We are conducting research on the diseases of the central nervous system based on pharmacological approaches. For example, we are analyzing the mechanisms of selective degeneration of hypothalamic orexin neurons, a key pathological feature of narcolepsy, at cellular/molecular level using brain tissue cultures and gene-targeted mice. Brain tissue damage associated with intracerebral hemorrhage in vivo is another focus of our research, and the topics include pathogenic mechanisms, relationship with motor dysfunctions, search for molecules potentially targeted by drugs, and the mechanisms of drug actions. Moreover, mechanisms of the actions of neuroprotective compounds such as retinoids, as well as the molecular mechanisms involved in degeneration of specific cell populations, are also pursued with relation to Parkinson disease and spinocerebellar ataxia.

a: A pair of neocortical GABAergic neurons revealed by GFP expression.
b: Both of the GFP-labeled GABAergic neurons were positive for parvalbumin (red).