Shinichi Sakakibara

Shinichi Sakakibara is a Professor at the School of Human Sciences with a Ph.D. from Tokyo University. His research spans neuroscience, neuroanatomy, and cellular/molecular biology with a particular focus on brain development and neural stem cell biology.

• Affiliation: Faculty of Human Sciences, School of Human Sciences
• Research Focus: Neuroanatomy, neural stem cells, neurogenesis, glia

Dr. Sakakibara's research interests center on understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying brain development and neurodegeneration. His work particularly examines purine metabolism in neural development, the role of STAND proteins like Nwd1 and Nwd2 in neural stem cell regulation, and the involvement of SUMOylation in brain development. His laboratory investigates how cytoskeletal dynamics, regulated by proteins like Inka2 and Pak4, influence neuronal migration, differentiation, and synapse formation. Through studies of the zitter mutant rat model, his team has made significant contributions to understanding microglial activation in neurodegenerative processes and dopaminergic neuron degeneration.

Analysis of Dr. Sakakibara's recent publications reveals a strong focus on the intersection of metabolism and neural development, particularly purine metabolism pathways and their regulation through protein complexes like purinosomes. His work demonstrates how disruptions in cellular processes like ER stress, calcium homeostasis, and mitochondrial dynamics can lead to neurodevelopmental abnormalities and neurodegenerative conditions. The consistent appearance of terms like 'Nwd1,' 'purinosome,' 'SUMOylation,' and 'Inka2' across his publications indicates these are central to his research program.

• Professional Memberships: Japan Neuroscience Society, Japan Society for Neurochemistry, Japanese Society of Anatomy, Molecular Biology Society of Japan, Japanese Society of Histochemistry and Cytochemistry, Society for Neuroscience

Dr. Sakakibara has mentored numerous researchers who appear as first or co-authors on his publications, including Seiya Yamada, Tomoya Mizukoshi, and Hiroki Akiyama. His laboratory appears to maintain active collaborations with researchers studying both fundamental neural development processes and disease models. His work on the zitter rat model has provided important insights into the relationship between oxidative stress, microglial activation, and neurodegeneration, with potential implications for understanding Parkinson's disease mechanisms.