JAPANESE 
Kazunari Miyamichi, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Division of Developmental Biology
Research Interests
The brain can flexibly adapt the physiology and behaviors of the body to specific life-stage demands. For example, sexual maturation is initiated when the maturation and nutritional state of the body are ready for reproduction. Parental caregiving behaviors to infants are facilitated around the time when their own young are expected. Specific neural activity patterns that regulate milk ejection only emerge in lactating mothers. These examples suggest the presence of neural mechanisms that plastically adjust neural input organizations and output functions based on an internal state of organisms. However, little is known as to how such adaptive plasticity is implemented at the level of neural circuits. Our research aims to elucidate the mechanisms of flexible neuronal functions associated with different life stages in mice by targeting a diverse array of brain regions, ranging from the frontal cortex to the sympathetic nervous system. We employ a combination of cutting-edge techniques, including single-cell RNAseq, virus-based circuit mapping, in vivo imaging of neural activity, and molecular and neural manipulation of specific neuron types. Through our work, we hope to provide novel insights into the plasticity of the nervous system that underlies the control of animal behavior and body physiology.
Research Focus
- Plasticity of hypothalamic paraventricular oxytocin circuits
- Neural basis of parental behavior
- Neural mechanisms regulating appetite and metabolism
- Structure, function, and plasticity of the sympathetic nervous system
Recent Publications (*: corresponding author)
- Tasaka G, Hagihara M, Irie S, Kobayashi H, Inada K, Kobayashi K, Kato S, Kobayashi K, Miyamichi K*.
Orbitofrontal cortex influences dopamine dynamics associated with alloparental behavioral acquisition in female mice. Sci Adv., 2025, 11: eadr4620.
- Goto T, Hagihara M, Irie S, Abe T, Kiyonari H, Miyamichi K*.
Dietary Availability Acutely Influences Puberty Onset via Hypothalamic Neural Circuit. Neuron, 2025, 113, 1036-1050. - Yaguchi K, Miyamichi K*, Tasaka GI.
Flexible adjustment of oxytocin neuron activity in mouse dams revealed by microendoscopy. Sci Adv., 2024, 10, eadt1555.
- Harima Y, Tsurutani M, Yamada S, Uchida S, Inada K, Hagihara M, Irie S, Shigeta M, Abe T, Inoue YU, Inoue T, Miyamichi K*.
Parallel labeled-line organization of sympathetic outflow for selective organ regulation in mice. Nat Commun., 2024, 15, 10478.
- Tsurutani M, Goto T, Hagihara M, Irie S, Miyamichi K*.
Selective Vulnerability of Parvocellular Oxytocin Neurons in Social Dysfunction. Nat Commun., 2024, 15, 8661.
- Goto T, Hagihara M, Miyamichi K*.
Dynamics of pulsatile activities of arcuate kisspeptin neurons in aging female mice. Elife, 2023, 12, e82533.
- Yaguchi K, Hagihara M, Konno A, Hirai H, Yukinaga H, Miyamichi K*.
Dynamic modulation of pulsatile activities of oxytocin neurons in lactating wild-type mice. PLoS One, 2023, 18, e0285589.
- Hagihara M, Miyamichi K*, Inada K*.
The importance of oxytocin neurons in the supraoptic nucleus for breastfeeding in mice. PLoS One, 2023, 18, e0283152.
- Inada K, Tsujimoto K, Yoshida M, Nishimori K, Miyamichi K*.
Oxytocin signaling in the posterior hypothalamus prevents hyperphagic obesity in mice. Elife, 2022, 11, e75718.
- Yukinaga H, Hagihara M, Tsujimoto K, Chiang HL, Kato S, Kobayashi K, Miyamichi K*.
Recording and Manipulation of the Maternal Oxytocin Neural Activities in Mice. Curr Biol., 2022, 32, 3821-3829.
- Inada K, Hagihara M, Tsujimoto K, Abe T, Konno A, Hirai H, Kiyonari H, Miyamichi K*.
Plasticity of neural connections underlying oxytocin-mediated parental behaviors of male mice. Neuron, 2022, 110, 2009-2023.
Contact
Office: Laboratory for Comparative Connectomics, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research
Tel: +81-78-306-3376
E-mail: kazunari.miyamichi@riken.jp
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