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
- Society for Neuroscience (USA)
- International Society of Radiation Neurobiology, Director, Chair of the Committee for Novel Research Fields in Radiation Neurobiology (CNRFRN)
- Japanese Neuroscience Society, Chair of the Website Editing Subcommittee
- Physiological Society of Japan, Councilor
- The Japan Society of Gene Therapy
- Japan Radiological Society
CERTIFICATION/LICENSURE
| 1989 | Medical Doctor (M.D.), Japan |
| 1990 | Radiation Protection Supervisor 1st class, Japan No. 14091 |
| 1994 | Radiology Specialist, Japan |
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
- 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - Hirai H et al.
Cbln1 is essential for synaptic integrity and plasticity in the cerebellum.
Nature Neuroscience 8:1534-1541, 2005 - Hirai H* et al.
New role of delta2-glutamate receptors in AMPA receptor trafficking and cerebellar function.
Nature Neuroscience 6:869-876, 2003 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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
