Sat. Oct 12, 2019 10:30 AM - 12:10 PM Room 12 (503)

Organizer / Chair: ‌Hitoshi HASHIMOTO (Laboratory of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, Japan), Co-chair: Hirokazu HIRAI (Department of Neurophysiology & Neural Repair, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan), Discussants: ‌Tomoyuki FURUYASHIKI (Division of Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe University, Japan), Tetsuya SUHARA (National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, Japan)

The habenula is a small brain region located close to the midline and surrounded by the third ventricle and is well conserved across vertebrates. It has this name from Latin for "little rein" which was originally designated as pedunculus of pineal body and thought to be involved in regulation of the pineal gland. However, recently studies have demonstrated that the habenula connects various brain regions within, e.g., the forebrain and midbrain and is implicated in a variety of important brain functions. The habenula is divided into two main subregions, the medial and lateral habenula (in lower vertebrates, dorsal and ventral habenula). These two subregions have been shown to have distinct composition of neurotransmitters, neural connectivity, and gene expression profiles. More recently, a number of important findings have been reported that illustrate the critical roles of the habenula in emotional regulation, disturbance of which can cause psychiatric disorders such as depression, and thus provide insights into new treatment approach. In this symposium, three eminent guest speakers will present their recent research achievements concerning the roles of the habenula. Dr. Hitoshi Okamoto at RIKEN will present the findings showing that social conflict and aversive behavior are regulated by the habenula using zebrafish. Dr. Hidenori Aizawa at Hiroshima University will present the findings showing that aberrant glial function in the lateral habenula is involved in the increased susceptibility to the chronic stress. Dr. Yihui Cui at Zhejiang University will present the findings showing that ketamine blocks bursting in the lateral habenula providing a possible mechanism for rapid antidepressant actions.
(This symposium will be related with those organized by Dr. Kenji Hashimoto (S37) and Dr. Tung-Ping Su (S15).)