Department of Neurophysiology

Our department is a branch of Physiology that studies the functions of the body in basic medical science, and we mainly conduct education and research on nerve functions.
Our brains contain a huge number of neurons, estimated at 100 to 200 billion. At first glance, all neurons seem to function in the same way: each receives information from surrounding neurons, generates an action potential in response, and outputs information to the next neuron. So, what kind of network do these neurons, which number far more than the world's population, form, and what role do each play to enable an individual, a human, to feel, think, and act?
In order to clarify the central issues in this complex and largely unknown field of neurophysiology, we are conducting research from an integrated perspective. In particular, we are conducting research into the sensory information processing mechanisms in response to external stimuli from the periphery to the spinal cord and brain, the mechanisms of pain, pruritus, and analgesia, the central control of internal organs by the autonomic nervous system, and also into the integrated understanding of brain functions such as the relationship between emotion formation and memory/learning, consciousness/awakening, and brain dysfunction such as developmental disorders, with the aim of obtaining results that will be useful for the treatment of diseases and the promotion of health. In addition to educating students in neurophysiology as a basic medical science, we also provide advice and support for Neurophysiology Research, such as research guidance for Graduate Students with an eye toward studying abroad, joint research both domestically and internationally, and Electrophysiological Research from an integrated perspective using the in vivo patch clamp method, which we developed ahead of the rest of the world.