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Neuropharmacology (WPI-IIIS) Lab
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The lab explores the brain mechanisms that link sleep and motivation.
AboutAbout the lab
Unraveling the link between sleep and motivation
The Lazarus-Oishi Lab studies the mechanisms that regulate sleep, as well as drug discovery, centered on the brain pathways linking sleep, wakefulness, and motivation.
Using mice, the lab investigates how the caffeine in coffee and tea promotes wakefulness and how sleep affects immunity.
In its research on sleep and motivation, the lab combines techniques for manipulating neural activity with light or drugs with in vivo imaging.
The lab is located in the International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS) at the University of Tsukuba and is jointly led by Professor Lazarus and Associate Professor Oishi.
Key terms
- Nucleus accumbens
- A brain region thought to be important for drug dependence and motivated behavior.
- Adenosine A2A receptor
- A receptor in the brain on which caffeine acts. It is also involved in sleep regulation and psychiatric disorders.
- Slow-wave sleep
- Also called non-REM sleep, the main component of sleep.
- Single-cell gene expression analysis
- An analysis that examines gene activity in many cells at the same time, one cell at a time.
NewsLab news
Master's student receives the Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences Award, the University of Tsukuba Alumni Association Esaki Award, and the Meikeikai Award
Master's student's paper chosen for the cover of the Journal of Comparative Neurology
Paper with a lab researcher as first author published in Nature Communications
ResearchResearch themes
Centered on the mesolimbic pathway that links sleep and wakefulness with motivated behavior, the lab pursues a broad range of research on the mechanisms regulating sleep and on drug discovery. Professor Lazarus's group studies the relationships of sleep and motivation with therapeutic drugs and immunity, while Associate Professor Oishi's group studies short-sleeping mice and the mechanisms of sleepiness.
*Illustrative imageMechanisms Linking Sleep and Motivation
The lab found that caffeine promotes wakefulness via the nucleus accumbens, a brain region involved in motivation. Manipulating neural activity in the nucleus accumbens with chemogenetics and optogenetics induced strong slow-wave sleep.
*Illustrative imageDeveloping Drugs for Insomnia and Psychiatric Disorders
The lab developed A2AR PAM-1, a compound that enhances the activity of the adenosine A2A receptor. It induces responses in the brain, such as sleep, without affecting cardiovascular function. In collaboration with the Abe Lab at Hiroshima University, the lab is also developing a version that is activated by visible light.
*Illustrative imageThe Link Between Sleep and Immunity
The differentiation and proliferation of immune cells such as white blood cells are synchronized with sleep, but the mechanism is largely unknown. The lab examines white blood cells from sleep-deprived mice and others using single-cell gene expression analysis to search for candidate molecules involved.
*Illustrative imageExploring the Meaning of Sleep with Short-Sleeping Mice
While studying sleep and wakefulness through the reward system, the lab accidentally produced mice with an extremely small amount of sleep. Using multiple short-sleep models, it examines how short sleep affects the body and how short sleep arises, aiming to better understand the significance of sleep.
MembersFaculty
The Lazarus-Oishi Lab consists of faculty members, technical assistants, graduate students, research students and others, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorMichael LAZARUS
- Associate ProfessorYo Oishi
- Assistant ProfessorKoustav ROY
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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: “Sleeping-girl” rachel CALAMUSA at the Wayback Machine / CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped)
- Mechanisms Linking Sleep and Motivation: “Roasted coffee beans” MarkSweep / Public domain (cropped)
- Developing Drugs for Insomnia and Psychiatric Disorders: “Pharmaceutical Blister Pack b” Michiel4 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- The Link Between Sleep and Immunity: “WBC (neutrophil) at centre, numerous erythrocytes and platelets (dot like bodies) in Wright's stained peripheral blood smear (PBS) microscopy” Ajay Kumar Chaurasiya / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Exploring the Meaning of Sleep with Short-Sleeping Mice: “Circadian rhythm labeled” National Institute of General Medical Sciences / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (解剖学・発生学): “Laboratory microcentrifuge tubes and pipette tips 01” Gannu03 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (再生幹細胞生物学): “Laboratory Incubator; from a medical laboratory in Abuja, Nigeria” Frankincense Diala / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (創薬化学
（WPI-IIIS） ): “Fluorenona en matraz esférico” Manuel Almagro Rivas / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped) - Related lab (分子寄生虫学): “Trypanosoma brucei brucei SEM” Sue Vaughan / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
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