Tuning the master clock of the brain: Endocannabinoid modulation of the olivo-cerebellar system and animal behavior

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In FY19, the project supported by JSPS reached its final stage. As a summary, the JSPS funding had allowed us to develop and establish a paradigm-shifting experimental framework for extremely high-resolution tracking of full body movement in freely-behaving mice, something that had not been even attempted before. The established method relies on permanently-implanted skin markers and a set of dedicated high-speed cameras that allow unprecedented versatility to tracking animal movement in real time.As a proof-of-concept for this method, we used it to investigate subtle kinematic signatures of endocannabinoid (eCB) modulation of the central nervous system, a topic that is of burning importance in medical pharmacology. With the aid of the recording system established with the aid of JSPS, we could for the first time 1) describe previously-ignored low-dose-related motor effecs as well as 2) uncover the differential, behavior state-dependent and molecular pathway-dependent effects of eCB modulation. The second part was highly surprising as it runs against commonly-accepted concepts within the eCB research community.In FY19, the results obtained were widely publicized by means of conference presentations by the researcher. Notably, while JSPS funding was fundamental for her participation in the conferences, there were several events where she was invited as a speaker by the host, and her travel costs were covered. These events were a great venue to promote Science in Japan.