Kentaro Miyamoto, Ph.D.

Research Overview

In our daily life, we repeat decision making for future actions under continuously changing environments and human relationships. For a better decision making, conscious evaluation of one's own thought (introspection) and understanding of others' will (sympathy) are essential. Our team investigates brain mechanisms for prospective decision making in primates including humans and aims to reveal how our "self-awareness" and "imagination for others" are generated.

Main Research Field

• Biological Sciences

Related Research Fields

• Informatics
• Humanities
• Social sciences
• Biology
• Neurophysiology / General neuroscience
• Experimental psychology
• Cognitive science

Keywords

• Decision making
• Imagination
• Metacognition
• Primate
• Functional neuroimaging

Selected Publications

Papers with an asterisk(*) are based on research conducted outside of RIKEN.

1. Miyamoto K., Harbison C., Tanaka S., Saito M., Luo S., Mahmoodi A., Lin M., Trudel N., Shea N., Rushworth MFS.:
   "Asymmetric projection of introspection reveals a behavioral and neural mechanism for interindividual social coordination."
   Nature Communications. 16(1):295 (2025)
   10.1038/s41467-024-55202-0
2. Saito M., Miyamoto K., Murakami I.:
   "Illumination by short-wavelength light inside the blind spot decreases light detectability."
   iScience. 27(9) 110612. (2024)
   10.1016/j.isci.2024.110612.
3. Miyamoto K.:
   "Neural circuits for retrospective and prospective introspection for the past, present and future in macaque monkeys and humans."
   Neuroscience Research. 201, 46-40 (2024)
   10.1016/j.neures.2024.02.003
4. Miyamoto K., Rushworth MF, Shea N.:
   "Imagining the future self through thought experiments."
   Trends in Cognitive Sciences. 27(5), 446-455 (2023)
   10.1016/j.tics.2023.01.005
5. Miyamoto K., Setsuie R, Miyashita Y.:
   "Conversion of concept-specific decision confidence into integrative introspection in primates."
   Cell Reports, 110581. (2022)
   10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110581
6. * Miyamoto K., Trudel N., Kamermans K., Lim M.C., Lazari A., Verhagen L., Wittmann M.K., Rushworth M.F.:
   "Identification and disruption of a neural mechanism for accumulating prospective metacognitive information prior to decision-making."
   Neuron 109(8), pp.1396-1408.e7 (2021)
   10.1016/j.neuron.2021.02.024
7. Setsuie R., Tamura K., Miyamoto K., Watanabe T., Takeda M., Miyashita Y.:
   "Off-Peak 594-nm Light Surpasses On-Peak 532-nm Light in Silencing Distant ArchT-Expressing Neurons In Vivo."
   iScience 23(7), 101276 (2020)
   10.1016/j.isci.2020.101276
8. * Miyamoto, K., Setsuie, R., Osada, T., and Miyashita, Y.:
   "Reversible silencing of the frontopolar cortex selectively impairs metacognitive judgment on non-experience in primates."
   Neuron, 97(4), pp.980–989.e6 (2018)
   10.1016/j.neuron.2017.12.040
9. * Miyamoto, K., Osada, T., Setsuie, R., Takeda, M., Tamura, K., Adachi, Y., and Miyashita, Y.:
   "Causal neural network of metamemory for retrospection in primates."
   Science, 355(6321), pp.188-193 (2017)
   10.1126/science.aal0162
10. * Miyamoto, K., Osada, T., Adachi, Y., Matsui, T., Kimura, H.M., and Miyashita, Y.:
    "Functional differentiation of memory retrieval network in macaque posterior parietal cortex."
    Neuron, 77(4), pp.787-799 (2013)
    10.1016/j.neuron.2012.12.019