In the eye of a brainstorm: the state of Japanese science as observed at Neuroscience 2004

CLUSTERED INTO AN AREA less than one square kilometer (smaller than Roppongi Hills), more than 31,000 brain researchers laid claim to every ledge, chair, corner and step. These neuroscientists were quietly preparing to negotiate the chaos of the next five days, October 23 to 27, and maximize their information gathering efforts. The Society for Neuroscience's Annual Meeting, the world's largest scientific convention, was about to begin, and there was a buzz in the air.

The buzz was perhaps from the coffee. The lines at the six Starbucks stations didn't persuade coffee drinkers to settle for tap water. The lines were longer at Starbucks than at Mrs. Field's, even though Mrs. Field's was serving Starbucks coffee. Research presented later in the week by Dr. Masato Taira and his team at Nihon University School of Medicine suggested that emotional associations with brand names might trigger even the most logical people to wait in the longer line.

Results from imaging studies conducted by Dr. Taira and presented at this meeting showed that subjects with a deeper brand affinity to a product or label had higher levels of activity in brain regions strongly associated with emotion when exposed to their choice brands. A relationship between brand affinity and purchasing was also found. Simply put, people with more brand loyalty spend more on that brand. An emotional bond with Starbucks kept those brain researchers in line for coffee. Or, as researchers at the University of Florida suggested, it might be that even decaf has sufficient caffeine to remain addictive. Regardless, a buzz there was. I, too, was excited. This was the third year I had attended the annual meeting to promote the work in brain science being conducted at RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Saitama, north of Tokyo. With each year, my interest in Japanese contributions from other institutes has expanded, and this year I was determined to scope out a more complete image of Japanese brain science in the international context. Other journalists covering the meeting were focused on those findings highlighted in the press packet that promoted advances mostly from the United States. I was not surprised that, with the notable exception of Sandra Blakeslee of The New York Times, most had no real idea of the work being done outside of North America.

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Throughout Neuroscience 2004 representatives from the Japanese cohort were easily spied. A few could be found sprawled along the outside wall of the complex, but most preferred not to bask in the Californian sunshine. Instead, seated at tables, their computers open, they talked in low voices. Were they eager and excited to be there? Considering that attending the meeting is a rare privilege for most of them, I suspected they were.

Yet the Japanese researchers also looked nervous. They had two disadvantages. One was language. Native English speakers, especially the younger ones with less international experience, used slang and did not adjust the pace of their speaking for researchers with different linguistic backgrounds. Networking with colleagues was not easy. The Japanese were also fighting jet lag. In science, team Japan rarely has the home court advantage.

American-based research dominated the slide presentations and mini-symposiums. Meeting planners felt that the Society for Neuroscience is predominantly an American organization, with a minimal international component, and the meeting representation should reflect this fact. A breakdown of membership by country of citizenship, base lab, and main language, however, shows that nearly 40 percent of the membership is based outside of the U.S. Japanese researchers contributed just over 17% of all the new findings presented at this year's meeting. That is nearly one-sixth of all the science presented at one of the most important brain science meetings in the world. I'd say that is significant.

At this year's meeting Japanese delegates presented data on brain imaging and mapping, brain development, and the understanding and prevention of brain disorders Unsurprisingly, Japanese are strongest in areas requiring the technical prowess to develop and use tools for advancing brain and information sciences. Their brain imaging studies of the precise cognitive processes including reward and decision-making are typically well received.

Genomic cataloging and analysis, while not pioneered in Japan, has also developed into a Japanese niche. This work, led by RIKEN Genomic Sciences Center in Yokohama, contributes to linkage and animal model studies on brain development and disorders. Successes in these areas tend to outshine work in the more competitive fields of developmental and disease research in the memories of their non-Japanese peers. Here, the role of Japanese research is supportive, not innovative.