Research
Our Research & Initiatives
We investigate neural mechanisms of brain states and perception, and develop quantitative tools to measure and manipulate neural activity.
Topics
Traditional deep learning and predictive coding models assume that neural processing is strictly hierarchical, but neurobiological evidence tells a more complex story: cortical areas at all levels communicate directly with subcortical regions. Based on this insight, our team proposes the shallow brain hypothesis. This idea suggests that hierarchical cortical processing works together with massively parallel subcortical networks, leveraging both cortical microcircuits and thalamo-cortical loops. By including these interactions, the shallow brain architecture may help explain how mammalian brains achieve fast, flexible, and efficient computation.
Our recent study showed that general anesthesia decouples apical dendrites and somata, disrupting feedback signaling in cortical layer 5 pyramidal neurons while leaving basic neuronal function largely intact. Building on this discovery, my team aims to investigate how this decoupling supports conscious perception and how it is selectively blocked under anesthesia. Using advanced optical, genetic, and circuit-level tools, we plan to uncover the cellular and network mechanisms that enable flexible and robust brain computation. This work will provide new insights into the neural basis of consciousness.
DIT, which my team formulated, posits that apical dendrites of cortical layer 5 pyramidal neurons play a central role in integrating large-scale cortico-cortical and thalamo-cortical loops that are essential for conscious perception. Unlike many abstract theories previously proposed, a distinguishing feature of DIT is that the theory spotlights a specific cellular mechanism—pyramidal cell dendrites—as the fulcrum at which these two apparently-orthogonal loops intersect.
DIT makes numerous testable predictions, which my team will experimentally examine using novel micro-optical tools. My previous studies demonstrated that the development of such tools enabled unprecedented experiments and led to unexpected findings. My team aims to further develop novel tools with the potential to enable ground-breaking discoveries.
Contact
Mototaka Suzuki (鈴木基高)
Suzuki Lab, Nanobiology Building 5F, 1-3 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 Japan
m.suzuki.fbs@osaka-u.ac.jp
+81-6-6879-4620