Yoshihiro Yoshihara, Ph.D.

Research Overview

Olfaction
Animals can perceive a huge number of odorants and pheromones in the external world, which evoke fundamental olfactory behaviors such as food searching, danger avoidance, mate choice, and memory recall. By using zebrafish as a model organism, we aim to clarify the molecular, cellular and circuit mechanisms underlying functional architecture of the olfactory system responsible for various odor-evoked behaviors and physiological changes.

Claustrum
The claustrum is a thin, sheet-like neuronal structure hidden beneath the inner surface of the mammalian cerebral cortex, whose function is enigmatic. Our group revealed that the claustrum orchestrates cortical slow-wave activity by inducing synchronous and global silencing of cortical neurons. We further advance this study to decipher the role of the claustrum in higher brain functions such as memory consolidation, attentional load allocation, and consciousness.

Main Research Fields

Biological Sciences

Related Research Fields

Biology

Keywords

• olfaction
• neural circuit
• behavior
• consciousness
• claustrum

Selected Publications

1. Masuda M, Ihara S, Mori N, Koide T, Miyasaka N, Wakisaka N, Yoshikawa K, Watanabe H, Touhara K, Yoshihara Y:
   “Identification of olfactory alarm substances in zebrafish”
   Current Biology 34, 1377-1389 (2024).
   10.1016/j.cub.2024.02.003
2. Narikiyo K, Mizuguchi R, Ajima A, Shiozaki M, Hamanaka H, Johansen JP, Mori K, Yoshihara Y.
   "The claustrum coordinates cortical slow-wave activity"
   Nature Neuroscience 23, 741-753 (2020).
   10.1038/s41593-020-0625-7
3. Koide T, Yabuki Y, Yoshihara Y:
   "Terminal nerve GnRH3 neurons mediate slow avoidance of carbon dioxide in larval zebrafish"
   Cell Reports 22, 1115-1123 (2018).
   10.1016/j.celrep.2018.01.019
4. Wakisaka N, Miyasaka N, Koide T, Masuda M, Hiraki-Kajiyama T, Yoshihara Y:
   "An adenosine receptor for olfaction in fish"
   Current Biology 27, 1437-1447 (2017).
   10.1016/j.cub.2017.04.014
5. Yabuki Y, Koide T, Miyasaka N, Wakisaka N, Masuda M, Ohkura M, Nakai J, Tsuge K, Tsuchiya S, Sugimoto Y, Yoshihara Y:
   "Olfactory receptor for prostaglandin F2α mediates male fish courtship behavior"
   Nature Neuroscience 19, 897-904 (2016).
   10.1038/nn.4314
6. Miyasaka N, Arganda-Carreras I, Wakisaka N, Masuda M, Sümbül U, Seung HS, Yoshihara Y:
   "Olfactory projectome in the zebrafish forebrain revealed by genetic single-neuron labeling"
   Nature Communications, DOI: 10.1038/ncomms4639 (2014).
   10.1038/ncomms4639
7. Kaneko-Goto T, Sato Y, Katada S, Kinameri E, Yoshihara S, Nishiyori A, Kimura M, Fujita H, Touhara K, Reed RR, Yoshihara Y:
   "Goofy coordinates the acuity of olfactory signaling"
   Journal of Neuroscience, 33, 12987-12996 (2013).
   10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4948-12.2013
8. Mizuguchi R, Naritsuka H, Mori K, Mao CA, Klein WH, Yoshihara Y:
   "Tbr2 deficiency in mitral and tufted cells disrupt excitatory-inhibitory balance of neural circuitry in the mouse olfactory bulb"
   Journal of Neuroscience, 32, 8831-8844 (2012).
   10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5746-11.2012
9. Koide T, Miyasaka N, Morimoto K, Asakawa A, Urasaki A, Kawakami K, Yoshihara Y:
   "Olfactory neural circuitry for attraction to amino acids revealed by transposon-mediated gene trap approach in zebrafish"
   Proceedings of National Academy of Science USA, 106, 9884-9889 (2009).
   10.1073/pnas.0900470106
10. Kaneko-Goto T, Yoshihara S, Miyazaki H, Yoshihara Y:
    "BIG-2 mediates olfactory axon convergence to target glomeruli"
    Neuron, 57, 834-846 (2008).
    10.1016/j.neuron.2008.01.023