The University of Tokyo, Faculty of Literature, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Letters, 2001.03, Graduated

The University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, Department of Psychology, Master's Course, 2003.03, Completed

The University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, Department of Psychology, Doctor's Course, 2008.03, Accomplished credits for doctoral program

The University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, Department of Psychology, Doctor's Course, 2010, Accomplished credits for doctoral program

Ph.D. of Psychology, The University of Tokyo

The Physiological Society of Japan

The Japan Neuroscience Society

Neuroscience-general

Biophysics

Neuroscience-general

Synaptic activity dependent extracellular Ca dynamics regulates synaptic transmission, 2019.04 - 2022.03

Summary： Delta2 glutamate receptor (GluD2) is localized at parallel fiber - Purkinje cell synapse in cerebellum and can trigger long term depression (LTD) by binding to D-serine. Recently it has been reported that GluD2 has Ca binding site at extracellular domain that has influence on its affinity to D-serine. To investigate its physiological significance, electrophysiological experiment and behavioral experiment were performed. As a result, it was found that Dserine - GluD2 signaling was influenced by [Ca]o dynamics generated by synaptic activity at synapse level as well as behavioral lebel. Thus this study shed light on the new regulation mechanism for synaptic transmission; synaptic activity dependent extracellular ion dynamics can regulate synaptic transmission through post synaptic molecules that have the ion binding sites.

Molecular mechanism of synapse differentiation through crosstalk of C1q family molecules and glutamate receptors, 2017.04 - 2021.03

Summary： Splicing specific knockout mouse of neurexin3 exon25b was established, which has been suggested to bind to C1ql family molecules. With a specific antibody both, co-localized synapses were identified. But the interaction of these two molecules was not responsible for either synaptic localization. In splicing specific knockout mouse of neurexin3 exon25b, common abnormality in presynaptic function, defects in synaptic vesicle pooling was observed as C1ql knockout mouse. This indicate that both collaborated and worked on the presynaptic region.In addition, it was discovered that N-terminal region in kainate receptor subunits have ability of presynaptic differentiation. This function was specific in glutamatergic synapse, and the combination with C1ql was not indispensable and there was not the participation of neurexin.

The effect of extracellular Calcium dynamics on synaptic transmission, 2017.04 - 2019.03

Summary： Delta2 glutamate receptors (GluD2), which express in cerebellar parallel fiber - Purkinje cell synapses and induce long term depression by binding with D-serine (D-LTD), have Ca2+ binding sites at their ligand binding domain. In this study, I investigated how D-LTD is influenced by the extracellular Ca2+ concentration([Ca]o) dynamics during synaptic activities.
When [Ca]o was reduced during the LTD induction, D-LTD was facilitated. On the other hand, D-LTD was inhibited when [Ca]o was elevated during its induction. Moreover, D-LTD was always facilitated when the similar experiments were performed by using knock in mice that have mutant GluD2 whose Ca2+ binding ability was disrupted. These results indicate that D-serine - GluD2 signaling is regulated by the [Ca]o dynamics during synaptic activities.