Our missions are to elucidate the neural mechanisms that regulate learning and memory and to develop how to treat memory-related psychiatric disorders.

When you think of memory systems in the brain, you may think they only store information from the past. In fact, however, the memory systems are critical to determine our future behavior based on the past. For example, the experience of studying hard and improving exam scores can lead to further study behavior. In contrast, the negative experience can reduce motivation for subsequent behavior and in some cases cause depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In addition, in dementia, the memory system in the brain does not work properly, making it impossible to perform normal daily activities. Our missions are to elucidate the neural mechanisms that regulate learning and memory and to develop how to treat memory-related psychiatric disorders.

Details

Lab News

  • Paper Published in Neuron

    2026 June: Dr. Morishita and Yuki Takamura published a paper as first authors in Neuron. Infraslow histaminergic dynamics govern priming states to gate moment-to-moment memory accessibility

  • Brain Science Fest 2026

    2026 May: Brain Science Fest 2026 for undergraduate and high school students was held. Participants enjoyed cutting-edge research lectures and lab tours by our researchers.

  • Review Article Published

    2026 April: We published a review article on the dynamics of memory recall in the Japanese Journal of Pharmacology. Dynamics of memory recall under physiological and pathological conditions

  • AWARD at NCU/IBS Retreat

    2026 February: We participated in the NCU Life Science / IBS joint retreat. Yuki Takamura won the Incentive Award.

  • Paper Published

    2025 December: We revealed that different types of aversive information are partially integrated in the central amygdala. In vivo imaging analyses to explore the integration of multimodal aversive sensory information in the central amygdala

  • International Trainees

    2025 October: 2025 October: Two students from Brawijaya University (Indonesia) visited our lab for a research internship. We deepened our exchange through research, presentations, and Nagoya cuisine.




Our team

  • Hiroshi Nomura

    Endowed Course Professor

    Favorite skills: Behavioral analysis, Ca2+ imaging, Python

    hnomura[at]med.nagoya-cu.ac.jp

    Researchmap

    I'm constantly thinking about how we can create original and "hot" research. Why don't you join us in our research to uncover the mysteries of the brain? This is a research field in which people from all fields, not only medicine and pharmacology, but also biology, engineering, information science, psychology, and education, can play an active role. If you are a undergraduate student, graduate student, or postdoctoral fellow interested in learning and memory, and/or mental/neurological disorders, please contact us!

  • Yoshikazu Morishita

    Endowed Course Assistant Professor

    Favorite skills: Wide-field Ca2+ imaging, Optogenetics, RNA experiments, Stereotaxic surgery

    ymori[at]med.nagoya-cu.ac.jp

    Researchmap

    To contribute to the treatment of cognitive dysfunction, we aim to elucidate the role of the hippocampus and the mechanisms of memory by combining techniques for measuring and manipulating neural activity with our own behavioral experimental systems. Would you like to join the Nomura lab?

  • Nao Nomura

    Lab Manager

    Favorite skills: Behavioral analysis, miniscope Ca2+ imaging, SNI surgery

    nnomura[at]med.nagoya-cu.ac.jp

    I enjoy taking on new challenges and exploring new possibilities. In our lab, new experimental devices and approaches are constantly being developed, and I am inspired by this creative environment.

  • Yuki Takamura

    Graduate student (PhD course) / JSPS Research Fellow (DC1)

    Favorite skills: Fiber photometry, deep brain Ca2+ imaging

    I am delighted to be able to challenge various things every day. I hope that our research will eventually lead to the development of treatments for neurological disorders.

  • Yuto Yokoi

    Graduate student (PhD course)

    Favorite skills: Stereotaxic surgery, Microbial culture, Immunohistochemistry, In situ hybridization

    yokoi_y[at]med.nagoya-cu.ac.jp

    I used to work mainly with microorganisms in a microbiology lab, but I ended up working with mice in graduate school and have been living with mice ever since. I have experience with animals, plants, microorganisms, and cells, and I am often told that my background is a mystery, but I would like to continue to actively challenge new things and broaden my horizons.

  • Yuko Yamashita

    Graduate student (PhD course)

  • Yuuya Ishihama

    Graduate student (Master's course)

    Favorite skills: Fiber photometry, Stereotaxic surgery, Immunohistochemistry

    Tomotaka Iizuka

    Undergraduate student (Pharmacy)

    Favorite skills: Stereotaxic surgery, VR behavioral experiments

    Reika Matsushita

    Undergraduate student (Pharmacy)

    Favorite skills: Wide-field Ca2+ imaging, Chronic pain model

    Yudai Tanaka

    Undergraduate student (Medicine)

    Favorite skills: Wide-field Ca2+ imaging, Optogenetics, Python

    Michihiro Kasugai

    Undergraduate student (Medicine)

    Favorite skills: RNAscope, Immunohistochemistry

    Hironori Maeda

    Undergraduate student (Medicine)

    Favorite skills: Fiber photometry, EEG recording

    Mei Suzuki

    Undergraduate student (Pharmacy)

    Marin Hamaguchi

    Undergraduate student (Life Science)

    Favorite skills: DNA work, Behavioral analysis

    Ren Nagao

    Undergraduate student (Pharmacy)

    Favorite skills: DNA work

    Sakurako Tomura

    Undergraduate student (Pharmacy)

    Ryuto Koyama

    Undergraduate student (Pharmacy)




Research

Neural Mechanisms that Restore Memory Recall

As time passes after we remember something, it becomes more difficult to recall it. However, the fact that we can recall memories at a moment's notice suggests that memory traces remain in the brain, and if these memory traces can be successfully activated, memories can be regained. We have previously shown that histamine H3 receptor inverse agonists can restore memory recall. We are currently working on further elucidating this mechanism.

Regulation of Brain Functions by Multiple Regions

Many brain functions, including learning and memory, are thought to be accomplished by both "local information processing within a brain region" and "interregional information processing between regions. However, it has been difficult to analyze these two types of information processing simultaneously. Therefore, we have developed simultaneous Ca2+ imaging from multiple deep brain regions to elucidate the mechanism of multi-regional control of brain functions.

Creation of artificial abilities of learning and memory

We aim to understand the mechanisms of learning and memory, as well as to develop technologies to supplement the declining abilities of learning and memory by artificially creating them.




Publication

Selected publications

Infraslow histaminergic dynamics govern priming states to gate moment-to-moment memory accessibility

Morishita Y†, Takamura Y†, Nishimura K, Yokoi Y, Ishihama Y, Idutsu R, Ono M, Matsumoto R, Hitora-Imamura N, Minami M, Nomura H*.
Neuron. 2026 Jun 11; PMID: 42276055

In vivo imaging analyses to explore the integration of multimodal aversive sensory information in the central amygdala

[Journal]. 2025 Dec;

Dopamine release and dopamine-related gene expression in the amygdala are modulated by the gastrin-releasing peptide in opposite directions during stress-enhanced fear learning and extinction

Morishita Y, Fuentes I, Gonzalez-Salinas S, Favate J, Mejaes J, Zushida K, Nishi A, Hevi C, Goldsmith N, Buyske S, Sillivan S, Miller C, Kandel E , Uchida S, Shah P*, Alarcon J*, Barker D* ,Shumyatsky G*.
Mol Psychiatry. 2024 Nov 23;

Chemogenetic activation of histamine neurons promotes retrieval of apparently lost memories

Yokoi Y, Kubo A, Nishimura K, Takamura Y, Morishita Y, Minami M, Nomura H*.
Mol Brain. 2024 Jun 15;17(1):38

Evaluation of behavioural selection processes in conflict scenarios using a newly developed mouse behavioural paradigm

Miyagami Y, Honshuku Y, Nomura H, Minami M, Hitora-Imamura N*.
Sci Rep. 2023 Nov 16;13(1):20006

The impact of pitolisant, an H3 receptor antagonist/inverse agonist, on perirhinal cortex activity in individual neuron and neuronal population levels

Hirano K, Morishita Y, Minami M, Nomura H*.
Sci Rep. 2022 May 12;12:7015

Chronic pain-induced neuronal plasticity in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis causes maladaptive anxiety

Yamauchi N, Sato K, Sato K, Murakawa S, Hamasaki Y, Nomura H, Amano T, Minami M*.
Sci Adv. 2022 Apr 29;8(17):eabj5586

Histamine: A Key Neuromodulator of Memory Consolidation and Retrieval

Nomura H*, Shimizume R, Ikegaya Y.
Curr Top Behav Neurosci. 2021 Aug

Prepronociceptin-Expressing Neurons in the Extended Amygdala Encode and Promote Rapid Arousal Responses to Motivationally Salient Stimuli

Rodriguez-Romaguera J, Ung RL, Nomura H, Otis JM, Basiri ML, Namboodiri VMK, Zhu X, Robinson JE, van den Munkhof HE, McHenry JA, Eckman LEH, Kosyk O, Jhou TC, Kash TL, Bruchas MR, Stuber GD*.
Cell Rep. 2020 Nov 10;33(6):108362.

Central Histamine Boosts Perirhinal Cortex Activity and Restores Forgotten Object Memories

Nomura H*, Mizuta H, Norimoto H, Masuda F, Miura Y, Kubo A, Kojima H, Ashizuka A, Matsukawa N, Baraki Z, Hitora-Imamura N, Nakayama D, Ishikawa T, Okada M, Orita K, Saito R, Yamauchi N, Sano Y, Kusuhara H, Minami M, Takahashi H*, Ikegaya Y.
Biol Psychiatry. 2019 Aug 1;86(3):230-239.

Visualization of cortical, subcortical and deep brain neural circuit dynamics during naturalistic mammalian behavior with head-mounted microscopes and chronically implanted lenses

Resendez SL, Jennings JH, Ung RL, Namboodiri VM, Zhou ZC, Otis JM, Nomura H, McHenry JA, Kosyk O, Stuber GD*.
Nat Protoc. 2016 Mar;11(3):566-97.

Prefrontal dopamine regulates fear reinstatement through the downregulation of extinction circuits.

Hitora-Imamura N, Miura Y, Teshirogi C, Ikegaya Y, Matsuki N, Nomura H*
Elife. 2015 Jul 30;4:e08274.

Memory formation and retrieval of neuronal silencing in the auditory cortex.

Nomura H*, Hara K, Abe R, Hitora-Imamura N, Nakayama R, Sasaki T, Matsuki N, Ikegaya Y
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015 Aug 4;112(31):9740-4.

Long-delayed expression of the immediate early gene Arc/Arg3.1 refines neuronal circuits to perpetuate fear memory.

Nakayama D, Iwata H, Teshirogi C, Ikegaya Y, Matsuki N, Nomura H*.
J Neurosci. 2015 Jan 14;35(2):819-30.

Frontal association cortex is engaged in stimulus integration during associative learning.

Nakayama D, Baraki Z, Onoue K, Ikegaya Y, Matsuki N, Nomura H*.
Curr Biol. 2015 Jan 5;25(1):117-23.

Synaptic plasticity associated with a memory engram in the basolateral amygdala.

Nonaka A, Toyoda T, Miura Y, Hitora-Imamura N, Naka M, Eguchi M, Yamaguchi S, Ikegaya Y, Matsuki N, Nomura H*.
J Neurosci. 2014 Jul 9;34(28):9305-9.


See Full publications (link to Researchmap)




Join our lab

We welcome applications from highly-motivated postdoc and graduate student candidates.
Please contact Prof.Hiroshi Nomura by e-mail for detailed information.


JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship for overseas researchers

Graduate students
(PhD course)

Graduate students
(Master course)

Others
(joint research/Internship)







Access/Contact

Please feel free to contact us by email if you would like a lab tour or to discuss joint research.
Email (Hiroshi Nomura): hnomura[at]med.nagoya-cu.ac.jp

Address: Department of Cognitive Function and Pathology, 2nd Floor, Institute of Brain Sciences, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences