LAB LOGA page on LabLog, a review site (not the lab's official page)
Chronobiology Lab
Machine-translated · View original
The lab uses Hydra and Drosophila to approach the fundamental principles of sleep and circadian rhythms.
AboutAbout the lab
Taking on the question of why animals sleep.
The Chronobiology Lab uses the cnidarian Hydra and the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as its main model organisms to study sleep and circadian rhythms in an integrated way.
By comparing organisms with extremely simple nervous systems to model organisms that allow advanced genetic analysis, the lab seeks to uncover the fundamental principles that give rise to these phenomena.
Three questions are at the center of the research: "What are the minimum requirements for sleep to exist?", "How did sleep emerge over the course of evolution?", and "Why do animals sleep?"
The lab was established in April 2023.
Key terms
- Circadian rhythm
- A rhythm with a period of about one day that anticipates daily recurring changes in the environment and prepares the state of the body in advance
- Cnidarians
- The group of animals that includes Hydra. The lab uses them as organisms with an extremely simple nervous system
NewsLab news
A paper from the lab was published in Frontiers in Toxicology
A paper from the lab was published in Zoological Letters
ResearchResearch themes
Using a comparative biology approach that compares organisms whose nervous systems differ greatly in complexity, the lab aims to understand the conditions under which the biological phenomenon of sleep arises, its evolutionary origins, and its molecular mechanisms. Current work covers three themes: Hydra, Drosophila, and the development of new model systems.
Exploring the fundamental principles of sleep in Hydra
The lab showed that Hydra, which has an extremely simple nervous system, has a sleep-like state, and that even cut-off body fragments show sleep-like behavior. The lab explores the fundamental principles that produce sleep at the molecular, cellular, and behavioral levels.
Exploring molecular mechanisms in Drosophila
Using the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, which is easy to analyze genetically, the lab investigates the molecular mechanisms that regulate circadian rhythms and sleep. It is testing whether the sleep regulators found in Hydra are also conserved in other animals.
Developing new model systems
In addition to existing model organisms, the lab works on developing new model organisms and analytical methods according to research needs, aiming to distinguish the universal principles of chronobiological phenomena from features specific to particular species.
MembersFaculty
Members of the Chronobiology Lab include faculty, postdoctoral researchers, technical staff, doctoral and master's students, and research students.As of 2026
- Associate ProfessorTaichi Itoh
VoicesStudent voices
Ratings and reviews reflect the experiences of individual current or former students, not the lab's official views. Whether a lab has reviews, or how many, says nothing about the lab itself.
Students who take part in an interview may receive a thank-you gift worth ¥1,000, regardless of what they say.
Student ratings (0 students)
--
--
--
--
--
--
Student voices answer questions like these
- What's great about this lab?
- What did you learn after joining?
- What's the vibe, and what is the professor like?
- Who is this lab for?
- Where do graduates go?
Your experience can help younger students choose their lab. Your name won't be shown.
Write a lab reviewAnonymous · Your draft is saved if you stopThe information on this page is compiled by the LabLog team from the lab's public information and interviews. For corrections or removal requests, please contact LabLog, not the lab.
Report an errorAbout LabLog
LabLog is a lab review app for students only. Student members at each university interview students in labs and publish what they say. Student voices can only be read by students who sign up with a university email address. Operated by bestiee Inc.
Learn more about LabLog ↗Search engines and AI may reference the basic lab info and rating summaries on this page and the description of LabLog. Student voices are for student members only. Automated collection by programs (scraping, or input to or training of AI) is prohibited under Article 8 of the Terms of Service. If you need data for research or analysis, please contact us.