団に特徴的な観光形態として広く認知されている点，観光地域により観光形態は個人・ツアー観光など多様である点等が明らかとなった。プレ五輪における風営法改正や，ポスト五輪のMICE観光振興・IR推進法成立の背景には観光を巡る都市間競争の熾烈化も窺え，東京のナイトライフ観光は今後より一層変化を遂げる可能性がある

Effect of Intentional Bias on Agency Attribution of Animated Motion: An Event-Related fMRI Study

Osaka N., Ikeda T., Osaka M.. Effect of Intentional Bias on Agency Attribution of Animated Motion: An Event-Related fMRI Study. PLoS ONE 7, e49053 (2012); https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0049053.Animated movements of simple geometric shapes can readily be interpreted as depicting social events in which animate agents are engaged in intentional activity. However, the brain regions associated with such intention have not been clearly elucidated. In this study, intentional bias was manipulated using shape and pattern animations while measuring associated brain activity using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Twenty-five higher-intention involved and twenty-five lower-intention involved animations were presented to participants. Behavioral results showed that the degree of agency attribution of the mental state increased as intentional involvement increased. fMRI results revealed that the posterior superior temporal sulcus (STS), inferior temporal gyrus (ITG), inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), premotor, temporal pole, supramarginal gyrus, and superior parietal lobule (SPL) were activated while participants viewed the high-intention animations. In contrast, occipital, lingual, and middle frontal gyri were activated while the participants viewed the low-intention animations. These findings suggest that as agent attribution increases, the visual brain changes its functional role to the intentional brain and becomes a flexible network for processing information about social interaction

Robust order representation is required for backward recall in the Corsi blocks task

Higo K., Minamoto T., Ikeda T., et al. Robust order representation is required for backward recall in the Corsi blocks task. Frontiers in Psychology 5, 1285 (2014); https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01285.The storage and processing of spatial information is done by spatial working memory. To measure spatial working memory, the Corsi blocks task, which separates the memory into two types, forward and backward, is often used. Although it had been thought that backward recall requires more of the executive function than forward recall, some studies have shown otherwise. Here, we focused on the spatial and sequential aspects of the Corsi blocks task to investigate cognitive processes by dissociating forward and backward recall. We used a dual task method (serial articulatory suppression or spatial tapping as the secondary task) and analyzed two kinds of errors (position error and order error) to investigate cognitive performance during the forward and backward recall. We ran two experiments: in experiment 1, we employed the standard Corsi blocks task, and in experiment 2, we employed the modified Corsi blocks task in order to prevent verbal strategies. We found that spatial tapping affected both forward and backward recall, while serial articulatory suppression increased the number of order errors in the backward condition. These results indicate that stronger order representation is required for backward recall in the Corsi blocks task

High working memory performers have efficient eye movement control systems under Reading Span Test

Controlled eye movements are critical in performing highly goal oriented behavior such as text reading. Previous studies have examined the relationship between working memory capacity and eye movement control during working memory task. However, the results were inconsistent, due to a methodological issue including the predictability of target location. In the present study, we used Japanese version of reading span test, where the position of to-be-remembered word is not predictable so that more efficient attentional control is required, and investigated how working memory capacity contributes to eye movement control during reading span test. Results based on total fixation time revealed that highworking memory performers efficiently control or shift their attention under high memory load

High working memory performers have efficient eye movement control systems under Reading Span Test

Azuma Miyuki, Ikeda Takashi, Minamoto Takehiro, et al. High working memory performers have efficient eye movement control systems under Reading Span Test. Journal of Eye Movement Research 5, (2012); https://doi.org/10.16910/jemr.5.3.1

<フォーラム>『アーバンスタディーズ』より「序論：都市の夜の地理」

本稿は，アメリカSAGE 社の発刊する月刊学術査読誌『Urban Studies』52 巻3 号（2015 年）に掲載された特集号「都市の夜の地理学」の巻頭論文を和訳したものである。同特集号には，「都市の夜」に関連する13 本の論文が掲載された。巻頭論文である本稿の和訳に当たり，本訳者解題で同特集号の概要を示し，次いで巻頭論文・特集号に示されている議論を参照しつつ，世界および日本国内の夜間経済・ナイトライフ観光に係る議論の動向について若干の議論を行う

Anterior medial prefrontal cortex exhibits activation during task preparation but deactivation during task execution

Koshino H., Minamoto T., Ikeda T., et al. Anterior medial prefrontal cortex exhibits activation during task preparation but deactivation during task execution. PLoS ONE 6, e22909 (2011); https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0022909.Background: The anterior prefrontal cortex (PFC) exhibits activation during some cognitive tasks, including episodic memory, reasoning, attention, multitasking, task sets, decision making, mentalizing, and processing of self-referenced information. However, the medial part of anterior PFC is part of the default mode network (DMN), which shows deactivation during various goal-directed cognitive tasks compared to a resting baseline. One possible factor for this pattern is that activity in the anterior medial PFC (MPFC) is affected by dynamic allocation of attentional resources depending on task demands. We investigated this possibility using an event related fMRI with a face working memory task. Methodology/Principal Findings: Sixteen students participated in a single fMRI session. They were asked to form a task set to remember the faces (Face memory condition) or to ignore them (No face memory condition), then they were given 6 seconds of preparation period before the onset of the face stimuli. During this 6-second period, four single digits were presented one at a time at the center of the display, and participants were asked to add them and to remember the final answer. When participants formed a task set to remember faces, the anterior MPFC exhibited activation during a task preparation period but deactivation during a task execution period within a single trial. Conclusions/Significance: The results suggest that the anterior MPFC plays a role in task set formation but is not involved in execution of the face working memory task. Therefore, when attentional resources are allocated to other brain regions during task execution, the anterior MPFC shows deactivation. The results suggest that activation and deactivation in the anterior MPFC are affected by dynamic allocation of processing resources across different phases of processing

Endothelial Progenitor Cells Promote Directional Three-Dimensional Endothelial Network Formation by Secreting Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor

Endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) transplantation induces the formation of new blood-vessel networks to supply nutrients and oxygen, and is feasible for the treatment of ischemia and cardiovascular diseases. However, the role of EPCs as a source of proangiogenic cytokines and consequent generators of an extracellular growth factor microenvironment in three-dimensional (3D) microvessel formation is not fully understood. We focused on the contribution of EPCs as a source of proangiogenic cytokines on 3D microvessel formation using an in vitro 3D network model. To create a 3D network model, EPCs isolated from rat bone marrow were sandwiched with double layers of collagen gel. Endothelial cells (ECs) were then cultured on top of the upper collagen gel layer. Quantitative analyses of EC network formation revealed that the length, number, and depth of the EC networks were significantly enhanced in a 3D model with ECs and EPCs compared to an EC monoculture. In addition, conditioned medium (CM) from the 3D model with ECs and EPCs promoted network formation compared to CM from an EC monoculture. We also confirmed that EPCs secreted vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). However, networks cultured with the CM were shallow and did not penetrate the collagen gel in great depth. Therefore, we conclude that EPCs contribute to 3D network formation at least through indirect incorporation by generating a local VEGF gradient. These results suggest that the location of EPCs is important for controlling directional 3D network formation in the field of tissue engineering

The arousal level of consciousness required for working memory performance: An anaesthesia study

Osaka M., Minamoto T., Ikeda T., et al. The arousal level of consciousness required for working memory performance: An anaesthesia study. European Journal of Neuroscience 59, 3151 (2024); https://doi.org/10.1111/ejn.16383.Regarding the stage of arousal level required for working memory to function properly, limited studies have been conducted on changes in working memory performance when the arousal level of consciousness decreases. This study aimed to experimentally clarify the stages of consciousness necessary for optimal working memory function. In this experiment, the sedation levels were changed step-by-step using anaesthesia, and the performance accuracy during the execution of working memory was assessed using a dual-task paradigm. Participants were required to categorize and remember words in a specific target category. Categorization performance was measured across four different sedative phases: before anaesthesia (baseline), and deep, moderate and light stages of sedation. Short-delay recognition tasks were performed under these four sedative stages, followed by long-delay recognition tasks after participants recovered from sedation. The results of the short-delay recognition task showed that the performance was lowest at the deep stage. The performance of the moderate stage was lower than the baseline. In the long-delay recognition task, the performance under moderate sedation was lower than that under baseline and light sedation. In addition, the performance under light sedation was lower than that under baseline. These results suggest that task performance becomes difficult under half sedation and that transferring information to long-term memory is difficult even under one-quarter sedation