Division of Transformative Psychiatry and Synergistic Research
Projects
Childhood trauma often extends into adulthood, manifesting as complex conditions such as depression and other neuropsychiatric disorders. However, pathophysiology across the lifespan remains poorly understood. We are committed to unraveling these complex pathologies through multidisciplinary, innovative research. Our research team consisting of clinical psychiatrists and psychologists develops novel methodologies through animal models and human studies. We are committed to studying human pathology with a balance of classical and transformative methods.
Members
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Manabu Makinodan Professor
We aim to elucidate the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders with basic research using cells and mice and clinical research using human blood samples and brain imaging. Our translational research incorporates new techniques in genomics and post-mortem brain pathology with computational methods, strengths of the Department of Psychiatry and ICBS, respectively.
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Michihiro Toritsuka Senior Assistant Professor
My research is centered on psychiatric disorders, with a particular interest in autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia. I use my experience as a psychiatrist, while employing a variety of cell culture systems, including human iPS cell-derived neurons and peripheral blood monocyte-derived macrophages, to study the pathophysiology and develop treatments for these disorders.
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Tsutomu Takeda Assistant Professor
After graduation, I entered clinical practice as a psychiatrist. In 2023, I started graduate school at Nara Medical University, focusing on single-cell RNA sequencing and mouse brain studies while self-learning data analysis using Python and R. I hope to apply these techniques for post-mortem brain analysis and genomic studies to understand the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders.
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Hiroto Tamakoshi Assistant Professor
I practice clinical medicine as a psychiatrist and conduct research on psychiatric disorders.
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Rio Ishida Graduate Student (D2, Domestic Study)
As a clinical psychologist and a certified public psychologist, I conducted biomarker research related to the pathophysiology of mental disorders. Now, I seek a multifaceted understanding of the mental structure of neurodevelopmental disorders and schizophrenia from psychological exam information and investigate the correlation between them and with various biomarkers.
Main publications
- Makinodan M, Rosen KM, Ito S, Corfas GA critical period for social experience-dependent oligodendrocyte maturation and myelination. Science 337: 1357-60, 2012 10.1126/science.1220845.
- Toritsuka M, Kimoto S, Muraki K, Landek-Salgado MA, Yoshida A, Yamamoto N, Horiuchi Y, Hiyama H, Tajinda K, Keni N, Illingworth E, Iwamoto T, Kishimoto T, Sawa A, Tanigaki K. Deficits in microRNA-mediated Cxcr4/Cxcl12 signaling in neurodevelopmental deficits in a 22q11 deletion syndrome mouse model. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 110: 17552-7. 10.1073/pnas.1312661110.
- Komori T, Okamura K, Ikehara M, Yamamuro K, Endo N, Okumura K, Yamauchi T, Ikawa D, Ouji-Sageshima N, Toritsuka M, Takada R, Kayashima Y, Ishida R, Mori Y, Kamikawa K, Noriyama Y, Nishi Y, Ito T, Saito Y, Nishi M, Kishimoto T, Tanaka KF, Hiroi N, Makinodan M.Brain-derived neurotrophic factor from microglia regulates neuronal development in the medial prefrontal cortex and its associated social behavior. Mol Psychiatry. 29: 1338-49, 2024. 10.1038/s41380-024-02413-y.
- Takada R, Toritsuka M, Yamauchi T, Ishida R, Kayashima Y, Nishi Y, Ishikawa M, Yamamuro K, Ikehara M, Komori T, Noriyama Y, Kamikawa K, Saito Y, Okano H, Makinodan M. Granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor-induced macrophages of individuals with autism spectrum disorder adversely affect neuronal dendrites through the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Mol Autism. 15: 10, 2024. 10.1186/s13229-024-00589-2.
- Nishi, Y., Toritsuka, M., Takada, R. et al. Impaired synaptosome phagocytosis in macrophages of individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Mol Psychiatry (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-025-03002-3
Information
Division of Transformative Psychiatry and Synergistic Research
藤田医科大学 精神・神経病態解明センター 変革融合精神医学部門
【Address】
Fujita Health University, 1-98 Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake, Aichi 470-1192, Japan
【Contact】
E-mail:manabu.makinodan(at)fujita-hu.ac.jp / Tel:+81-562-93-9049 Fax +81-562-93-1831
※ Please replace “(at)” with “@”.