Yasushi Nakagawa, M.D./Ph.D.

nakagawa@umn.edu

http://www.neurosci.umn.edu/faculty/nakagawa.html

Education

Dr. Yasushi Nakagawa is an assistant professor in the Department of Neuroscience and a member of the Stem Cell Institute. He received his M.D. and Ph.D from the University of Tokyo, Japan, where he studied the molecular biology of cytokine receptors with Dr. Ken-ichi Arai, and characterization of neural stem cells in embryonic rat brain with Drs. Masato Nakafuku and Shun Nakamura.

As a postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Nakagawa worked with Dr. Dennis O'Leary at Salk Institute in La Jolla, California and studied the mechanisms of mammalian forebrain development, especially the formation of dorsal thalamic nuclei, neocortical areas, and thalamocortical projections.

Research Interests

His current interests include the roles of thalamic input in neocortical development, mechanisms of dorsal thalamic development, and plasticity of neuronal cell types in the developing brain.

In our laboratory, we are interested in understanding cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie the development and plasticity in mammalian brain, in particular the sensory systems in the forebrain that include dorsal thalamus and neocortex.

Efforts in our lab are directed at two major goals.

• First, we are trying to examine the roles of thalamocortical projections in the formation of functionally and anatomically distinct sensory areas in neocortex. To dissect intrinsic mechanisms operating within neocortex and extrinsic mechanisms conveyed by the thalamic input, we will produce and analyze genetically engineered mice in which neurons of certain thalamic nuclei are specifically ablated during early stage of development. Using these mice, we will analyze the alteration of thalamocortical projections and differentiation of neocortical neurons as assessed by patterns of gene expression and axonal and dendritic development.
  
   
• Second, we are trying to identify transcription factors that play roles in specification and differentiation of dorsal thalamic nuclei. We will be using both loss-of-function and gain-of-function approaches to examine the roles of genes that we have identified. The methods that we use to pursue these goals are production of embryonic stem cell-mediated gene targeted mice and transgenic mice that involves a wide variety of basic and advanced molecular biology and cell culture techniques, in utero gene delivery into embryonic brain using an improved electroporation method, analysis of gene and protein expression on sections and whole mount brains by in situ hybridization and immunostaining methods, and classical neuroanatomical techniques such as axon tracing using carbocyanate dyes. We will also incorporate in vivo imaging of axonal growth and neuronal activity on living slices.

Selected Publication