Is brain research really good for anything? Is brain research really good for anything? Cognitive neuroscience elucidates the mysteries of the human mind and behavior as a combination of information processing (cognitive processes) in the brain. To utilize this research field to address social challenges arising from issues of the mind, researchers from various fields and parties in the field gather to create "collective knowledge" that integrates diverse humanities and natural sciences, and to develop human resources in this field. We welcome your participation in various ways, including organizing research meetings, conducting joint research, and enrolling in graduate school. Upcoming events List 202503.03Event A symposium of Japan Second Language Acquisition Research Forum Japan Second Language Acquisition Research Forum (J-SLARF) is a group of researchers in Japan working and collaborating at international levels. We are hosting a symposium of J-SLARF as J-SLARF@Toh 202504.15Event What kind of social factors influence self-image establishment? This study group was established to identify what social factors are considered problematic in terms of their influence on the perception and evaluation of self-image, and what phenomena are considere 202506.30Information 【Recruitment Information】Research Fellowship (Assisting researches and education of applicative cognitive neuroscience) CogNAC confirmed to newly employ a research fellowship. See the Japanese page for details. *Please note that the applicant must have Japanese language proficiency equivalent to that of a native sp 202506.30Information 【Recruitment Information】 Assistant Professor (Promoting researches and education of applicative cognitive neuroscience) CogNAC confirmed to newly employ a Assistant Professor. See the Japanese page for details. *Please note that the applicant must have Japanese language proficiency equivalent to that of a native sp 202506.30Information 【Recruitment Information】 Lecturer (Assisting researches and education of applicative cognitive neuroscience) CogNAC confirmed to newly employ a Lecturer. See the Japanese page for details. *Please note that the applicant must have Japanese language proficiency equivalent to that of a native speaker Events List 202502.07Information The Power of Emotional Videos: How Watching Them Can Help You Learn L2 Emotional Words – An fMRI Study(IDAC Young Investigator Award) How do learners acquire not just the literal meaning but also the emotional depth of second-language(L2) emotional words (e.g., enjoy)? This study explored this question by having participants le 202501.31Presentation Neural Mechanisms of Victim Values in Moral Decision-making (Oral Presentation) In moral decision-making, it is considered important not only to compare the values of different options but also to determine the extent to which a sacrifice can be accepted. In this study, we used a 202501.17Event 24th Human Brain Science Seminar: Creativity and Mind-wandering We are delighted to welcome Dr. Kawagoe (Tokai University), a leading researcher in creativity and mind-wandering, who will be joining us online for this event. Dr. Sakaki (CogNAC) will also share inf 202501.16Information Exploring AI-Based Analysis of Multilingual Adults and Children with Diverse Neurocognitive Profiles (New Research Grant Awarded) We are thrilled to announce that the international collaborative project, titled "AI-Based Analysis of Multilingual Adults and Children with Diverse Neurocognitive Profiles," has been awarde 202501.16Publication Neural Mechanism for Integrating Syntax and Information in Sentence Comprehension (article in press) Using fMRI to examine linguistic theories, the collaborative research led by Professor Masatoshi Koizumi from the Graduate School of Arts and Letters at Tohoku University, titled “The cruci 202501.15Event Future Human Resource Development Studies: Experiences, Actions, and Stories (Symposium) The information society, including internationalization and advances in AI, changes in social thought, and changes in regional, social, and business environments, have made it increasingly unclear wha 202501.14Event Mapping Human Behavior (Symposium) Human cognition and behavior are controlled by a variety of “maps” in the brain, and the diversity of these maps and their processing creates the diversity of human behavior. Geographical 202501.06Event Default Mode Network and Self and Free Will (Symposium) In the human brain, a group of brain regions that are active when the brain is at rest (awake but doing nothing) is known as the “default mode network” (a similar network is also kno 202412.20Event 23rd Human Neuroscience Seminar: Social Interaction and Language Communication We are pleased to have hosted the 23rd Human Neuroscience Seminar, which focused on the neural basis of language communication and the significance of language learning through social interaction, exp 202412.07Information [Collaboration Case] Graduate School of International Cultural Studies, Tohoku University The reserch of fMRI experiment was featured in a video introducing the “Attractiveness of Tohoku University Graduate School of International Cultural Studies”. Graduate School 202411.26Information Exploring Writing Mechanisms in Second Language Through the Integration of Behavioral and Neuroscience Methods (New Research Grant Awarded) We are thrilled to announce the successful award of the TOEFL COE 2025 Research Program grant for our collaborative project between Tohoku University, Japan, and University College London, UK. Led by 202411.22Information Disaster Communication Neuroscience in Foreign Languages (Selected for Tohoku University-UCL Matching Fund) Tohoku University and University College London (UCL) have selected eight interdisciplinary collaborative research projects that integrate multiple disciplines, including disaster science, neuroscienc 202410.25Presentation fMRI Study on Deep Comprehension in Second Language Reading (Poster Presentation) How can we promote "deep comprehension" beyond surface-level understanding when reading in a second language (L2)? And how does actively recalling information through "retrieval practic 202410.25Presentation The impact of conversational eyebrow movements on intention recognition: An fMRI Study (Poster presentation) In face-to-face conversations, when asking questions, the onset of eyebrow movements usually comes earlier than the speech. What is the role of the precedence of the eyebrow movements? The present stu 202410.24Presentation Exploring Brain Activity with fMRI: Effects of Multimodal Input on Language Learning (Poster Presentation) What mechanisms support reading comprehension in a second language (L2), and how does multimodal information—such as simultaneous audio and text—enhance understanding? Moreover, how do lea 202410.24Presentation The Role of Gesture in Second Language Acquisition: an fMRI study (Poster Presentation)Poste It is well-established that speech and gesture form a unified system in one’s native language, with gestures helping listeners understand the speaker's intentions and meaning. However, how d
