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Address

Laboratory of Neuroscience
Department of Biology,
Faculty of Science,
Toho University

2-2-1 Miyama, Funabashi,
Chiba, 274-8510 Japan

Outline of research

 

Present research themes

1.   Effects of several kinds of stress on the rat brain and behavior
2.   Effects of aroma on the process from stress to depression
3.   Alterations in the expression of stress marker candidates in the human blood
4.   Analyses of brains in animal models for neuropsychiatric disorders, such as ADHD, schizophrenia, and Parkinson’s disease

 
Outline of research
     There are four kinds of stresses, physical, chemical, biological, and mental ones, and each stress has certain influences on the organisms. It is well known that development of stress actually results in psychiatric and/or neurological disorders. However, the mechanisms underlying the process from stress to disorder is not clear yet. We are investigating effects of several kinds of stress on the animal brain, while alterations are also studied in animal models for developmental disorders, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism (pervasive developmental disorder, PDD), depression, and schisophrenia.

     Recently, we found the new stress-responsive biomarker (stress marker) candidates from the brain and blood of rats. It should be clarified that these factors can be a stress marker in human blood from now on. It not only contributes to the elucidation of the stress response mechanism of the organisms, but also to the development of stress measurement system. This technology will realize objective grasp of a mental condition, and contributes to mental health at several steps, prevention, diagnosis, and progreass grasp after medical treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders.
Ten regions of the brain and pituitery gland in the rat
Analysis of the rat brain by 2-dimensional gel electropgoresis