Elucidating the brain mechanisms of learning and sociality
The brain's ability to adaptively change its function according to postnatal development, experience and learning is one of its most essential features. We are conducting research to elucidate the plasticity mechanisms that underlie learning and social behavior by imaging the brain circuit activity of mice behaving in real-world and virtual reality environments.
Selected Publications:
Distinct mechanisms of over-representation of landmarks and rewards in the hippocampus
Sato M et al., Cell Rep, 32 (1), 107864, 2020
Encoding of social exploration by neural ensembles in the insular cortex
Miura I, Sato M et al., PLOS Biol., 18(9) e3000584, 2020
Unravelling the neural circuit pathology of neurodevelopmental disorders.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which has been gaining increasing recognition in recent years, is thought to be caused by abnormalities in the brain circuits related to learning and sociality.
We are conducting research to elucidate the neural circuit pathology behind the core symptoms of ASD at the whole-brain and individual neuronal levels by combining imaging, facial videography and social behavior analysis in mice.
Selected Publications:
Virtual reality-based real-time imaging reveals abnormal cortical dynamics during behavioral transitions in a mouse model of autism
Nakai N, Sato M et al., Cell Rep., 42 (4): 112258, 2023
Social circuits and their dysfunction in autism spectrum disorder
Sato M et al., Mol. Psychiatry, doi: 10.1038/s41380-023-02201-0, 2023
Developing new technologies for brain imaging
In vivo imaging, or directly seeing and understanding the structure and function of cells in living organisms using a microscope, is an extremely powerful experimental approach in life sciences.
We develop new technologies to enable deeper, more reproducible, and more precise imaging of the brain activity in behaving and learning animals.
Selected Publications:
Fast varifocal two-photon microendoscope for imaging neuronal activity in the deep brain
Sato M et al., Biomed. Opt. Express, 8(9), 4049-4060, 2017
Hippocampus-dependent goal localization by head-fixed mice in virtual reality
Sato M et al, eNeuro, 4 (3) e0369-16.2017, 2017
Image Gallery
Two-photon imaging of mouse hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells.
Dendrites and cell bodies of GFP-labelled CA1 pyramidal cells（Thy1-GFP M line）
Two-photon calcium imaging of mouse hippocampal CA1 area（Sato et al., Cell Rep, 2020）
CA1 neuronal circuit activity in Thy1-G-CaMP7 transgenic mice navigating a virtual environment
Virtual navigation task for mice（Sato et al., eNeuro, 2017）
From RIKEN YouTube channel
Click here for our YouTube channel, which includes more videos.
Marrige of Mice（ca. 1796）by Jakuchu (The Hosomi Museum collection, Kyoto)
We are recruiting undergraduate students, graduate students and postdocs.
Why don't you join the Sato Lab@Kyoto Institute of Technology to do cutting-edge research on brain imaging and neurodevelopmental disorders?
We invite you to experience the fun of ‘doing research’, by which you can learn directly from nature. It will be far more stimulating than lectures and student laboratory classes.
We totally support your activity, such as seminars, conference presentations, paper writing and studying abroad.
We do not care where you come from or what your academic background is. Please feel free to contact us.
