Research Topics
Human brain is the final frontier never explored by the experimental biologists. We are focusing on dendritic spines, which are fur smaller than the cell and have mysterious plasticity that underlie the brain function.
To explore human brain and to seek out the mechanism of mind, we are studying as follows:
- Molecular Mechanism of Synpase Formation
- Role of Cyntoskeleton in Synaptic Plasticity
- Pathogenesis of Higher Cognitive Function (Alzheimer's disease and Depression)
- Drebrin-imaging-based evaluation of mature synapses (Application to human iPSC-derived neurons)
1. Molecular Mechanism of Synpase Formation
Spikar is necessary for synpase formation
Spikar is a novel drebrin-binding protein. (Yamazaki et al., 2014). Spikar generallly plays transcriptional co-activator in various cell nuclei, but in neurons spikar is also localized in cytoplasm and plays as a mediator in drebrin-dependent synapse formation.
KAKENHI from MEXT
Hiroyuki Yamazaki KIban (C) 「Studfy for transcriptional proteins on synapse formation.」
2.Role of Cytoskeleton for Mature Synapse
Change of actin cytoskeleton involved in synapatic plasticity
3. Pathogenesis of Higher Brain Function (Alzheimer's disease and Depression"
Pathogenesis of higher brain function (Alzheimer's disease and depression"
4. Evaluation of Synapse Maturation (ex. human iPSC-derived Neurons)
DIBES
