Yukiko Goda, Ph.D.

Research Overview

Synapses are the nodes of information transmission in the brain. The dynamic changes in the efficacy of synaptic transmission or synaptic strength, play crucial roles in a variety of cognitive functions from perception, emotion, computation, to learning and memory. Our research seeks to understand how synapses acquire a particular strength and how the strength of individual synapses is dynamically modified in relationship to other synapses of the neural network. We study how these mechanisms of synaptic strength regulation control neural circuit properties underlying particular types of behavior.

Main Research Fields

Biological Sciences

Keywords

• Synapse cell biology
• Synaptic transmission and plasticity

Selected Publications

1. Chipman PH, Fung CCA, Fernandez A, Sawant A, Tedoldi A, Kawai A, Gautam SG, Kurosawa M, Abe M, Sakimura K, Fukai T, Goda Y.
   "Astrocyte GluN2C NMDA receptors control basal synaptic strengths of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons in the stratum radiatum."
   eLife 10:e70818. (2021)
2. Bradke F, Goda Y.
   "Molecular neuroscience."
   Curr Opin Neurobiol 69, iii-v. (2021)　doi:10.1016/j.conb.2021.07.013.
3. Tong R, Chater TE, Emptage NJ, Goda Y.
   "Heterosynaptic cross-talk of pre- and postsynaptic strengths along segments of dendrites."
   Cell Rep 34, 108693. (2021) doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.108693
4. Chater TE, Goda Y.
   "My Neighbour Hetero - deconstructing the mechanisms underlying heterosynaptic plasticity."
   Curr Op Neurobiol 67, 106-114. (2020) doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2020.10.007
5. Bassett DS, Cullen KE, Eickhoff SB, Farah MJ, Goda Y et al.
   "Reflections on the past two decades of neuroscience."
   Nat Rev Neurosci 21, 524-534. (2020)
6. Letellier M, Levet F, Thoumine O, Goda Y.
   "Differential role of pre and postsynaptic neurons in the activity-dependent control of synaptic strengths across dendrites."
   PLoS Biol 17, e2006223. (2019)
7. Thalhammer A, Contestabile A, Ermolyuk YS, Ng T, Volynski KE, Soong TW, Goda Y, Cingolani LA.
   "Alternative splicing of P/Q-type Ca channels shapes presynaptic plasticity."
   Cell Rep 20, 333-343. (2017)
8. Park YK, Goda Y.
   "Integrins in Synapse Regulation."
   Nat Rev Neurosci 17, 745-756. (2016)
9. Letellier M, Park YK, Chater TE, Chipman PH, Gautam SG, Oshima-Takago T, Goda Y.
   "Astrocytes regulate heterogeneity of presynaptic strengths in hippocampal networks."
   Proc Natl Acad Sci USA (direct submission) 113, E2685-2694. (2016)
10. Shinoe T, Goda Y.
    "Tuning synapses by proteolytic remodeling of the adhesive surface."
    Curr Op Neurobiol 35, 148-155. (2015)