Yukiko Gotoh

Yukiko Gotoh is a Professor at the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo. She serves as the Deputy Director and Principal Investigator at the International Research Center for Neurointelligence (IRCN). Her research focuses on understanding the mechanisms that regulate neural stem/progenitor cell fate during embryonic brain development and in the adult brain.

Dr. Gotoh's research interests include:

• Genetic and epigenetic regulation of neural stem/progenitor cell fate
• Neuronal maturation processes
• Genesis and maintenance of adult neural stem cells
• Relevance of neural stem/progenitor cell dysregulation in neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorders
• Investigation of mechanisms regulating neural stem-progenitor cell fate during neocortical development
• Genetic and epigenetic regulation of neuronal activation

Analysis of Dr. Gotoh's recent publications reveals a strong focus on neural stem cell biology, epigenetic regulation, and neurodevelopmental disorders. Her work demonstrates how chromatin modifiers like Polycomb group proteins and HMGA proteins regulate neural stem cell fate decisions during brain development. A significant portion of her research explores the embryonic origins of adult neural stem cells and how dysregulation of these processes contributes to conditions like autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia. Her laboratory also investigates the basic mechanisms of cellular responses to viral infection in the brain and their relevance to neurodevelopmental disorders.

Dr. Gotoh has made significant contributions to understanding:

• The role of Polycomb group proteins in neural development
• How chromatin modifiers regulate neurogenic potential
• Cell cycle regulation in neural stem cells
• The PDK1-Akt pathway in neuronal migration
• Layer-specific heterogeneity of astrocytes
• Mechanisms underlying schizophrenia-related abnormalities

Dr. Gotoh's laboratory conducts research on multiple fronts related to neural development and stem cell biology. Her team investigates:

• Mechanisms regulating neural stem-progenitor cell fate during neocortical development
• Genetic and epigenetic regulation of neuronal activation
• The embryonic origin of adult neural stem cells
• Dysregulation of neural stem-progenitor cell and neuronal fate in neurodevelopmental disorders
• Innate immune responses in the brain