Takaoki Kasahara, PhD Takaoki Kasahara, PhD | RIKEN Center for Brain Science - Lab. for Molecular Dynamics of Mental Disorders

Takaoki Kasahara, PhD | RIKEN Center for Brain Science - Lab. for Molecular Dynamics of Mental Disorders

Biography

Takaoki Kasahara is a Deputy Team Leader of Laboratory for Molecular Dynamics of Mental Disorders in Center for Brain Science, RIKEN and a Part-time Lecturer in Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University. He did his undergraduate studies in Arts and Sciences at The University of Tokyo and received his Ph.D in Science from The University of Tokyo. His main research interest is the evolutions of genes, species, brain and mind. He has received grants from Kakenhi and AMED. In 2004 he received Ando Momofuku Honor Prize, Ando Foundation and in 2007, an Academic Prize, Japanese Society for Biological Psychiatry. He also actively engages in outreach activities.

Research Interests

Takaoki's current research examines (1) mouse models of bipolar disorder and depression which were developed based on rare and common variants detected in patients, (2) melatonin and other hormones, and (3) the evolution of sex chromosomes.

Profile

2007-present
Deputy Laboratory Head, Brain Science Institute/Center for Brain Science, RIKEN
2006-2007
Research Scientist, RIKEN Brain Science Institute
2003-2006
Special Postdoctoral Researcher, RIKEN
2001-2003
Research Scientist, RIKEN Brain Science Institute
1998-2001
JSPS Research Fellow (DC1)
2010-present
Part-time Lecturer, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University
2010-present
Board Member, Japanese Society of Biological Psychiatry

Selected Publications

  1. Kasahara, T., Ishiwata, M., Kakiuchi, C., Fuke, S., Iwata, N., Ozaki, N., Kunugi, H., Minabe, Y., Nakamura, K., Iwata, Y., Fujii, K., Kanba, S., Ujike, H., Kusumi, I., Kataoka, M., Matoba, N., Takata, A., Iwamoto, K., Yoshikawa, T., and Kato, T.
    Enrichment of deleterious variants of mitochondrial DNA polymerase gene (POLG1) in bipolar disorder.
    Psychiatry Clin. Neurosci. 71, 518-529 (2017)
    https://doi.org/10.1111/pcn.12496
  2. Kasahara, T., Takata, A., Kato, T.M., Kubota-Sakashita, M., Sawada, T., Kakita, A., Mizukami, H., Kaneda, D., Ozawa, K., and Kato, T.
    Depression-like episodes in mice harboring mtDNA deletions in paraventricular thalamus.
    Mol. Psychiatry 21, 39-48 (2016)
    https://doi.org/10.1038/mp.2015.156.
  3. Kasahara, T., Abe, K., Mekada, K., Yoshiki, A., and Kato, T.
    Genetic variation of melatonin productivity in laboratory mice under domestication.
    Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 107, 6412-6417 (2010)
    https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0914399107
  4. 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.
    Mol. Psychiatry 11, 577-593 (2006)
    https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.mp.4001824
  5. Kasahara, T., and Kato, T.
    A new redox-cofactor vitamin for mammals.
    Nature 422, 832 (2003)
    https://doi.org/10.1038/422832a