Method of identifying the spatial distribution of areas in a sensory area of brain, program, and recording medium therefor

A method of identifying a spatial distribution of areas in a sensory area of brain by obtaining brain activity information from a living body to which a sensory stimulus is applied, comprising:

• a first step of determining a rough spatial distribution of at least one area in a sensory area of cerebral cortex in each of a left hemisphere and right hemisphere of the brain that is a target area of the identification;
• a second step of applying a sensory stimulus to the identification target area;
• a third step of obtaining brain activity information by measuring brain activity in a region that includes the identification target area while the sensory stimulus is being applied in the second step;
• and
• a fourth step of using the brain activity information obtained in the third step to calculate one of a coefficient of cross-correlation, and coherence, between brain activity information of an area in the left hemisphere and brain activity information of an area in the right hemisphere, assessing synchrony between the left and right hemispheres of the brain with the one of the following cross-correlation coefficient and the following coherence as a quantitative index, and changing the spatial distribution determined in the first step in a manner that increases the one of the coefficient of cross-correlation, and coherence, between brain activity information of the area in the left hemisphere and brain activity information of the area in the right hemisphere which is of the same type as the area in the left hemisphere, and decreases one of a coefficient of cross-correlation, and coherence, between brain activity information of one type of area in the left hemisphere and brain activity information of another type of area in the right hemisphere.