azulclaronumazu

入学希望の方一般・社会人の方研究者の方同窓生の方在学生の方教職員の方 日本語 (Japanese) Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University Access sitemap Link Tohoku University HOMEAbout UsAbout UsMessage from the DeanOrganizationMovieResearchLaboratories Department of Integrative Life Sciences Department of Ecological Developmental Adaptability Life Sciences Department of Molecular and Chemical Life SciencesResearchAwardEducationDegree ProgramsCourseSyllabusScheduleStudent LifeAdmissionAdmission InformationApplicationExamination Schedule and Application GuidelinesInformation Session(2024)Admission and Tuition FeesAdmission PolicyVoices from Graduates and Current StudentsAdmissions Q&AInquiries about Entrance ExaminationsFinancial SupportFor StudentsGraduate School&＃039;s Message Board for Students Information about Completion and Advancement to the Doctoral Course ProceduresCertificatesAbout Issuance of Various CertificatesNotice Regarding the Suspension of Operation of the Automatic Certificate Issuing MachinesLeave of absence/withdrawal from universityCampus Life, Various consultation servicesContactAccessLinkSitemapInformationAdmissionResearchAwardSeminarJobNewsAnnouncementOther MENU HOMEAbout UsAbout UsMessage from the DeanOrganizationMovieResearchLaboratoriesResearchAwardEducationDegree ProgramsCourseSyllabusScheduleStudent LifeAdmissionAdmission InformationApplicationExamination Schedule and Application GuidelinesInformation Session(2024)Admission and Tuition FeesAdmission PolicyVoices from Graduates and Current StudentsAdmissions Q&AInquiries about Entrance ExaminationsFinancial SupportFor StudentsGraduate School&＃039;s Message Board for Students Information about Completion and Advancement to the Doctoral Course ProceduresCertificatesLeave of absence/withdrawal from universityCampus Life, Various consultation servicesContactAccessLinkSitemapInformationAdmissionResearchAwardSeminarJobNewsAnnouncementOther 日本語 (Japanese) CLOSE Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University. Fields Integrative Life Sciences :Cellular Network Research Super-Network Brain Physiology HOME Research Laboratories Super-Network Brain Physiology JAPANESE Super-Network Brain Physiology In search of the glial correlates of consciousness. Every scientific endeavor begins with observation. However, observation alone can only lead to a realization of correlation. Experimentation is required to understand the observed causal relationships. The brain is a complex multicellular organ. The human "mind" is likely created by communication between brain cells. This notion is derived from studies of correlation between cell activity and animal behavior. Recently, tools were developed that give scientists specific control of cell activity. For example, light-sensitive proteins found in microorganisms, such as channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2), can now be genetically expressed in mammalian brain cells, which allows experimenters to optically control cell activity at will. We succeeded in generating a cohort of transgenic mice with consistent expression of a highly light-sensitive ChR2 protein. In addition, manipulation of the activity of "non-excitable" glial cells in vivo has also become possible. Our experiments show that selective optogenetic stimulation of glia can lead to release of glutamate as a glio-transmitter, which induces synaptic plasticity and can accelerate cerebellar-modulated motor learning. This finding suggests that glia also participate in information processing in the brain, a function once thought to be solely mediated by neuronal activity. We are actively using these optogenetic tools to explore the causal relationship between brain activity and the functioning of the mind. Research Overview We specialize in electrophysiology and optogenetics. Synaptic transmission occurs within a millisecond time frame and the synaptic contact is much less than a micrometer in spatial dimension. Current technology does not allow us to witness this event with sufficient time and space resolution. Electrophysiology allows fast sampling of electrical signals but synaptic events within a single synaptic contact cannot be readily resolved. Electron-microscope allows us to visualize the specimen with nano-meter resolution; however, it can only give a freeze frame view of the synaptic structure. In our approach, we typically use acute brain slices from mice and rats to study the communication between cells in the brain. Whole cell patch clamp method is used to record the ultra-fast signal transmission between neurons. Precise arrangements of the postsynaptic receptors are studied in the nano-meter scale using electron microscopes. Transmitter diffusion within the synaptic cleft occurs too fast and too local to visualize with the current technology; thus, it is calculated with numerical simulations. All three approaches are integrated to overcome the technological limitation that we have. I believe that the characteristics of the fine signal transmission between brain cells ultimately defines the performance of the information processing power that the brain possess. How subtle changes in the signal transmission characteristics propagates to the behavior of the whole complex network is what we want to ultimately understand. Optogenetics is a powerful tool to decipher this as it can directly connect the signal within a certain population of cells with the outcome behavior of the whole animal. In addition to understanding the neuronal network with electrophysiology and optogenetics, we are also focusing on the role of glial cells as well. Glial cells appear to form a network of their own and loose bidirectional communication appears to occur between neurons and glial cells. This loosely couple dual network of neurons and glial cells probably underlies the complexity and plasticity of the brain information processing. We aim to study this network of networks; thus, we named our laboratory, "Super-Network Brain Physiology".   URLs http://www.ims.med.tohoku.ac.jp/matsui/ Faculty Members Professor MATSUI Ko More Ultrafast synaptic transmission analysis Understanding of transmitter diffusion in extracellular space Glia-neuron interactions studied with optogenetics Assistant Professor IKOMA Yoko More ResearchLaboratories Department of Integrative Life Sciences Department of Ecological Developmental Adaptability Life Sciences Department of Molecular and Chemical Life SciencesResearchAward GO TOP Graduate School of Life SciencesTohoku University 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-Ku, Sendai 980-8577 Academic Affairs Section Tel : +81-22-217-5706 / Fax: +81-22-217-5704   General Affairs Section Tel : +81-22-217-5702 / Fax: +81-22-217-5704   Contact ・Privacy Policy HOMEAbout UsAbout UsMessage from the DeanOrganizationMovieResearchLaboratories Department of Integrative Life Sciences Department of Ecological Developmental Adaptability Life Sciences Department of Molecular and Chemical Life SciencesResearchAwardEducationDegree ProgramsCourseSyllabusScheduleStudent LifeAdmissionAdmission InformationApplicationExamination Schedule and Application GuidelinesInformation Session(2024)Admission and Tuition FeesAdmission PolicyVoices from Graduates and Current StudentsAdmissions Q&AInquiries about Entrance ExaminationsFinancial SupportFor StudentsGraduate School&＃039;s Message Board for Students Information about Completion and Advancement to the Doctoral Course ProceduresCertificatesAbout Issuance of Various CertificatesNotice Regarding the Suspension of Operation of the Automatic Certificate Issuing MachinesLeave of absence/withdrawal from universityCampus Life, Various consultation servicesContactAccessLinkSitemapInformationAdmissionResearchAwardSeminarJobNewsAnnouncementOther © 2004-2023 Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University no cache