Introduction

One of fundamental but attractive questions in the field of neuroscience is to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying neuronal plasticity and learning & memory. Individuals live in different enviroment. We have to adapt ourselves, i.e., we have to change our behaviors according to the given environment. However, it is impossible to design one's gene before one's birth according to their living enviroment forseeing the life after the birth. In addition, the information aviailable from our gene is not enough to survive in the ever-changing environment. Memory is defined as follows; "Changes of behaviors by the function of experience". Neuronal plasticity, and its procuct memory give us the adaptability to a given environment by compensating the limited information available from our gene. We are attacking the mechanisms of Memory by using multidisciplinary approaches.

II. Introduction for our Unit and the Research Research "Brain, the organ of memory and cognition.” One of fundamental but attractive questions in the field of neuroscience is to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying neuronal plasticity and learning & memory. Individuals live in different enviroment. We have to adapt ourselves, i.e., we have to change our behaviors according to the given environment. However, it is impossible to design one's gene before one's birth according to their living enviroment forseeing the life after the birth. In addition, the information aviailable from our gene is not enough to survive in the ever-changing environment. Memory is defined as follows; "Changes of behaviors by the function of experience". Neuronal plasticity, and its procuct memory give us the adaptability to a given environment by compensating the limited information available from our gene. We are attacking the mechanisms of Memory by using multidisciplinary approaches. Research goal of our unit "Description of the machinery for neuronal plasticity, and learning & memory by molecular words” - Signal transduction pathways required for short-term memory - Gene expression associated with long-term memory "Find the way for the treatment of Age-related memory decline" - Look for the cause of memory dcline - Explore the molecuar targets for drug treatment Plan of attack “Multidisciplinary approach” - From molecules to physiology to behaviors “Memory-related gene profiling” - Identification of “Memory genes” "Characterization of Age-related memory decline" -

	Cerebellar Purkinje cell-specific expression of GFP (Click for detail)	Conditional deletion of ERK2 in cerebellar Purkinje cells (Click for detail)	Three targets of our research; Amygdala, Hippocampus and Cerebellum (Click for detail)
Research Resources In addition to state-of-art research equipment and the accumulated knowledge on gerontology research, TMIG, next to the hospital specialzed for elder population, has a variety of disease-related resources are avialble such as human brain bank. Please see the TMIG main research page for detail.
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