Laboratory
of Pharmaceutical Therapy and pharpharmacology
Professor@Atsumi Nitta, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor@Naotaka Izuo, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor@Takashi Asano, Ph.D.
@We attempt to clarify the cause of various kinds of mental diseases, such
as schizophrenia, autism, depression, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson disease,
and dementia. Our final goal of our research projects is establishments
of new pharmaceutical treatments for these diseases. Our main projects
are shown as below;
1.
Clarify the effect of novel molecules
in the psychiatric diseases
We found new three molecules using by cDNA subtraction methods from the
nucleus accumbens of psychostimulant-treated mice.
2.
To be clear the mechanisms of
nicotine and methamphetamine addiction
We
are studying why the prohibition of smoking is difficult to smokers, why it is
difficult to free from drug dependence.
3.
Development of a neuropsychiatric
disorder model animal and a cell model, and development of a curative medicine
To
make a new medicine, the animal models of mental diseases are indispensable.
However, it is so difficult to create the neuropsychiatric disorder model
because we cannot hear the feeling of an animal. Then, we pursued about the
genetic factor and environmental factor of neuropsychiatric disorder, and aims
at creation of a model animal, and creation of the curative medicine.
4.
Pharmaceutical studies
We
propose new systems to supply best pharmaceutical services.
We behavioral, biochemical and
molecular biological methods for the studies for making the diseases' animal
models. We have expected to rescue the
patient from psychiatric and neurological diseases.
Recent publications
1.
Furukawa-Hibi,
Y., Nitta, A., Ikeda, T., Morishita, K., Liu, W., Ibi, D., Tursun, A.,
Nabeshima, T. and Yamada, K. :The hydrophobic dipeptide Leu-Ile inhibits
immobility induced by repeated forced swimming via the induction of BDNF. Behav Brain Res. 220,271-280 (2011)
2.
Cen, X., Nitta, A., Ibi, D., Zhao, Y.,
Niwa, M., Taguchi, K., Hamada, M., Ito, Y.,
Ito, Y., Wang, L. and Nabeshima, T.: Identification
of Piccolo as a regulator of behavioral plasticity and dopamine transporter internalization.
Mol. Psychiatry, 13, 451-463 (2008) (-IMAGE;
gPiccolo
regulates dopamine transporter internalization via PIP2h, Mol.
Psychiatry,
13, 349, 2008)
3.
Niwa, M., Nitta, A., Mizoguchi, H., Ito, Y., Noda, Y., Nagai, T. and Nabeshima, T.: A novel
molecule eshatif is involved in methamphetamine-induced hyperlocomotion,
sensitization, and conditioned place preference. J. Neurosci., 27, 7604-7615 (2007)