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Neural Function and Morphology Lab
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A lab that explores how the cerebral cortex is formed.
AboutAbout the lab
How the brain is built and how it works.
The Neural Function and Morphology Lab studies how the neocortex, which exists only in higher animals, is formed.
Psychiatric disorders such as developmental disorders and schizophrenia are also thought to have their causes or predisposing factors in minor malformations that occur when the brain is formed.
Using mice, the lab studies the migration of neurons and the formation of circuits of nerve fibers extending from the cerebral cortex.
Members from different undergraduate faculties, such as medicine, science, and agriculture, work together on research.
Key terms
- Neocortex
- A region that is well developed in mammals, especially primates. It is thought to govern higher functions such as the integration of sensory information and the control of movement.
- Cortical area
- A section of the neocortex divided by function. Examples include the visual cortex and motor cortex, each of which processes specific kinds of information.
- Pyramidal tract
- A pathway of nerve fibers that extends from the cerebral cortex to the spinal cord and controls the body's movement. It is also called the corticospinal tract.
- Axon collateral
- An axon that branches off from an axon and extends to targets such as nuclei. It is thought to be involved in rewiring circuits and in compensation after injury.
ResearchResearch themes
Focusing on the process by which the neocortex is formed, the lab aims to clarify how the brain is constructed. Based on these mechanisms, it seeks to reconstruct the brain and to approach the understanding of diseases associated with brain function and its breakdown, and ultimately their treatment. The description on the research page dates from around 2014.
*Illustrative imageThe basis of functional integration in the cerebrum
The lab studies the mechanisms and roles of circuit formation of long association fibers, which connect the lobes of the cerebral cortex. Using mice, it analyzes how neural circuits between cortical areas form during brain development.
*Illustrative imageConstruction of the cerebral cortex through cell migration
The lab studies how neurons of the cerebral cortex migrate from where they are born to build the cortex. It analyzes the role of FILIP, a molecule that suppresses the start of migration, and the process by which cells change shape during migration.
*Illustrative imageFormation of output pathways from the cerebral cortex
Among the nerve fibers extending from the cerebral cortex to subcortical regions, the lab studies at the molecular level how axon collaterals of the pyramidal tract, which controls movement, are formed. It aims to clarify their role in brain plasticity and to apply the findings to the treatment of brain injury.
*Illustrative imageCortical development and the nature of disease
Focusing on the fact that patients with autism show changes in the division of functions among cortical areas, the lab conducts research using molecules involved in synaptic function as clues. Using model mice, it examines the relationship between synaptic dysfunction and changes in circuit function.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Neural Function and Morphology Lab are faculty, project faculty, visiting faculty, doctoral and master's students, students in the MD Researcher Development Program, technical specialists, and secretaries.
- ProfessorMakoto Sato
- LecturerYuichiro Oka
- Assistant ProfessorMisato Yasumura
- Assistant ProfessorChaoyuan Cai
- Project LecturerTiong YinXin Sheena
- Project Associate ProfessorMinhe Xie
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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: “Cortical Neurons, stained” Ns takes photos / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- The basis of functional integration in the cerebrum: “MBP-Ank3-Rat-Cerebral-Cortex” GerryShaw / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Construction of the cerebral cortex through cell migration: “Neurons (Purkinje cells)” Lennart Rikk / CC0 (cropped)
- Formation of output pathways from the cerebral cortex: “Illustration of the motor neuron tract descending from primary motor cortex, via spinal cord, to skeletal muscle” PaulWicks / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Cortical development and the nature of disease: “Layer V Pyramidal cell from mouse visual cortex” Quorumetrix / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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