A5067100149- Sleep and Wakefulness Research
- Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Circadian rhythm and melatonin
- Sleep and related disorders
- Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Neuroscience of respiration and sleep
- Photoreceptor and optogenetics research
- Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Animal Genetics and Reproduction
- Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
- Wnt/β-catenin signaling in development and cancer
- Biochemical Analysis and Sensing Techniques
- Neural dynamics and brain function
- Pluripotent Stem Cells Research
- EEG and Brain-Computer Interfaces
- RNA Interference and Gene Delivery
- Advanced biosensing and bioanalysis techniques
- Molecular Communication and Nanonetworks
- Receptor Mechanisms and Signaling
- Mitochondrial Function and Pathology
- Regulation of Appetite and Obesity
- Hippo pathway signaling and YAP/TAZ
- Neurological Disorders and Treatments
- RNA Research and Splicing
Jichi Medical University
2017-2025
Jichi Medical University Hospital
2022-2025
Nagoya University
2013-2019
Niigata University
2014
Kyoto University
2006-2010
We found adult human stem cells that can generate, from a single cell, with the characteristics of three germ layers. The are stress-tolerant and be isolated cultured skin fibroblasts or bone marrow stromal cells, directly aspirates. These self-renew; form characteristic cell clusters in suspension culture express set genes associated pluripotency; differentiate into endodermal, ectodermal, mesodermal both vitro vivo. When transplanted immunodeficient mice by local i.v. injection, integrated...
Melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) is a neuropeptide produced in neurons sparsely distributed the lateral hypothalamic area. Recent studies have reported that MCH are active during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, but their physiological role regulation of sleep/wakefulness not fully understood. To determine neurons, newly developed transgenic mouse strains enable manipulation activity and fate vivo were generated using recently knockin-mediated enhanced gene expression by improved...
The hypothalamus monitors body homeostasis and regulates various behaviors such as feeding, thermogenesis, sleeping. Orexins (also known hypocretins) were identified endogenous ligands for two orphan G-protein-coupled receptors in the lateral hypothalamic area. They initially recognized regulators of feeding behavior, but they are mainly regarded key modulators sleep/wakefulness cycle. activate orexin neurons, monoaminergic cholinergic neurons hypothalamus/brainstem regions, to maintain a...
During tactile perception, long-range intracortical top-down axonal projections are essential for processing sensory information. Whether these regulate sleep-dependent long-term memory consolidation is unknown. We altered inputs from higher-order cortex to during sleep and examined the of memories acquired earlier awake texture perception. Mice learned novel textures consolidated them sleep. Within first hour non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, optogenetic inhibition projecting axons...
Orexin neurons in the hypothalamus regulate energy homeostasis by coordinating various physiological responses. Past studies have shown role of orexin peptide itself; however, contain not only but also other neurotransmitters such as glutamate and dynorphin. In this study, we examined feeding behavior metabolism pharmacogenetic activation chronic ablation. We generated novel orexin-Cre mice utilized Cre-dependent adeno-associated virus vectors to express Gq-coupled modified GPCR, hM3Dq or...
The changes in brain function that perpetuate opiate addiction are unclear. In our studies of human narcolepsy, a disease caused by loss immunohistochemically detected hypocretin (orexin) neurons, we encountered control (from an apparently neurologically normal individual) with 50% more neurons than other brains had studied. We discovered this individual was heroin addict. Studying five postmortem from addicts, report the tissue had, on average, 54% producing did subjects. Similar increases...
Abstract The level of wakefulness is one the major factors affecting nociception and pain. Stress-induced analgesia supports an animal’s survival via prompt defensive responses against predators or competitors. Previous studies have shown pharmacological effects orexin peptides on analgesia. However, neurons contain not only but also other co-transmitters such as dynorphin, neurotensin glutamate. Thus, physiological importance neuronal activity in unknown. Here we show that adult-stage...
Abstract Microbial opsins with a bound chromophore function as photosensitive ion transporters and have been employed in optogenetics for the optical control of neuronal activity. Molecular engineering has utilized to create colour variants functional augmentation tools, but was limited by complexity protein–chromophore interactions. Here we report development blue-shifted rational design at atomic resolution, achieved through accurate hybrid molecular simulations, electrophysiology X-ray...
Although regulators of the Wnt/planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway are widely expressed in vertebrate nervous systems, their roles at synapses unknown. Here, we show that Vangl2 is a postsynaptic factor crucial for synaptogenesis and it coprecipitates with N-cadherin PSD-95 from synapse-rich brain extracts. directly binds enhances its internalization Rab5-dependent manner. This physical functional interaction suppressed by β-catenin, which same intracellular region as Vangl2. In hippocampal...
Social stress has deteriorating effects on various psychiatric diseases. In animal models, exposure to socially dominant conspecifics (i.e., social defeat stress) evokes a species-specific posture via unknown mechanisms. Oxytocin neurons have been shown be activated by stressful stimuli and prosocial anxiolytic actions. The roles of oxytocin during remain unclear. Expression c-Fos, marker neuronal activation, in receptor‒expressing was investigated mice. projection examined with an...
Diet affects health through ingested calories and macronutrients, macronutrient balance span. The mechanisms regulating macronutrient-based diet choices are poorly understood. Previous studies had shown that NAD-dependent deacetylase sirtuin-1 (SIRT1) in part influences the health-promoting effects of caloric restriction by boosting fat use peripheral tissues. Here, we show neuronal SIRT1 shifts choice from sucrose to mice, matching metabolic shift. SIRT1-mediated suppression simple sugar...
Abstract Background We have recently reported that nicotine facilitates object recognition memory (ORM) encoding via stimulation of nAChRs and the subsequent inhibition voltage-dependent potassium channels in mouse medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) pyramidal cells (Esaki et al., 2021a, 2021b). Although these findings suggest activates mPFC excitatory neurons, it remains unclear whether activation neurons is involved nicotine-induced ORM enhancement. Aim Objectives examined retrieval using...
Significance Patients with addiction have a greater tendency to engage in risk-taking behavior. However, the neural substrates responsible for these deficits remain unknown. Here we demonstrated that chronic methamphetamine-treated rats preferred high-risk/high-reward actions and assigned higher value high returns, indicative of altered decision-making. Pharmacological studies revealed insular system controls decision-making both healthy rats. We further confirmed role cortex using designer...
E-cadherin belongs to the classic cadherin subfamily of calcium-dependent cell adhesion molecules and is crucial for formation function epithelial adherens junctions. In this study, we demonstrate that Vangl2, a vertebrate regulator planar polarity (PCP), controls in cells. co-immunoprecipitates with Vangl2 from embryonic kidney extracts, association also observed transfected fibroblasts. enhances internalization when overexpressed. Conversely, quantitative ratio exposed surface increased...
Social contact reduces stress responses in social animals. Mice have been shown to show allogrooming behaviour toward distressed conspecifics. However, the precise neuronal mechanisms underlying remain unclear. In present study, we examined whether mice towards conspecifics a defeat model and also determined oxytocin receptor-expressing neurons were activated during by examining expression of c-Fos protein, marker neurone activation. showed socially defeated After behaviour, percentages...
Uninterrupted arousal is important for survival during threatening situations. Activation of orexin/hypocretin neurons implicated in sustained arousal. However, orexin produce and release as well several co-transmitters including dynorphin glutamate. To disambiguate orexin-dependent -independent physiological functions neurons, we generated a novel Orexin-flippase (Flp) knock-in mouse line. Crossing with Flp-reporter or Cre-expressing mice showed gene expression exclusively neurons....
Abstract Multiple sequential actions, performed during parental behaviors, are essential elements of reproduction in mammalian species. We showed that neurons expressing melanin concentrating hormone (MCH) the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) more active rodents both sexes when exhibiting nursing behavior. Genetic ablation LHA-MCH impaired maternal nursing. The post-birth survival rate was lower pups born to female mice with congenitally ablated MCH under control tet-off system, reduced...
Recent advances in viral vector technology, specifically using adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors, have significantly expanded possibilities neuronal tracing. We utilized the Cre/loxP system combination with AAV techniques rats to explore subcellular localization of palmitoylation signal-tagged GFP (palGFP) oxytocin-producing neurosecretory neurons. A distinctive branching pattern single axons was observed at level terminals posterior pituitary. Despite challenges detecting palGFP signals...
Parental behavior comprises a set of crucial actions essential for offspring survival. In this study, double transgenic mouse model engineered to specifically express channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) in paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVN)–oxytocin neurons and ablate lateral area (LHA)–melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) was used determine the relationship between PVN–oxytocin LHA–MCH associated with parental behavior. Optogenetic stimulation ChR2-expressing induces typical intact neurons....
Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) modulates energy metabolism and neuroendocrine stress responses. FGF21 synthesis is increased after environmental or metabolic challenges. Detailed roles of in the control behavioural disturbances under stressful conditions remain to be clarified. Here, we examined changes social defeat male rodents. Central administration number tyrosine hydroxylase-positive catecholaminergic cells expressing c-Fos protein, an activity marker neurones, nucleus tractus...
Abstract The cerebellum plays an important role in cognitive and social functioning. Childhood damage the increases risk of autism spectrum disorder. Cerebellar inflammation induces avoidance mice. Oxytocin regulates relationship expression pattern oxytocin receptor brain is related to behaviors. However, patterns remain controversial. Here, we report that are highly variable among knock-in transgenic lines. We used Oxtr-Cre mice combined with a fluorescent reporter line found Bergmann glia...