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Biological Information Science Lab
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A neuroscience lab that investigates how brain circuits work and how they change.
AboutAbout the lab
Understanding how the brain works and how the mind arises.
The Biological Information Science Lab studies neural circuits to understand how the brain works and how the mind functions.
The lab examines how neurons connect to one another, their electrical activity, and how these properties change over time (plasticity).
By decoding and manipulating the signals exchanged within neurons and between them, the lab explores how information processing gives rise to brain function.
The lab is recruiting graduate students and states that applicants are welcome regardless of their undergraduate field.
Key terms
- Plasticity
- The property by which the connections between neurons and the strength of their activity change with experience. It forms the basis of memory and learning.
- Basal ganglia
- A group of nuclei deep in the cerebrum. They are connected to the cerebral cortex and are involved in movement and decision-making.
- Neuromodulators
- Substances such as dopamine and serotonin that regulate how neural circuits function as a whole.
ResearchResearch themes
To understand the complex information processing of the brain, the lab focuses not only on the cerebral cortex but also on the basal ganglia, which are closely connected to it, and on neural circuits of neuromodulators such as dopamine. It studies brain functions such as motor control, memory and learning, decision-making, and social behavior, as well as the mechanisms of psychiatric and neurological diseases.
*Illustrative imageHigher brain functions carried out by cortico-basal ganglia circuits
The lab distinguishes neurons by their pathways from the cerebral cortex to the basal ganglia, then measures and manipulates their activity to determine what information processing each pathway carries out. It aims to produce findings that lead to understanding the mechanisms of Parkinson's disease and developing treatments.
*Illustrative imageNew technologies for studying brain function
The effects of dopamine, serotonin, and similar substances on neurons are difficult to capture with electrical recording alone. The lab clarifies these effects by developing new imaging technologies in addition to using optogenetics.
*Illustrative imageExploring the brain basis of language through songbirds that learn their songs
Songbirds, like humans, learn their vocalizations by imitation, and their songs follow rules similar to grammar. The lab investigates how the electrical activity of neurons represents these rules, in order to understand the brain mechanisms underlying language-like abilities.
MembersFaculty
Members of the Biological Information Science Lab include faculty, researchers, visiting researchers, graduate students, secretaries, and technical staff.
- ProfessorDai Watanabe
- Assistant ProfessorSatoshi Yawata
- Assistant ProfessorChika Nishimura
- Program-Specific Assistant ProfessorHiroki Yagi
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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: “STAT Optogenetics MIT Handout” statenews website hayadan website / CC BY 2.5 (cropped)
- Higher brain functions carried out by cortico-basal ganglia circuits: “Dopamine Pathway” BruceBlaus / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- New technologies for studying brain function: “Optogenetics imetronic” Bd008 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Exploring the brain basis of language through songbirds that learn their songs: “Australian Zebra Finch 0A2A3013” JJ Harrison / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
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