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Laboratory for Molecular Dynamics of Mental Disorders
Tadafumi KATO
Laboratory Head
Tadafumi KATO (M.D., Ph.D.)
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Research Areas

The goal of this team is to clarify the molecular basis of bipolar disorder, one of two major mental disorders, to develop new diagnostic methods and treatments. Mitochondrial dysfunction is suggested to play a role in pathophysiology of bipolar disorder. In this study, animal models, postmortem brains, and patients' genomes are studied. We are aiming at elucidating the neuropathological changes causing bipolar disorder. A possible role of epigenetics in the pathophysiology of mental disorders is suggested/ We will study the role of epigenetics in mental disorder by analyzing postmortem brains of patients and animal models.

Research Subject

  1. Elucidation of the neural basis of bipolar disorder
  2. Epigenetic analysis of mental disorders

Related links

  1. RIKEN Brain Science Institute Website_Laboratories PageNew Window
  2. Individual Website Laboratory PageNew Window

Press release

March 23, 2010
Experimental mouse evolves in its feeding place and reaches maturity early without secreting melatonin

RIKEN RESEARCH

Auguest 05, 2011
Unraveling genomic changes in the brain
Differences in the chemical modification of DNA within neurons from different individuals may hint at new ways of understanding the roots of mental illnessNew Window
June 04, 2010
Evolutionary profits and losses
The disruption of melatonin production in laboratory mouse strains represents an apparent evolutionary advantage in terms of reproductive developmentNew Window
January 19, 2007
Challenging bipolar disorderNew Window

List of Selected Publications

  1. Iwamoto, K., Bundo, M., Ueda, J., Oldham, M.C., Ukai, W., Hashimoto, E., Saito, T., Geschwind, D.H., Kato, T.:
    " Neurons show distinctive DNA methylation profile and higher interindividual variations compared with non-neurons."
    Genome Research 21: 688-696 (2011).
  2. Kubota, M., Kasahara, T., Iwamoto, K., Komori, A., Ishiwata, M., Miyauchi, T., and Kato, T.:
    " Therapeutic implications of down-regulation of cyclophilin D in bipolar disorder."
    International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology 13: 1355-1368 (2010).
  3. Kasahara T, Abe K, Mekada K, Yoshiki A, Kato T.:
    " Genetic variation of melatonin productivity in laboratory mice under domestication."
    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 107: 6412-6417 (2010).
  4. Kuratomi, G., Iwamoto, K., Bundo, M., Kusumi, I., Kato, N., Iwata, N., Ozaki, N., and Kato, T.:
    " Aberrant DNA methylation associated with bipolar disorder identified from discordant monozygotic twins."
    Molecular Psychiatry 13, 429-441 (2008).
  5. Oldham, M.C., Konopka, G., Iwamoto, K., Langfelder, P., Kato, T., Horvath, S., and Geschwind, D.H.:
    " Functional organization of the transcriptome in human brain."
    Nature Neuroscience 11, 1271-1282 (2008).
  6. Kato T.:
    " Molecular neurobiology of bipolar disorder: a disease of "mood stabilizing neurons""
    Trends in Neuroscience 31, 495-503 (2008).
  7. Kasahara, T., Kubota, M., Miyauchi, T., Noda, Y., Mouri, A., Nabeshima, T., and Kato, T.:
    " Mice with neuron-specific accumulation of mitochondrial DNA mutations show mood disorder-like phenotypes"
    Molecular Psychiatry, 11, 577-593 (2006).
  8. Kubota, M., Kasahara, T., Nakamura, T., Ishiwata, M., Miyauchi, T., and Kato, T.:
    " Abnormal Ca2+ dynamics in transgenic mice with neuron-specific mitochondrial dna defects"
    Journal of Neuroscience, 26, 12314-24 (2006).
  9. Iwamoto, K., Bundo, M., and Kato, T.:
    " Altered expression of mitochondria-related genes in postmortem brains of patients with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, as revealed by large-scale DNA microarray analysis"
    Human Molecular Genetics, 14, 241-53 (2005).
  10. Kakiuchi, C., Iwamoto, K., Ishiwata, M., Bundo, M., Kasahara, T., Kusumi, I., Tsujita, T., Okazaki, Y., Nanko, S., Kunugi, H., Sasaki, T., and Kato, T.:
    " Impaired feedback regulation of XBP1 as a genetic risk factor for bipolar disorder"
    Nature Genetics, 35, 171-175 (2003).

Members

Principal Investigator

Tadafumi KATO
Laboratory Head

Members

Takaoki KASAHARA
Deputy Laboratory Head
Tomoaki KATO
Research Scientist
Mie SAKASHITA
Research Specialist
Fumichika NISHIMURA
Student Trainee
Fumitoshi SASAKI
Junior Research Associate
Taeko NEMOTO
Technical Staff
Junko HAYASHI
Technical Staff
Atsuko KOMORI
Technical Staff
Mizuho ISHIWATA
Technical Staff
Mizue KAMETANI
Technical Staff
Fukiko ISONO
Technical Staff
Ana KAZUNO
Technical Staff
Kazuyo KUBA
Assistant
Kazuya IWAMOTO
Visiting Scientist
Shinsuke WASHIZUKA
Visiting Scientist
Kae MUNAKATA
Visiting Scientist
Chihiro KAKIUCHI
Visiting Scientist
Koji MATSUO
Visiting Scientist
Miki TAKEDA
Visiting Scientist
Hidenori YAMASUE
Visiting Scientist
Akiko TAKAGI
Visiting Scientist
Mamoru TOCHIGI
Visiting Scientist
Atsushi TAKATA
Visiting Scientist
Satoshi FUKE
Visiting Scientist
Hiroko SUGAWARA
Visiting Scientist
Masako KOJIMA
Part-time Staff