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Tanaka Lab
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The lab investigates how sensory information is processed by studying the brains of flies and squid.
AboutAbout the lab
Exploring how the brain perceives the external world and selects behavior
The Tanaka Lab studies the processing of sensory information and the neuroendocrine system, using the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and squid.
How does the brain recognize the external environment and produce behavior suited to it? In Drosophila, the lab investigates how odor information is processed and how that processing is modulated by an individual's mood and physical condition.
Recently, the lab has also begun studying motor control of a body without joints or a skeleton, as well as sensory information processing in the brain, using the pygmy squid, a cephalopod.
In both animals, the lab combines anatomical and physiological methods to clarify the structure and function of individual neurons.
Key terms
- cephalopods
- Squid, octopus, and their relatives. Although they are invertebrates, they are known to show intelligent behavior.
- neuroendocrine system
- A system in which nerves release hormones that regulate the functions of the body throughout the whole body.
- electrophysiology
- A method of studying the activity of nerve cells by directly measuring the electrical signals that flow through them.
ResearchResearch themes
The lab works with two animals: the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and squid. In flies, it examines how animals adapt to changes in their environment; in squid, it examines the brain's information processing that gives rise to intelligent behavior.
*Illustrative imageAdaptation to the Environment in Flies
Using Drosophila melanogaster, the lab studies the mechanisms that sense environmental change and the mechanisms that alter the body's physiological state in response. The main topics are olfactory information processing, multisensory integration, and physiological responses to cold and starvation. The methods include electrophysiology, calcium imaging, behavioral analysis, structural analysis by microscopy, and modeling.
*Illustrative imageInformation Processing in the Squid Brain
Cephalopods, including squid and octopus, are invertebrates yet show highly intelligent behavior, including camouflage and movement without joints. Little is known about information processing in their brains. The lab works on the mechanisms of visual processing and arm motor control in squid, as well as methods for rearing them over successive generations.
MembersFaculty
The Tanaka Lab consists of faculty members, researchers, graduate students, undergraduate students, and technical assistants.
- Associate ProfessorNobuaki Tanaka
VoicesStudent voices
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Drosophila melanogaster 53362116” Alexis / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Adaptation to the Environment in Flies: “Degenerating-drosophila-retina” Guillaume Thuery / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Information Processing in the Squid Brain: “Idiosepius paradoxus himeika03” Keisotyo / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Ogawa Lab (Systems Neurobiology)): “African.field.cricket.arp” Arpingstone / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Takeuchi Lab): “Lepidiolamprologus nkambae LoroParqueTenerife cichlidae from nkambae IMG 5391” Bjoertvedt / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Yoshida Lab): “Docosahexaenoic-acid-3D-sf” Ben Mills / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Morphology and Function II Lab): “Arabidopsis thal kz1” Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
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