PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

HIROKAZU HIRAI M.D., Ph.D.

OFFICE ADDRESS

Department of Neurophysiology and Neural Repair
Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine
3-39-22 Showa-machi,
Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan
Fax: +81-27-220-7936
E mail: hirai@gunma-u.ac.jp

ACADEMIC DEGREES

M.D. 1989 Kobe University, School of Medicine, Japan
Ph.D. 1994 Kobe University, Graduate School of Medicine, Japan

PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS

1989-90 Resident, Department of Radiology, Kobe University Hospital, Japan
1994-96 Postdoctoral Fellow, Dept. of Neurochemistry
Max-Planck Institute for Brain Research, Frankfurt/M, Germany, Prof. Heinrich Betz
1996-1997 Postdoctoral Fellow, Lab. for Synaptic Function, Lab. for memory & learning
RIKEN Frontier Research Program, Prof. Masao Ito
1997-2001 RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Japan, Prof. Masao Ito
2001-02 Special Fellow, Department of Developmental Neurobiology,
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
2002-2006 PRESTO researcher, Japan Science Technology Agency
2004-2006 Associate Professor, Kanazawa University Advanced Science Research Center
2006- Professor, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine
2006-2008 Adjunct professor, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medicine
2009- Director, Gunma University Biosignal Genome Resource Center
2011- Chair, Division of Medical Neuroscience, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine

PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY MEMBERSHIPS

CERTIFICATION/LICENSURE

1989 Medical Doctor (M.D.), Japan
1990 Radiation Protection Supervisor 1st class, Japan No. 14091
1994 Radiology Specialist, Japan

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

  1. Shuvaev AN, Horiuchi H, Seki T, Goenawan H, Irie T, Iizuka A, Sakai N, Hirai H*.
    Mutant PKC{gamma} in Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 14 Disrupts Synapse Elimination and Long-Term Depression in Purkinje Cells In Vivo.
    Journal of Neuroscience  31(40):14324-34, 2011
  2. Sasaki J, Kojuji S, Itoh R, Momiyama T, Takayama K, Murakami H, Chida S, Tsuya Y, Takasuga S, Eguchi S, Asanuma K, Horie Y, Miura K, Davis M, Mitchell C, Yamazaki M, Hirai H, Takenawa T, Suzuki A, Sasaki T.
    The PtdIns(3,4)P2-phosphatase INPP4A is a suppressor of excitotoxic neuronal death.
    Nature  465:497-501, 2010
  3. Torashima T, Koyama C, Iizuka A, Mitsumura K, Takayama K, Yanagi S, Oue M, Yamaguchi H, Hirai H*.
    Lentivector-mediated rescue from cerebellar ataxia in a mouse model of spinocerebellar ataxia.
    EMBO Reports  9(4):393-9, 2008
  4. Jin D✝, Liu H✝, Hirai H✝*et al.
    CD38 is critical for social behavior by regulating oxytocin secretion. (†co-first author, *co-corresponding author)
    Nature (Article)  446(7131):41-5, 2007
  5. Hirai H et al.
    Cbln1 is essential for synaptic integrity and plasticity in the cerebellum.
    Nature Neuroscience 8:1534-1541, 2005
  6. Hirai H* et al.
    New role of delta2-glutamate receptors in AMPA receptor trafficking and cerebellar function.
    Nature Neuroscience  6:869-876, 2003
  7. Matsuda S, Mikawa S, Launey T, Hirai H*.
    Disruption of AMPA receptor GluR2 clusters following long-term depression induction in cerebellar Purkinje neurons.
    EMBO Journal  19:2765-2774, 2000
  8. Hirai H* & Launey T.
    The regulatory connection between the activity of granule cell NMDA receptors and dendritic differentiation of cerebellar Purkinje cells.
    Journal of Neuroscience  20:5217-5224, 2000
  9. Laube B, Hirai H(; Equally contributed), Sturgess M, Betz H, Kuhse J.
    Molecular determinants of agonist discrimination by NMDA receptor subunits: analysis of the glutamate binding site on the NR2B subunit. 
    Neuron 18:493-503, 1997
  10. Hirai H, Kirsch J, Laube B, Betz H, Kuhse J.
    The glycine binding site of the NMDA receptor subunit NR1: identification of novel determinants of ligand binding in the extracellular M3-M4 loop region.
    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 93:6031-6036, 1996

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