Developmental Neuroscience Project
Brain development forefront revealed by the principles of neural circuit construction
Chiaki Ohtaka-Maruyama obtained her Ph.D. from the Department of Biology at the University of Tokyo. She then worked as a post-doctoral fellow at NEI, NIH (Bethesda, MD, USA), and Riken (Wako) and became a Research Scientist at the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Neuroscience (the predecessor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science) in 2006. She studies neural development and has been a project leader since April 2019. Her research focuses on understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms of cortical development. In particular, she is interested in how the mammalian six-layered structure developed during evolution. Using time-lapse imaging and functional analyses, she discovered a novel function of subplate neurons in regulating radial neuronal migration.
Backgrounds
How does the mammalian neocortex acquire the unique six-layered structure that is thought to be the structural basis of complex neural circuits? To answer this question, we focus on subplate neurons (SpNs) that develop and mature first during cortical development. During fetal brain development, the migration, arrangement, and neuronal circuitry of a large number of neurons are precisely controlled, and SpNs play a crucial role in this process. Although altered SpN dynamics are associated with developmental disorders, the detailed mechanisms for SpN function remains unclear. Our research team studies the relationship between SpNs and neural network development in mice and humans to understand how transient early neural networks affect permanent neural networks that last throughout life（(Fig.1).
Objectives
- To elucidate the molecular mechanism of neural circuit formation regulated by the extracellular matrix components.
- To elucidate the pathogenesis of psychiatric and neurological disorders caused by neuronal migration defects.
Members
Project Leader Chiaki Ohtaka-Maruyama
- Keisuke Kamimura
- Takuma Kumamoto
- Atsushi Irie
- Yasuhiro Matsumura