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The influence of glucocorticoids on neuronal survival and synaptic function

• Tadahiro Numakawa

  Dr. Numakawa received his doctoral degree in 2000 from the Osaka University, and studied neuroscience as a research fellowship for young scientists through the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS, until 2003). He is a section chief of the Department of Mental Disorder Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry (NCNP, since 2004). Dr. Numakawa is also a visiting lecturer at Tokyo Medical University and at the Tokyo Medical and Dental University, and was previously a visiting associate professor at Waseda University. He is interested in the multiple functions of growth factors in the central nervous system, such as BDNF- and bFGF-mediated synaptic plasticity, etc. Recently, his group has been studying the functional crosstalk between steroid hormones (estrogen, glucocorticoid, etc.) and neurotrophic factors. He has been awarded prizes from the Japan Foundation for Aging and Health, and from the Japanese Society for Neurochemistry (2006 and 2009, respectively).

  , Naoki Adachi

  Dr. Adachi is a research fellow at the Department of Mental Disorder Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry (NCNP) in Japan. He received his PhD in Neuroscience from the Osaka University in 2005, studying basic properties of neurotrophins in the central nervous system. As a post-doctral fellow, he also belonged to the Brain Science Institute RIKEN in Japan where he investigated intracellular trafficking of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) in cultured cortical neurons. In 2006, he moved to the NCNP and now studies the molecular mechanisms underlying psychotic drug (phencyclidine)-induced schizophrenia-like symptoms, focusing on dysfunction of BDNF secretion caused by phencyclidine. He is also interested in and is investigating the possible involvement of abnormal BDNF trafficking and/or secretion in the pathophysiology of psychiatric diseases.

  , Misty Richards

  Dr. Misty Richards completed her undergraduate degree in psychobiology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) before beginning her medical training at Albany Medical College (AMC) in 2005. After completing her basic science training in medicine, she obtained a master of science degree in neuroscience while concurrently completing a Fulbright Fellowship in Tokyo, Japan at the National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry. Misty returned to AMC to complete her clinical studies in medicine, earning her medical degree in 2012. Currently, Misty is a psychiatry resident at UCLA, hoping to specialize in child and adolescent psychiatry. Ultimately, she aspires to pursue academic psychiatry, participating in translational research, teaching, and clinical care.

  , Shuichi Chiba

  Shuichi Chiba received his PhD and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from The University of Tokyo in 2008. He worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry from 2008 to 2011. Shuichi is currently working as an Assistant Professor at the Musashino University in Tokyo since 2011. His current major interest is neurochemical substrates of the anxiety- and depression-like behaviors.

  and Hiroshi Kunugi

  Dr. Hiroshi Kunugi graduated from the University of Tokyo, Faculty of Medicine in 1986 and started training in clinical psychiatry at Teikyo University School of Medicine, Tokyo. In 1991, he obtained his qualification as a psychiatrist from the Minis try of Health and Welfare, Japan, and started to work as a research associate in the Department of Psychiatry at Teikyo University School of Medicine. He obtained his PhD from the University of Tokyo in 1994 and then started molecular genetics study at the Department of Psychological Medicine at the Institute of Psychiatry, London, until 1995. In 1998 he was promoted to Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychiatry, Teikyo University School of Medicine. In 2002, he was appointed Director of the Department of Mental Disorder Research, National institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan (his present position). He has been visiting Professor of Bioscience at Waseda University Faculty of Science and Enginerring since 2004 and Yamanshi University Faculty of Medicine as of 2011.