Tohoku University · Medicine
Professor Yasuto Kunii's research lab focuses on the neurobiological and psychosocial impacts of major disasters, particularly on mental health outcomes such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The lab investigates molecular mechanisms underlying psychiatric disorders, with a strong emphasis on neurotransmitter systems (e.g., nAChRs, dopamine signaling), phosphoinositide metabolism, and stress-related pathophysiology. It also explores the long-term psychological consequences of large-scale disasters, integrating clinical neuroscience with public health approaches to improve post-disaster mental health interventions.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
The earthquake, tsunami and subsequent nuclear accident likely caused severe psychological distress among residents in the evacuation zone in Fukushima Prefecture. The close association between psychological distress and the radiation levels shows that the nuclear accident seriously influenced the mental health of the residents, which might be exacerbated by increased risk perception. To provide prompt and appropriate support, continued psychosocial intervention for evacuees is strongly recommen
These data show preferential fetal CHRFAM7A expression in the human prefrontal cortex and suggest abnormalities in the CHRFAM7A/CHRNA7 ratios in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, due mainly to overexpression of CHRFAM7A. Given that these transcripts are coexpressed in a subset of human cortical neurons and can interact to alter function of nAChRs, these results support the concept of aberrant function of nAChRs in mental illness.
Post-disaster mental health and psychosocial support have drawn attention in Japan after the 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, with mental health care centers for the affected communities being organized. After the catastrophe, a reconstruction budget was allocated to organize mental health care centers to provide psychosocial support for communities affected by the 2007 Chūetsu offshore earthquake, the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, and the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake. There were several maj
Phosphoinositides (PIs) play important roles in the structure and function of the brain. Associations between PIs and the pathophysiology of schizophrenia have been studied. However, the significance of the PI metabolic pathway in the pathology of schizophrenia is unknown. We examined the expression of PI signaling-associated proteins in the postmortem brain of schizophrenia patients. Protein expression levels of phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate 5-kinase type-1 gamma (PIP5K1C), phosphatidylinosi
Dopamine- and cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein of molecular weight 32 kDa (DARPP-32) integrates dopaminergic signaling into that of several other neurotransmitters. Calcineurin (CaN), located downstream of dopaminergic pathways, inactivates DARPP-32 by dephosphorylation. Despite several studies have examined their expression levels of gene and protein in postmortem patients' brains, they rendered inconsistent results. In this study, protein expression levels of DARPP-32 and CaN were measured by enz
On the basis of the results of our study, particular care must be taken to follow up bipolar I disorder patients after a natural disaster. Our results also suggested the possible origin of bipolar I disorder.
After the Great East Japan Earthquake, Tohoku University began to provide mental health services during the acute phase of the disaster in cooperation with Shichigahama Town, one of the municipalities located in the coastal area of the Miyagi Prefecture that was severely damaged by the earthquake and tsunami; it continued to be providing long-term mental health activities, incorporating annual surveys for affected residents in the town for 10 years. Ten years of combination of surveys and outrea
Recent studies have lent support to the possibility that inflammation is associated with the pathology of schizophrenia. In the study of measurement of inflammatory mediators, which are markers of inflammation, elevated inflammatory cytokine levels in the brain and blood have been reported in patients with schizophrenia. Several postmortem brain studies have also reported changes in the expression of inflammatory cytokines. However, it is not clear how these elevated inflammatory cytokines inter
These findings indicate that altered expression of ALDH4A1 may reflect the potential molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and may aid in the development of novel drug therapies.
Open papers in the app to read, cite, and organize with AI.
