LAB LOGA page on LabLog, a review site (not the lab's official page)
Super-network Brain Physiology Lab (Graduate School of Life Sciences)
Machine-translated · View original
A lab that explores the mechanisms of the mind through signal transmission between neurons and glial cells.
AboutAbout the lab
Exploring the circuit basis of the mind through signaling between brain cells
The Super-network Brain Physiology Lab (Matsui Lab) studies the question "What is the mind?" through signal transmission between cells in the brain.
The brain contains glial cells in addition to neurons, and the lab investigates how signals are passed between neurons and glia.
Through this, the lab aims to understand how mental functions arise.
Using thin brain slices from mice and rats as well as living mice, the lab manipulates brain cell activity with light and electricity and measures the responses.
The lab accepts graduate students from both the Graduate School of Life Sciences and the Graduate School of Medicine.
Key terms
- Glial cells
- Cells in the brain that are of a different type from neurons. They have been found to outnumber neurons and to occupy a larger volume.
- Optogenetics
- A technique in which light-responsive molecules are expressed in specific cells so that the activity of those cells can be excited or suppressed with light.
- Two-photon imaging
- A method for observing living brain tissue at high resolution and recording changes inside cells, such as in calcium, with light.
NewsLab news
Paper on vagus nerve stimulation and long-term learning published in iScience
PhD student wins Best Poster Award at a networking event between companies and PhD talent
PhD student wins Excellent Presentation Award at the Young Researcher Training Dojo at NEURO2026
Paper on brain energy metabolism during sleep published in Communications Biology
ResearchResearch themes
This lab investigates the question "What is the mind?" through signal transmission between brain cells. It analyzes how signals are passed between neurons and glial cells using electrophysiology, two-photon imaging, and optogenetics.
*Illustrative imageSignal Transmission from Neurons to Glia
The lab investigates how neuronal activity is conveyed to glial cells, which outnumber neurons. It records the electrical responses and changes in calcium concentration of cerebellar glial cells using electrodes and two-photon imaging.
*Illustrative imageManipulating Glia with Light to Affect Neurons
The lab expresses light-controllable molecules in glial cells and examines whether stimulating only the glia with light transmits signals to neurons. When glia in the cerebellum of living mice were stimulated with light, the pupils dilated and changes appeared in eye movements.
*Illustrative imageThe Role of Glia in the Diseased Brain
The lab studies the function of glia in brains placed under extreme conditions such as cerebral ischemia and epilepsy. By manipulating the activity of specific cells with light, it aims to understand disease mechanisms and ultimately control them, while also taking on the challenge of elucidating how mental functions such as consciousness are maintained.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Super-network Brain Physiology Lab consist of faculty, emeritus professors, PhD and master's students, and administrative assistants and secretaries.As of 2026
- ProfessorKo Matsui
- Assistant ProfessorYoko Ikoma
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 stopRelatedLabs similar to Super-network Brain Physiology Lab (Graduate School of Life Sciences)
Molecular Epidemiology Lab (Environment and Genome Research Center)Faculty of Medicine, School of MedicineMolecular epidemiology: an interdisciplinary field integrati…
Cognitive Physiology Lab (Center for Creative and Applied Medicine)Faculty of Medicine, School of MedicineMemory formation (object, temporal, and spatial memory: what…
Biological Systems Physiology LabFaculty of Medicine, School of MedicineSensory-motor transformation in the brain; neurophysiologica…
Genomic Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences Lab (Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences)Faculty of Medicine, School of MedicineMolecular-level elucidation of the relationship between inte…The 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 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: “Patch rig” Peter Duncan / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Signal Transmission from Neurons to Glia: “Neuron-section” Panzer VI-II / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Manipulating Glia with Light to Affect Neurons: “Dye laser alignment intra-cavity beam @ 589nm” Zaereth / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- The Role of Glia in the Diseased Brain: “Barry Kerzin meditating with EEG for neuroscience research” Antoine Lutz / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Molecular Epidemiology Lab (Environment and Genome Research Center)): “Edward & Cynthia Institute of Public Health ( ECIPH) MPH Scholars after a field visit in Mangalore” Ginevrajocosa88 / CC0 (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 (Biological Systems Physiology Lab): “Close-up photograph of the eye of a baby with reflection of the scene in the pupil” Basile Morin / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Genomic Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences Lab (Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences)): “DNA translation example” U.S. Department of Energy Human Genome Program / Public domain (cropped)
About 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.