ISOMURA LABORATORY, Tamagawa University Brain Science Institute

RESEARCH FIELDS

　Our research goal is to understand network mechanisms underlying brain functions (e.g., cognition, operant learning, habituation, decision-making, voluntary movement) in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, basal ganglia, and thalamus in rodents (rats). We make a great effort to analyze neural activity in relation with such brain functions at a cellular level and with millisecond time-resolution, by applying state-of-the-art techniques (multi-neuronal electrophysiology, optogenetics etc.) to our innovative behavioral experiments. Our findings on rodent brain will stimulate human brains eventually.

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Yoshikazu Isomura
PhD, Professor, Chairman
Graduate School of Brain Sciences,
Basic Brain Science Research Center,
Brain Science Institute,
Tamagawa University












Professional Experience
2010 – Present Professor
Brain Science Institute, Tamagawa University
2008 – 2010 Deputy Laboratory Head
RIKEN Brain Science Institute (T. Fukai lab)
2005 – 2007 Researcher
RIKEN Brain Science Institute (T. Fukai lab)
2003 – 2005 JSPS Research Fellow (PD)*
Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Neuroscience (M. Takada lab/A. Nambu lab)
*also stayed in Rutgers University Newark, USA (G. Buzsáki lab)
2000 – 2003 JST-CREST Researcher
Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Neuroscience (M. Takada lab/A. Nambu lab)

Education
1996 – 2000 PhD in Neuroscience
Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University (S. Kawaguchi/N. Kato lab)
1990 – 1996 MD (Note: a Bachelor degree. Not a license for medical doctor)
School of Medicine, Osaka University
1987 – 1990 Koyo Gakuin High School

Publications (selected)
Isomura Y et al. (2013) J Neurosci 33(25):10209-10220
Isomura Y et al. (2009) Nat Neurosci 12(12): 1586-1593
Isomura Y et al. (2006) Neuron 52(5): 871-882
Isomura Y et al. (2003) J Neurosci 23(22): 8002-8012

Patents (selected)
Behavioral experiment system (2): Pat. 5692681 (Feb. 13, 2015, Japan)
Behavioral experiment system (1): Pat. 4982854 (May 11, 2012, Japan)

Memberships
Japan Neuroscience Society, Physiological Society of Japan, Japanese Neural Network Society, Society for Neuroscience (USA), American Physiological Society (USA)

Awards (selected)
The Promotion Award of the Physiological Society of Japan (2000)
The Japan Neuroscience Society Young Investigator Award (2007)

Personal
I was born in 1971. Japanese (male; 165 cm, 64 kg), with wife and two kids at home, drink a little but never smoke, not good at English conversation and Karaoke.

PUBLICATIONS

See Researchmap (English).

LAB MEMBERS (as of November 2017)

Postdocs
Shogo Soma: JSPS Research Fellow (PD) (2015-2017), Brain/MINDS Researcher (2017-present)
Satoshi Nonomura: Brain/MINDS Researcher (2015-present; with Dr. M. Kimura)
Junichi Yoshida: PhD student (2014-2017); Researcher (2017-present)

Students
Masanori Kawabata: Master's course student (2015-2017), PhD student (2017-present)
Alain A. Rios-Davila: PhD student (2016-present; from Mexico)

Assistants
Chie Soai: Secretary (2010-2016, 2017-present)
Miho Goto: Technical staff (2014-present)
Hitomi Yoshimatsu: Technical staff (2014-present)

Alumni
Yoko Maruyama: Secretary (2016-2017)
Hiroshi Shigezumi: Master's course student (2014-2016)
Akiko Saiki: PhD student (2011-2014); JST-CREST, Brain/MINDS Researcher (2014-2016)
Yoko Fujiwara-Tsukamoto: CREST Researcher (2010-2015); moved to Hagoromo University of International Studies as an Associate Professor (2015)
Rie Kimura: CREST Researcher (2010-2014); moved to National Institute for Physiological Sciences as a Research Associate (2014)
Sachiko Ohno: Technical staff (2012-2014)
Sylvie Chan: Technical staff (2011-2012)

Collaborators (PIs; in alphabetical order)
Dr. Hidenori Aizawa (Hiroshima University)
Dr. Fumino Fujiyama (Doshisha University)
Dr. Tomoki Fukai (RIKEN Brain Science Institute)
Dr. Minoru Kimura (Tamagawa University)
Dr. Kazuo Kitamura (University of Yamanashi)
Dr. Kazuto Kobayashi (Fukushima Medical University)
Dr. Masanori Matsuzaki (National Institute for Basic Biology)
Dr. Toshihisa Ohtsuka (University of Yamanashi)
Dr. Yutaka Sakai (Tamagawa University)
Dr. Ken-ichiro Tsutsui (Tohoku University)
Dr. Ayako M. Watabe (Jikei University Medical School)
Dr. Hiromu Yawo (Tohoku University)
and many other friends

CONTACT/ACCESS

To: Yoshikazu Isomura
Brain Science Institute, Tamagawa University
6-1-1 Tamagawa Gakuen, Machida, Tokyo 194-8610, Japan
Tel: +81-42-739-8430 Fax: +81-42-739-7221
E-mail: isomura<at>lab.tamagawa.ac.jp
(Our institute is located in Machida, at the west end of Tokyo; 40-50 min from Shinjuku station, 1.5-2 hrs from Haneda Airport, 2.5-3 hrs from Narita Airport)