Finding genes that control mind and behavior
The highly sophisticated abilities of humans, such as memory, learning, cognition and thought, are achieved in the brain as a result of dramatic evolutionary development. Personality, preference, behavioral patterns, emotion and other mind-related functions also derive from brain functions. But what genes are responsible for the formation of the human brain and the remarkable abilities of the human mind? Jun Aruga, team leader of the Laboratory for Behavioral and Developmental Disorders at RIKENs Brain Science Institute (BSI), is working to identify the genes that play key roles in the brain, and to elucidate their functions by comparing genetic information in various organisms and conducting behavioral experiments in mice. His research is expected to clarify the origins of brain and nerve diseases and lead to the development of new therapies.