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Masamoto Lab
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A lab that explores how blood flow in the brain relates to neurons and glial cells.
AboutAbout the lab
Exploring how the brain works through blood flow
The Masamoto Lab studies the microscopic blood flow that supports brain activity and the transport of substances from blood vessels to brain cells.
The lab examines how neurons and glial cells relate to blood flow, using both experiments such as in vivo optical imaging and theoretical approaches such as image analysis and transport simulation.
The lab aims to contribute to preventive medicine that builds brains less prone to various diseases, and to the development of a "brain activity meter" that can simply measure brain activity in daily life.
Key terms
- Neurovascular coupling
- A phenomenon in which blood flow increases in the brain regions that become active. Also called neurovascular interaction.
- Optogenetics
- A technique that uses light to control the activity of specific cells.
- Glial cells
- A general term for cells that maintain the environment in the brain and regulate the state of neurons.
NewsLab news
A master's student received the Young Investigator Encouragement Award at the 30th Oxygen Dynamics Research Meeting
A master's student received the Young Investigator Encouragement Award at the 29th Oxygen Dynamics Research Meeting
A study on luminance fluctuations in the tissue around nailfold capillaries in humans before and after dialysis was published in GeroScience
A master's student received the Outstanding Presentation Paper Award at the Oxygen Dynamics Research Meeting
A study on the spatiotemporal characteristics of microfluctuations in capillaries of the mouse cerebral cortex was published in Microcirculation
ResearchResearch themes
Neurons and blood vessels in the brain work closely together, a relationship known as neurovascular interaction. Using clues such as the regulation of cerebral blood flow, the flow in microvessels, and changes in glial shape, the lab aims to develop preventive medicine and a brain activity meter that measures brain activity in daily life.
*Illustrative imageHow cerebral blood flow is regulated
In neurovascular coupling, blood flow increases in the brain regions that become active. The lab visualizes the movement of neurons, glial cells, microvessels, and blood cells to investigate how substances are transmitted between cells.
*Illustrative imageThe relationship between microscopic blood flow and neural activity
In collaboration with a medical school, the lab uses optogenetics to manipulate the flow in cerebral microvessels and investigates how changes in microscopic blood flow affect neural activity in the brain.
*Illustrative imagePredicting brain pathology from glial shape
Astrocytes and microglia change shape when they sense damage in the brain. The lab uses machine learning and other methods to automatically classify large numbers of 3D images of glial cells in the living brain, taken with a 3D microscope, aiming to identify pathological conditions and predict their progression.
*Illustrative imageImage analysis to support neurosurgery
The lab developed image analysis software that quantitatively evaluates the blood flow in cerebral vessels recorded during neurosurgery. It is now working on research to image finer vascular networks and the distribution of blood flow velocity.
MembersFaculty
The Masamoto Lab consists of faculty, visiting researchers, doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students, and research students.As of 2026
- ProfessorKazuto Masamoto
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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: “Blood vessels-3D rendering” Antonino Paolo Di Giovanna / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- How cerebral blood flow is regulated: “Cerebral Arterial Circle” https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Rachel_Sanchez_Thwing / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- The relationship between microscopic blood flow and neural activity: “Optogenetics imetronic” Bd008 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Predicting brain pathology from glial shape: “The Glowing Emptiness of an Alzheimer's Disease Patient” Nicocapelo / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Image analysis to support neurosurgery: “Cerebral angiography, arteria vertebralis sinister injection” Lipothymia / Public domain (cropped)
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