Our Young Researchers Participated in the Summer School for Primate Cognitive Neuroscience 2026
- 6 hours ago
- 2 min read
Three members from our institute—Osamu Toyoshima (Researcher, Division of Fundamental Research), Moeha Ueki (Doctoral Student, Graduate School of Science), and Ryo Matsumoto (Doctoral Student, Graduate School of Science)—participated in the "Summer School for Primate Cognitive Neuroscience 2026" held from July 26 to August 7, 2026.
This 13-day program was organized by the German Primate Center (DPZ), for students and early-career researchers specializing in primate systems neurophysiology.
Participants' Comments
Osamu Toyoshima (Researcher, Division of Fundamental Research)
"Over the 13-day program, I attended numerous lectures and learned about a wide range of topics in primate cognitive neuroscience. I was particularly impressed by the lectures on subcortical control of attention and mechanisms of active vision. Furthermore, through lectures and discussions with the faculty and participants, I gained new perspectives on my own research. Spending an extended period with fellow participants allowed us to build strong connections, and I was able to make several new friends. It was an exceptionally meaningful 13 days, both academically and personally."
Moeha Ueki (Doctoral Student, Graduate School of Science)
"I had the great opportunity to participate in the summer school in Germany. At this summer school, I found it particularly interesting to learn how sensory information from the external environment is processed in the brain at the level of neural circuits. It was an extremely valuable experience for me and helped me broaden my research perspective, even though my research focuses on anesthesia rather than cognitive neuroscience. I was also impressed by the opportunity to visit the German Primate Center (DPZ). Through this experience, I would like to continue my research on neural activity during anesthesia and further deepen my understanding of the neural mechanisms involved in anesthesia. I also hope to value the connections I made with researchers from different backgrounds and use these connections to further develop my research."
Ryo Matsumoto (Doctoral Student, Graduate School of Science)
"I participated in a summer school, which turned out to be an exceptionally rewarding and fulfilling experience. The curriculum was remarkably well-structured and easy to follow. It systematically covered the pathway from sensory input to motor output in the early stages, before expanding into higher-order cognitive functions in the second half. I was especially impressed by the lectures on attention mechanisms.
During the roundtable discussions, I interacted with PhD students from around the world and realized that we share similar research challenges despite our different backgrounds. A major takeaway was the practical advice and insightful suggestions gained through discussions with both faculty and peers.
Through the lectures and extracurricular activities, I made many new friends, and I am truly looking forward to reuniting with them at future international conferences."
Support & Acknowledgments
This dispatch was supported by the JSPS Core-to-Core Program (A. Advanced Research Networks): "Evolution of the Human Brain and Intelligence – Evolution of Decision-Making."
Comment from Professor Imai
"I am delighted that we could provide our young researchers with such a wonderful opportunity. I hope they will make the most of this experience, and that the connections made during the program will grow into fruitful joint research in the future."
Links
Summer School of Primate Cognitive Neuroscience 2026
