Events
Title: Synaptic plasticity and roles of orexin in distinct domains of the olfactory tubercle
Author: Sajib Podder, Yoshihiro Murata, Mutsuo Taniguchi, Shogo Shimizu, Masahiro Yamaguchi
Journal: Frontiers in Neural Circuits, volume 18, article 1473403 (2024)
URL： https://doi.org/10.3389/fncir.2024.1473403
The olfactory tubercle (OT) has functional domains and serves as a crucial hub
for odor-guided motivated behaviors: anteromedial (amOT) and lateral (lOT) domains with roles in
attractive and aversive olfactory behavioral learning, respectively.
This paper shows the similarities of synaptic plasticity and differences of modulations by orexin between amOT and lOT.
1) Long-term potentiation (LTP) can be induced by 2-Hz burst stimulation at glutamatergic synapses in both amOT and lOT.
2) Orexin promotes synaptic plasticity via orexin receptor type 1 specifically in the amOT, but not in the lOT.
Combining these two factors is considered crucial for promoting OT domain-specific circuit plasticity and acquiring odor valences in a learning-dependent manner.
This study will contribute to further understanding of neural circuit mechanisms in adaptive learning of motivated behaviors.
Title: Activation of arginine vasopressin receptor 1a reduces inhibitory synaptic currents at reciprocal synapses in the mouse accessory olfactory bulb
Author: Mutsuo Taniguchi, Yoshihiro Murata, Masahiro Yamaguchi, Hideto Kaba
Journal: Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, volume 18, article 1466817 (2024)
URL：https://doi.org/10.3389/fncel.2024.1466817
Central vasopressin (AVP) facilitates social recognition and modulates numerous complex social behaviors in mammals.
The accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) has been demonstrated to be a critical site for mating-induced mate recognition in female mice.
The effect of AVP, however, on the synaptic transmission between dendrites in the AOB is largely unknown.
To address this issue, with using the whole-cell voltage clamps we measured reciprocal synaptic currents (IPSCs) from mitral cells in the AOB slice preparation of female mice.
We have demonstrated that AVP significantly reduced the IPSCs via V1a receptors.
Additionally, AVP significantly suppressed voltage-activated currents in granule cells without affecting the magnitude of the response of mitral cells to gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA).
The present results suggest that V1aRs play a role in reciprocal transmission between mitral cells and granule cells in the mouse AOB by reducing GABAergic transmission through a presynaptic mechanism in granule cells.
The 58th Annual Meeting of The Japanese Association for the Study of Taste and Smell .
Title: Association of detrusor underactivity with aging and metabolic syndrome: suggestions from animal models
Author: Shogo Shimizu
Journal: Journal of Smooth Muscle Research, volume 60, page 23-30 (2024)
URL：https://doi.org/10.1540/jsmr.60.23.
Detrusor underactivity, a condition in which the bladder muscle does not contract strongly or
long enough to empty the bladder completely or within the normal time frame,
is a common cause of lower urinary tract symptoms in older individuals of both sexes.
This review introduces the association of detrusor underactivity with aging and metabolic syndrome,
as well as possible pathophysiological mechanisms for detrusor underactivity from reports of various animal models.
Notably, metabolic syndrome may accelerate the onset of age-related detrusor underactivity,
and further analysis of old animal models with metabolic syndrome may help elucidate the pathogenesis of detrusor underactivity in humans.
Title: Connectivity of the olfactory tubercle: inputs, outputs, and their plasticity
Authors: Masahiro Yamaguchi
Journal: Frontiers in Neural Circuits, volume 18, article 1423505 (2024)
URL：https://doi.org/10.3389/fncir.2024.1423505
The olfactory tubercle (OT) is a unique part of the olfactory cortex of the mammal brain in that it is also a component of the ventral striatum.
It is crucially involved in motivational behaviors, particularly in adaptive olfactory learning.
This review introduces the basic properties of the OT, its synaptic connectivity with other brain areas,
and the plasticity of the connectivity associated with learning behavior, based on the recent findings of our laboratory.
Analysis of neural circuits in the OT would facilitate the understanding of adaptive properties of olfactory behavior.
Mrs. Maho Asano and Mrs. Yuka Satake were awarded gold prize and silver prize, respectively, as students taking a study course of Center for Innovative and Translational Medicine.
“Sagara award” of year 2023
Title: Learning-dependent structural plasticity of intracortical and sensory connections to functional domains of the olfactory tubercle
Authors: Md Fazley Rabbi Sha, Yuriko Koga, Yoshihiro Murata, Mutsuo Taniguchi, Masahiro Yamaguchi
Journal: Frontiers in Neuroscience, volume 17, article 1247375 (2023)
URL：https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2023.1247375
The olfactory tubercle (OT), a part of the olfactory cortex, has functional domains which are specifically activated by attractive or aversive odor learning.
However, the mechanisms of learning-dependent domain activation remained unknown.
Mr. Sha associated optogenetic activation of synaptic inputs to OT domains with attractive or aversive learning,
and found that both intracortical and sensory connections to the OT were potentiated in specific domains in learning-dependent manner.
This synaptic plasticity is considered to underly the learning-dependent activation of OT domains.
Title: Soy sauce and vanilla odors improve balance ability in children
Authors: Junichi Inatomi, Kiwa Yasuoka, Hideaki Takebayashi, Yutaka Yano, Satoko Kataoka, Masahiro Yamaguchi
Journal: Journal of Sensory Studies, e12871 (2023)
URL：http://doi.org/10.1111/joss.12871
Odor stimuli are known to influence motor activity. However, it remained unknown whether odors can improve motor ability in children.
Dr. Inatomi applied soy sauce and vanilla odors, which are preferred by children, to 3-6 years-old children, and found that the odor stimuli improved balance ability of the children,
in which they could extend their arms farther after odor stimuli. The result has opened a way to utilize odors for the therapy of children with motor disorders.
Mr. Koji Izu, a medical student in our lab, was awarded silver prize for a study course of Center for Innovative and Translational Medicine.
Izu-kun, congratulations!
Sagara award” of year 2022
In the International meeting of Taste and Olfaction in Okayama on Mar 18-19, Dr. Dr. Daniel Wesson in Florida University was invited as a special lecturer.
Dr. Wesson visited our lab after the meeting. Dr. Takeshi Imai in the Department of Physiology of Kyusyu University, who was a co-chair of the olfactory session in the International symposium,
also visited our lab. We all together had a very frank and fruitful meeting in our lab. We also went sightseeing in Kochi. We had very pleasant time. Dan, Imai-sensei, thank you so much!
Title: Risk of eating disorders and the relationship with interest in modern culture among young female students in a university in Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Md Monjurul Ahasan, Md Shahidul Quadir Patwari, Masahiro Yamaguchi
Journal: BMC Women’s Health, volume 23, article 35 (2023)
URL：https://bmcwomenshealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12905-023-02186-6
Eating disorders emerge most often in adolescent girls and their incidence has increased with sociocultural modernization.
In collaboration with a university in Bangladesh, Dr. Ahasan has found that risk of eating disorders in young female students in Bangladesh was related to an interest in several facets of modern culture such as fashionable clothes and modernized TV shows.
The result indicates that monitoring the cultural interests of adolescent females, who are continually exposed to modern culture and highly susceptible to eating disorders,
will contribute to the prevention of eating disorders.
Title: The importance of motor imagery ability in determining the optimal focus of attention during motor practice.
Authors: Junichi Inatomi, Satoko Kataoka, Sanae Hatada, Yutaka Yano, Kenji Hagihara, Masatoshi Katsura, Hideaki Takebayashi, Masahiro Yamaguchi
Journal: Asian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 18 (1), 173-180 (2022)
URL：https://doi.org/10.11596/asiajot.18.173
As an occupational therapist, Mr. Inatomi examined how moor practice can be efficiently conducted.
Using mental rotation task, healthy young students were divided into low-motor-imagery and high-motor-imagery groups.
The subjects performed the functional reach test and performance was examined during and after practice with different focuses of attention.
Internal focus (focus to own bodies) was more effective than external focus (focus to motor objects) for the low-motor-imagery groups,
while internal focus and external focus were similarly effective for high-motor-imagery groups.
The result indicates the relation between optimal focus of attention and motor imagery ability and opens the way of choosing appropriate motor practice for each person.
Mr. Shion Tomonaga were awarded gold prize, respectively, as students taking a study course of Center for Innovative and Translational Medicine.Tomonaga-kun, congratulations!
“Sagara award” of year 2021
A movie site “Yumenavi”, which provides movies of researches in university to young students, has introduced our lab.
https://douga.yumenavi.info/Lecture/PublishDetail/2021000548?back=
Our lab hosted the 18th Meeting on Adult Neurogenesis (online).
Scientists interested in the generation of new neurons in adult brain put together and are
organizing this meeting. With 62 participants and 15 topics, active presentation and discussion
were conducted. Thank you all for your participation!
Mrs. Kazuko Yokoi and Mr. Kiwamu Shibano were awarded gold prize and silver prize, respectively, as students taking a study course of Center for Innovative and Translational Medicine.
“Sagara award” of year 2019
Yokoi-san and Shibano-kun, congratulations!
Dr. Inatomi, a master course student in our lab, has become a doctor course student from this April. As a new postgraduate students (master course), Mrs. Kamioka (Department of Clinical Laboratory, Kochi Medical School Hospital) have joined our lab.
As members of the training course in “Center for Innovative and Translational Medicine” in Kochi Medical School, three undergraduate medical students, Mr. Kim, Mr. Tani and Mr. Izu have joined our lab.
Title: Expression of feeding-related neuromodulatory signalling molecules in the mouse central olfactory system.
Authors: *Yasuko Nogi, *Md Monjurul Ahasan, Yoshihiro Murata, Mutsuo Taniguchi, Md Fazley Rabbi Sha, Chiori Ijichi, Masahiro Yamaguchi (*, equally contributed first authors)
Journal: Scientific Reports, Volume 10, Article 8 (2020)
URL：https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-57605-7
Food odor elicits appetite, and the effect of food odor is heavily influenced by metabolic states such as hunger-satiety level. Dr. Ahasan has found that many kinds of molecules sensing metabolic states are expressed in the olfactory regions of mouse brain. Dr. Ahasan has also found that the expression level of those molecules adaptively change by odor-food association training. This knowledge will facilitate the understanding of how metabolic states regulate olfaction and the development of effective odor utilization for promoting appetite. This work has been conducted in collaboration with Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
A paper by Mr. Yutaka Yano, a graduate student in our lab, has been accepted in Occupational Therapy International.
Title: Olfactory Stimulation with Japanese Soy Sauce Improves Upper Limb Performance.
Authors: Yutaka Yano, Yoshihiro Murata, Mutsuo Taniguchi, Fumino Okutani, Masahiro Yamaguchi, and Hideto Kaba
Journal: Occupational Therapy International, Volume 2019, Article ID 2748721 (2019)
URL：https://www.hindawi.com/journals/oti/2019/2748721/
Pdf：http://downloads.hindawi.com/journals/oti/2019/2748721.pdf
As an occupational therapist, Mr. Yano introduced cooking activities for head trauma patients. During the therapy, he noticed that food odor improve the motor function of the patient. In this paper he presented food (soy source) odor to many healthy young students and revealed that the odor improved their motor performance of upper limb. The results will facilitate the understanding of relation between olfaction and motor system and development of odor-mediated exercise therapy.
The meeting was chaired by Prof. Fumino Okutani in the Nursing Course of Kochi Medical School (a former associate professor of our lab). Our lab cooperated in the management of the meeting.
Talk by Dr. Ahasan, a researcher in our lab, in the session chaired by Dr. Taniguchi and Dr. Murata.
Poster presentation by Graduate student Dr. Yano and Ms. Koga, undergraduate student Mr. Shibano, Mr. Nishiyama and Ms. Yokoi, Dr. Yamaguchi and Dr. Taniguchi in our lab, and Dr. Miyata in our cooperating lab.
Honorable lecture by Dr. Yoshihara, chaired by Dr. Yamaguchi.
Prof. Thomas Hummel in the Dresden University gave an invited lecture on the function of human olfaction.
Prof. Charles Greer in the Yale University gave a special lecture on the development of mouse olfactory system.
Dr. Taniguchi organized the party and Dr. Yamaguchi gave an initial greeting.
Prof. Okutani gave a closing remark in the meeting.
Sightseeing with Prof. Greer and his wife. We visited Kochi castle, Katsura-hama, our lab, etc. We had very pleasant time. Charlie, Sandra, thank you so much for your visit!
Dr. Misaka has been revealing the mechanisms of taste sensation through the functional analysis of human taste receptors. Dr. Misaka has developed sensor cells for sweetness, and has revealed how sweet sensation is modified and enhanced by various compounds. In this seminar, Dr. Misaka first explained the history of taste research and the development of objective measurement of sweet sensation. Then Dr. Misaka introduced recent findings about interaction of different taste sensations, importance of taste receptors in the deliciousness of individual animal species, and the neural mechanism of taste within the brain. Following the lecture, we had many questions from audience and had much fruitful discussion.
After the seminar we had dinner together and enjoyed deliciousness. It was very precious time. Thank you so much, Dr. Misaka!
Dr. Touhara has been revealing the mechanisms of odor/pheromone-mediated sexual and social behaviors through the identification of odor/pheromone molecules, their receptors, and neural circuits linking the chemical reception to behavioral outputs. In this seminar, Dr. Touhara introduced many new finding in mice from the chemical reception to behaviors, and also recent approaches to olfaction in humans. Following the lecture, we had many questions from audience with various backgrounds and had much fruitful discussion.
After the seminar we had dinner together and enjoyed talking. It was very precious time. Thank you so much, Prof. Touhara!
A paper by Mr. Kazuhiko Yasaka, a graduate student in our lab, has been accepted in Cognitive Processing. Congratulations!
Mr. Yasutaka Chikuda, a graduate student in our lab, has been awarded the “Young Scholar Promotion Award” in the 70th Annual Meeting of the Physiological Society of Japan Chugoku-Shikoku Division.
A paper by Dr. Masahiro Yamaguchi, a professor in our lab, has been accepted in Scientific Reports.
This paper revealed the development of olfactory cortical regions during weaning period in mice.
http://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-31604-1
As members of the training course in “Center for Innovative and Translational Medicine” in Kochi Medical School, four undergraduate medical students, Mrs. Ohta and Mr. Masaike have joined our lab.
As postgraduate students (master course), Dr. Inatomi (Tosa Rehabilitation College), Mrs. Koga and Mrs. Muramatsu have joined our lab.
Dr. Toshihara Namba, who obtained the doctor degree in our lab, has been promoted as an assistant professor in Aichi Medical University. Congratulations!
Dr. Monjurul Ahasan joined our lab as a research fellow.
Prof. Sakano has revealed the fundamental mechanisms of odorant receptor choice in olfactory sensory neurons and their axonal targeting to particular areas of the olfactory bulb.
In this seminar Prof. Sakano further introduced his recent findings on the olfaction-mediated imprinting in early neonates and its relation to human mental disorders, in which a novel olfactory circuit contributes to the attraction and attachment of neonates to odorous objects. His talk spanning from molecules to behaviors recruited much interest and discussions from the audience. Dr. Kensaku Mori, a designated Professor in the University of Tokyo, also visited our lab and joined the seminar.
After the seminar we had dinner together and enjoyed talking.
On the next day, Prof. Sakano and Prof. Mori kindly visited our lab again, and we discussed the past, present, and future of olfactory researches. It was very precious time.
Thank you so much, Prof. Sakano and Prof. Mori!
Designated Professor Hideto Kaba received a commendation from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) for his outstanding contribution as a member of the evaluation committee for research fellowships and international operations.
A paper by Dr. Tsunehiro Ochi, an assistant professor in our lab, has been accepted in Scientific Reports.
We held a welcome party for new members. Since this April two graduate students and four undergraduate medical students have joined our lab. Many graduates of our lab also came to this party. It was a very joyful time!
Dr. Namba’s manuscript has been introduced in the Neuroscience section of ”Biomedical Advances” as an excellent manuscript.
http://biomedical-advances.org/neuro-20175-16/
As members of the training course in “Center for Innovative and Translational Medicine” in Kochi Medical School, four undergraduate medical students, Mr. Shibano, Mr. Okano, Mr. Nishiyama and Mrs. Yokoi, have joined our lab.
Our lab has joined the “Center for Innovative and Translational Medicine” in Kochi Medical School, as “Neural Circuit Function Team”.
You can see the details from the banner at the top-page.
He gave a seminar on the neuronal mechanisms underlying various odor-mediated behaviors of zebrafish, including attraction to food, attraction to mating partners, and avoidance from danger signals, toward a large audience of Kochi Medical School. Dr. Yoshihara’s novel and through studies from the identification of signaling odor molecules to the identification of specific neuronal circuits leading to particular behaviors recruited much interest and discussions from the audience. After the seminar we had dinner together and enjoyed talking.
With members of Department of Physiology on Cardiovascular Control, we had the after-party following the practice of physiology for medical students.
Dr. Taniguchi, the associate professor in our lab, has been awarded for his outstanding research presentation in the 16th KMS (Kochi Medical School) Research meeting.
A paper by Mr. Manabu Okita, a graduate student in our lab, has been accepted in Brain and Cognition. Congratulations!
A paper by Mrs. Shinobu Kaibe, a graduate student in our lab, has been accepted in Journal of Clinical Neuroscience. Congratulations!
A paper by Mr. Jia Tong, a graduate student in our lab, has been accepted in Neuroscience. Congratulations!
Mr. Toshiharu Namba, a graduate student in our lab, has been awarded the “Young Scholar Promotion Award” in the 68th Annual Meeting of the Physiological Society of Japan Chugoku-Shikoku Division.
Mr. Namba’s paper: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304394016307406
PSJ regional award: http://physiology.jp/award/regional/
The 68th Annual Meeting of the Physiological Society of Japan Chugoku-Shikoku Division:http://www.okayama-u.ac.jp/user/phys68/award.html
He gave a seminar on the bottom-up communication and top-down control of the cerebral cortex toward a large audience of Kochi Medical School. Prof. Mori’s sophisticated talks with his new ideas recruited many questions and discussions and much encouraged young scientists. After the seminar we had dinner together and enjoyed talking.
A paper by Mr. Toshiharu Namba, a graduate student in our lab, has been accepted in Neuroscience Letters. Congratulations!