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Laboratory for Neuroengineering
Associate Professor / SHIMODA Yasushi
- What is the "mind"?
- Understanding brain development and function
- Unraveling the causes of psychiatric and neurological disorders
Associate Professor / SHIMODA Yasushi
He is a teacher who is usually gentle, but also provides strict guidance when necessary. He listens to research concerns attentively and supports students to make their experiments easier to progress.
Research Content
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by social communication impairments and restricted, repetitive behaviors. It is more common in males, who experience greater difficulties with social communication than females. One risk gene for ASD, Contactin5, when the exon 4 coding region is deleted in mice, leads to social impairments, but only in males. By investigating the male-specific behavioral abnormalities and the molecular basis of Contactin5, the aim is to clarify the pathological mechanisms of ASD.
Behavioral experiments using mice
A Day in the Lab
The core hours of our laboratory are from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. I plan my research weekly under my theme. We have a seminar once a week, where I report progress, introduce related papers, and exchange opinions. On weekends, I have individual discussions with the professor to report on experiments. Our lab raises experimental mice, and we take turns caring for them daily. Every year, the lab members go to see the Nagaoka fireworks or have a barbecue, fostering a close-knit and friendly atmosphere.
Break time in the lab
Thesis Subjects
- (M)Analysis of the Axon Elongation Promotion Signal by the Autism Spectrum Disorder-Related Molecule Cntn5
- (M)Analysis of Social Behavioral Abnormalities and Their Molecular Basis in Male Cntn5-ex4 Knockout Mice
- (B)Effects of Cntn5 mutations found in autism spectrum disorder patients on Cntn5 degradability
The number of
PhD Graduates
1
Major employers of Graduates
- NBC Meshtec Inc.
- Seikagaku Corporation
- Nihon Generic Co., Ltd.
- Sakae Co., Ltd.
- Maintech Co., Ltd.
- Daio Paper Products Corporation
- Nakabohtec Corrosion Protecting Co., Ltd.
- Aspark Co., Ltd.
