Akiko Hayashi-Takagi, M.D., Ph.D.

Research Overview

Despite extensive research, psychiatric disorders remain poorly understood. Recent works have identified contributory factors for the disorders to be susceptible gene variants (molecular), synaptopathy (cellular), and alteration in neuronal circuits (circuit), which probably results in behavioral manifestations (individual layer). However, the relationship between each layer remains unknown, which hinders the mechanistic understanding of the disorders. Thus, we aim to gain a constructive understanding of the multi-scale hierarchical nature of the brain. This strategy would causally identify the contributory factors for psychiatric disorders, which could provide the knowledge necessary to establish circuit-centric therapeutics as well as molecular-based drug designs.

Main Research Fields

Medicine, Dentistry & Pharmacy

Related Research Fields

Biological Sciences / Biology / General Neuroscience / Psychiatric science

Keywords

• Psychiatric disorders
• Synapse
• Multi-scale
• 2-photon imaging

Selected Publications

1. *Obi-Nagata K, Temma Y, Hayashi-Takagi A.:
   "Synaptic functions and their disruption in schizophrenia: From clinical evidence to synaptic optogenetics in an animal model."
   Proc Jpn Acad Ser B Phys Biol Sci. 95, 179-197. (2019)
2. *Hoshiba Y, Wada T, Hayashi-Takagi A.:
   "Synaptic Ensemble Underlying the Selection and Consolidation of Neuronal Circuits during Learning."
   Front Neural Circuits. 11, 1-12. (2017)
3. *Shirai F, Hayashi-Takagi A.:
   "Optogenetics: Applications in psychiatric research."
   Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 71 (6), 363-372. (2017)
4. *Hayashi-Takagi A.:
   "Synapse pathology and translational applications for schizophrenia."
   Neurosci Res. 114, 3-8. (2017)
5. *Hayashi-Takagi A, Yagishita S, Nakamura M, Shirai F, Wu YI, Loshbaugh AL, Kuhlman B, Hahn KM, Kasai H.:
   "Labelling and optical erasure of synaptic memory traces in the motor cortex."
   Nature, 525 (7569), 333-338. (2015)
6. *Yagishita S, Hayashi-Takagi A, Ellis-Davies GC, Urakubo H, Ishii S, Kasai H.:
   "A critical time window for dopamine actions on the structural plasticity of dendritic spines."
   Science. 345 (6204), 1616-1620. (2014)
7. *Hayashi-Takagi A, Araki Y, Nakamura M, Vollrath B, Duron SG, Yan Z, Kasai H, Huganir RL, Campbell DA, Sawa A.:
   "PAKs inhibitors ameliorate schizophrenia-associated dendritic spine deterioration in vitro and in vivo during late adolescence."
   Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 111 (17), 920-928. (2014)
8. *Hayashi-Takagi A, Sawa A.:
   "Disturbed synaptic connectivity in schizophrenia: convergence of genetic risk factors during neurodevelopment."
   Brain Res Bull.83 (3), 140-146. (2010)
9. *Seshadri S, Kamiya A, Yokota Y, Prikulis I, Kano S, Hayashi-Takagi A, Stanco A, Eom TY, Rao S, Ishizuka K, Wong P, Korth C, Anton ES, Sawa A.:
   "Disrupted-in-Schizophrenia-1 expression is regulated by beta-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme-1-neuregulin cascade."
   Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 107 (12), 5622-5627. (2010)
10. *Hayashi-Takagi A, Takaki M, Graziane N, Seshadri S, Murdoch H, Dunlop AJ, Makino Y, Seshadri AJ, Ishizuka K, Srivastava DP, Xie Z, Baraban JM, Houslay MD, Tomoda T, Brandon NJ, Kamiya A, Yan Z, Penzes P, Sawa A.:
    "Disrupted-in-Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) regulates spines of the glutamate synapse via Rac1."
    Nat Neurosci. 13 (3), 327-332. (2010)