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Neuropharmacology Lab (Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
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A lab that focuses on the individuality of neurons in the brain to explore the mechanisms of memory and emotion.
AboutAbout the lab
Joyful, hopeful brain research
The Neuropharmacology Lab studies the neural circuits that underlie brain functions such as memory and emotion, using a wide range of techniques from the molecular level to behavior.
Because malfunctioning neural circuits can lead to disorders such as depression, the lab aims to find the root causes of disease and targets for drug discovery based on an understanding of these circuits.
Neurons in the brain come in many types, and the lab investigates in detail how their individual characteristics relate to brain function.
On the lab's website it is introduced under the name "Pharmacology Division," and Prof. Sasaki also holds a concurrent position in the Neuropharmacology Division of the Graduate School of Medicine.
Key terms
- Neural circuit
- A wiring-like mechanism in the brain in which neurons connect to one another and exchange information
- Interoception
- Sensations that reach the brain from inside the body, such as heartbeat and the state of the internal organs
- Hippocampus
- A brain region deeply involved in memory
NewsLab news
A master's student won the Congress Chair's Special Award for Best Poster at the International Society of Neuroendocrinology meeting
An undergraduate student won an Excellence Award at the fourth-year English presentation session of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Doctoral and master's students won Excellent Presentation Awards at the Annual Meeting of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan
An assistant professor won the Young Scientists' Award of the Commendation for Science and Technology by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
An undergraduate student won an Excellent Presentation Award at the Annual Meeting of the Japanese Pharmacological Society
ResearchResearch themes
Brain functions such as memory and emotion arise from information transmission in neural circuits. Based on an understanding of neural circuits, this lab aims to find the root causes of disease and targets for drug discovery, and investigates how the individuality of diverse neurons relates to brain function.
*Illustrative imageMechanisms of learning, memory, and emotion
The lab has mice and rats perform various behavioral tasks, implants many electrodes in cerebral cortical regions such as the hippocampus, and works on decoding neural signals. It also studies how brain function changes in conditions such as psychiatric disorders.
*Illustrative imageHow sensations from the internal organs affect the brain
It has been reported that interoception, which conveys the state of the internal organs, influences brain activity, but the detailed mechanisms remain largely unknown. Using methods from physiology, neuroscience, and computational science, the lab aims to understand the process leading to emotion and decision-making.
*Illustrative imageReading mental states from EEG and biosignals
Using machine learning and time-series signal analysis methods, the lab aims to create technology that extracts information indicating mental states from EEG and from autonomic nervous signals such as heart rate and respiration.
*Illustrative imageSearching for the trigger of Alzheimer's disease
Using Down syndrome, in which early-onset Alzheimer's disease occurs frequently, as a model case, the lab uses model mice to address the question of what the first trigger of the disease is.
MembersFaculty
The lab's members are faculty, technical support staff, and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorTakuya Sasaki
- Associate ProfessorNariko Arimura
- Assistant ProfessorTakayuki Igarashi
- Assistant ProfessorNahoko Sasaki
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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: “Siarhei Besarab during a laboratory microbiology session at the Faculty of Chemistry Belarusian State University 2008” Henadz Besarab / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Mechanisms of learning, memory, and emotion: “MicroElectrode Array Stretching Simulating und Recording Equipment” Kwayyy / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- How sensations from the internal organs affect the brain: “Neuroscience 2” Priit Tiganik / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Reading mental states from EEG and biosignals: “EEG Recording Cap” Chris Hope / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Searching for the trigger of Alzheimer's disease: “Amyloid-beta” Boku wa Kage / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Stem Cell Medicine Lab): “Onion cells under the fluorescence microscope 2” Kateryna Kot / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Cognitive Physiology Lab (Center for Creative and Applied Medicine)): “Brain Anatomy Model ( )” YVC Biology Department / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Molecular Oncology Lab (Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer)): “Olympus-BX61-fluorescence microscope” Masur / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Biodefense Lab (Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer)): “Flow cytometry scheme” Kwz at Polish Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
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