Project Research Associate (BRAIN/Minds initiative)
Integrated Systems Biology Laboratory
(Prof. Shin Ishii)
Department of Systems Science
Graduate School of Informatics
Kyoto University
Currently, I am working on:
I am particularly interested in:
In collaboration with Prof. Shibata from Keio University, electron microscopic images obtained from the marmoset brain using an ATUMtome and a novel multi beam scanning electron microscope (MB-SEM) are used for three-dimensional reconstruction of neuronal circuits. This micro-connectomics project is part of the Japanese BRAIN/Minds initiative.
High-density micro-electrode arrays (HDMEAs) with more than 3,000 electrodes per square millimeter are a suitable tool to capture neuronal activity at various scales, such as axons, somas, dendrites, entire neurons, and networks. This technology is used to investigate signal processing in full axonal arbors of individual neurons and for analyzing the relationship between the topological structure of the neuronal networks and the emerging temporal activity patterns observed in dissociated neuronal cultures.
During the hibernation of the Golden hamster (or Syrian hamster, (Mesocritecetus auratus), the body temperature is maintained just above the freezing point and no electrical activity can be recorded from the cortex. During these "torpor" phases, the Alzheimer's disease-like phosphorylation of tau protein is associated with reversible spine regression and dendritic remodeling in the hippocampus. Surprisingly, hippocampal memory assessed by a labyrinth maze was not affected by hibernation. In contrast to previous studies, this suggests a role for soluble hyperphosphorylated tau in the process of reversible synaptic regression, which does not lead to memory impairment during hibernation. Furthermore, an induced hypometabolic state (artificial hibernation, or suspended animation) in humans could be used for emergency, surgery or longtime spaceflights.
