Akihiro Yamanaka
1994 B.S. in Pharmacy, University of Shizuoka
1996 M.S. in Pharmacology, University of Shizuoka
2000 Ph.D. in Pharmacology, University of Tsukuba
2000 Research Assistant at the Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Japan
2002 Assistant Professor at the Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Japan
2006 Visiting Researcher, Yale University, USA
2008 Associate Professor, National Institute of Physiological Sciences (NIPS), Japan
2012-2022 Professor, Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (RIEM), Nagoya University, Japan
2022- Investigator, Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing
Instinctive behaviors, such as feeding behavior, sleep/wakefulness and sexual behavior, are mainly regulated by the hypothalamic neurons which synthesize and release neuropeptide as a neurotransmitter. We are focusing on these peptide-producing neurons and studying the regulatory mechanisms of instinctive behaviors by using the following approaches, molecular biology, histochemistry, electrophysiology, behavioral pharmacology and optogenetics.
2003 Young Investigator’s Award, APSS
2005 Best teacher’s award, University of Tsukuba
2009-2013 Researcher at PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)
2018-2020 Researcher at CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)
1. Matsubara T, Yanagida T, Kawaguchi N, Nakano T, Yoshimoto J, Sezaki M, Takikawa H, Tsunoda SP, Horigane S, Ueda S, Takemoto-Kimura S, Kandori H, Yamanaka A, *Yamashita T: Remote control of neural function by X-ray-induced scintillation. Nat Commun, 2(1):4478 (2021).
2. *Ono D, Mukai Y, Hung CJ, Chowdhury S, Sugiyama T, *Yamanaka A: The mammalian circadian pacemaker regulates wakefulness via CRF neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. Science Advances, 6(45):eabd0384 (2020).
3. Hung CJ, Ono D, Kilduff TS, *Yamanaka A: Dual orexin and MCH neuron-ablated mice display severe sleep attacks and cataplexy. eLife, 9:e54275 (2020).
4. Izawa S, Chowdhury S, Miyazaki T, Mukai Y, Ono D, Inoue R, Ohmura Y, Mizoguchi H, Kimura K, Yoshioka M, Terao A, Kilduff TS, *Yamanaka A: REM sleep–active MCH neurons are involved in forgetting hippocampus-dependent memories. Science, 365: 1308-1313 (2019).
5. Chowdhury S, Hung CJ, Izawa S, Inutsuka A, Kawamura M, Kawashima T, Bito H, Imayoshi I, Abe M, Sakimura K, *Yamanaka A: Dissociating orexin-dependent and -independent functions of orexin neurons using novel Orexin-Flp knock-in mice. eLife, 8: e44927 (2019a).
6. Chowdhury S, Matsubara T, Miyazaki T, Ono D, Fukatsu N, Abe M, Sakimura K, Sudo Y, *Yamanaka A: GABA neurons in the ventral tegmental area regulate non-rapid eye movement sleep in mice. eLife, 8: e44928 (2019b).
7. Miyamoto D, Hirai D, Fung CC, Inutsuka A, Odagawa M, Suzuki T, Boehringer R, Adaikkan C, Matsubara C, Matsuki N, Fukai T, McHugh TJ, Yamanaka A, *Murayama M: Top-down cortical input during NREM sleep consolidates perceptual memory. Science, 352(6291): 1315-318 (2016).
8. Inutsuka A, Inui A, Tabuchi S, Tsunematsu T, Lazarus M, *Yamanaka A: Concurrent and robust regulation of feeding behaviors and metabolism by orexin neurons. Neuropharmacol, 85: 451-60 (2014).
9. Tabuchi S, Tsunematsu T, Black SW, Tominaga M, Maruyama M, Takagi K, Minokoshi Y, Sakurai T, *Kilduff TS, *Yamanaka A: Conditional ablation of orexin/hypocretin neurons: A new mouse model for the study of narcolepsy and orexin system function. J Neurosci, 34(19): 6495-509 (2014).
10. Tsunematsu T, Ueno T, Tabuchi S, Inutsuka A, Tanaka KF, Hasuwa H, Kilduff TS, Terao A, *Yamanaka A: Optogenetic manipulation of activity and temporally-controlled cell-specific ablation reveal a role for MCH neurons in sleep/wake regulation. J Neurosci, 34(20): 6896-909 (2014).
11. Tsunematsu T, Kilduff TS, Boyden ES, Takahashi S, Tominaga M, *Yamanaka A: Acute optogenetic silencing of orexin/hypocretin neurons induces slow wave sleep in mice. J Neurosci, 31(29): 10529-39 (2011).
12. *Yamanaka A, Tabuchi S, Tsunematsu T, Fukazawa Y, Tominaga M: Orexin Directly Excites Orexin Neurons through Orexin 2 Receptor. J Neurosci, 30: 12642-52 (2010).
13. Muraki Y, *Yamanaka A, Tsujino N, Kilduff TS, Goto K, Sakurai T: Serotonergic regulation of the orexin/hypocretin neurons through the 5-HT1A receptor. J Neurosci, 24(32): 7159-66 (2004).
14. Yamanaka A, Beuckmann CT, Willie JT, Hara J, Tsujino N, Mieda M, Tominaga M, Yagami K, Sugiyama F, Goto K, Yanagisawa M, *Sakurai T: Hypothalamic orexin neurons regulate arousal according to energy balance in mice. Neuron, 38(5): 701-13 (2003).
