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Pharmacology Lab
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A lab that investigates neural circuits underlying memory and emotion to find drug discovery targets for brain disorders.
AboutAbout the lab
Brain research that is enjoyable and full of hope.
The Pharmacology 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.
When neural circuits stop working normally, they can lead to diseases such as depression, but the exact targets of many therapeutic drugs are still unclear.
The lab therefore aims to find the root causes of diseases and targets for drug discovery, based on an understanding of neural circuits.
Through brain research, the lab also aims to train talent who can be active in a variety of settings.
Key terms
- Neural circuits
- A network in which neurons are connected and exchange signals to process information. It is the basis of brain functions such as memory and emotion.
- Interoception
- Sensation from inside the body, which the brain obtains by constantly monitoring the physiological state of the internal organs.
- Vagus nerve
- One of the peripheral nerves connecting the brain and the internal organs. It conveys the state of the organs to the brain.
- Electroencephalogram (EEG)
- A signal recorded with electrodes that captures the changes in electrical potential produced by the combined electrical activity of many neurons. Also known as EEG.
NewsLab news
Master's and undergraduate students won the Junior Researcher Poster Award at the Japan Neuroscience Meeting
A master's student won the Congress President's Special Award for Best Poster at the Annual Meeting of the Japan Neuroendocrine Society
A fourth-year undergraduate student won the Excellence Award at the fourth-year English presentation session of the Department of Pharmaceutical Life Sciences
Doctoral and master's students won the Excellent Presentation Award 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
ResearchResearch themes
The lab aims to find the root causes of brain diseases and targets for drug discovery, based on an understanding of neural circuits. Rather than ignoring the individual characteristics of each type of neuron that makes up the brain, the lab examines in detail how each type relates to brain function.
*Illustrative imageBasic mechanisms of learning, memory, and emotion
The lab implants many electrodes in cerebral cortical regions such as the hippocampus in mice and rats, and works to decode neural signals during behavioral tasks. It also investigates how these brain functions change in disease states such as psychiatric disorders.
*Illustrative imageHow sensations from the internal organs affect the brain
The brain constantly monitors the state of the internal organs through peripheral nerves such as the vagus nerve. The lab aims to understand how interoceptive information from peripheral organs is transmitted to and integrated in neural circuits in the brain, and how it leads to emotion and decision-making.
*Illustrative imageReading mental states from EEG and other signals
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
What first triggers Alzheimer's disease is still unknown. The lab tackles this question using model mice, with Down syndrome, in which early-onset Alzheimer's disease occurs frequently, as a model case.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Pharmacology Lab are faculty, technical support staff, and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorTakuya Sasaki
- Associate ProfessorNariko Arimura
- Assistant ProfessorHiroyuki 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: “GnRH Neuron” B. Ian Hutchins and Susan Wray / Public domain (cropped)
- Basic 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: “Polar RS400 Heart Rate Monitor” Bill Ebbesen, aka Atomicbre at English Wikipedia / Public domain (cropped)
- Reading mental states from EEG and other signals: “EEG Recording Cap” Chris Hope / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Searching for the trigger of Alzheimer's disease: “Purple-awareness-icon” ArtsyBee / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Lab): “NEUROTENSIN RECEPTOR 2” rcsb pdb / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Clinical Pharmacy Lab): “US Navy 030819-N-9593R-078 A Navy hospital corpsman unwraps medication to replenish one of the hundreds of bins in the pharmacy at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland” U.S. Navy photo by Chief Warrant Officer 4 Seth Rossman. / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Medical Pharmacy Education and Research Center Lab): “Pharmacist in the pharmacy” Akeeb Feroz / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Molecular Transformation Chemistry Lab): “8 Śląski Festiwal Nauki, MCK, Katowice,, , 1256” Krzysztof Popławski / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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