HOME People Researchers Atsushi Yokoi

Atsushi Yokoi

Main Lab Location：
CiNet (Main bldg.)
Specific Research Topic：
Systems neuroscience/Psychophysics/fMRI
Other Affiliations：
Visiting Researcher Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences Osaka University
Mailing Address：
2B6 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 Japan

My research goal is to understand how our motor ability is constrained by the specific way the brain uses to represent information of the external/internal environment, and how and to what degree such representation can change over the course of one’s experience. To achieve this goal I use both behavioral analysis and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) techniques.

My past studies mainly focused on the human motor system studying, for instance, how laterality in the arm movement representation in the brain leads to laterality in learning ability when people coordinate two arms, or how sequence of motor action is represented in different areas of the brain. In CiNet I will extend my research area to more “input side”, such as visual system, for better understanding about how the two systems interact to create our behavior.

Selected Publications：

Yokoi A. & Diedrichsen J. Neural organization of hierarchical motor sequence representations in the human neocortex. Neuron. 103(6): 1178-1190.e7, 2019. DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2019.06.017

Yokoi A., Arbuckle S.A., and Diedrichsen J. The role of human primary motor cortex in the production of skilled finger sequences. Journal of Neuroscience. 38(6): 1430-1442, 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2798-17.2017

Yokoi A., Bai W., Diedrichsen J. Restricted transfer of learning between unimanual and bimanual finger sequences. Journal of Neurophysiology. 117(3): 1043-1051, 2017. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.00387.2016

Nozaki D., Yokoi A., Kimura T., Hirashima M., and Orban de-Xivry, JJ. Tagging motor memories with transcranial direct current stimulation allows later artificially-controlled retrieval. eLife. 5: e15378, 2016. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.15378

Yokoi A., Hirashima M., and Nozaki D. Lateralized sensitivity of motor memories to the kinematics of the opposite arm reveals functional specialization during bimanual actions. Journal of Neuroscience. 34(27): 9141-9151, 2014. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2694-13.2014

Yokoi A., Hirashima M., and Nozaki D. Gain-field encoding of the kinematics of both arms in the internal model enables flexible bimanual action. Journal of Neuroscience. 31(47): 17058-17068, 2011. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2982-11.2011