Dr. Takashi Kawashima

How does our brain mediate persistent behavioral changes? To answer this central question in neurobiology, we investigate how monoamine systems, such as the serotonin (5-HT) and dopamine (DA) systems, orchestrate whole-brain neural dynamics during adaptive and maladaptive behaviors.

We approach this problem using zebrafish, whose tiny transparent brain is an excellent model for the basic functionalities of our brain. We apply advanced optical imaging, statistical analyses and genetics to examine how whole-brain neural activity dynamics mediate behavioral changes and how monoamine systems modulate such dynamics.