Wakefulness is likely to play an important role in the maintaining high “will-power”, in combination with the reward system, limbic functions, and systems that regulate mood Orexins are a pair of hypothalamic neuropeptides that orchestrate functions of these systems.
Orexin-producing neurons are shown to be activated when animals face emotionally salient situations, and when they are performing reward seeking behavior.
These neurons are a necessary component of the reward system, and modulate animalsʼ behavior.
We are going to analyze
(ⅰ) how these neurons are activated in response to emotionally-salient cues and contexts (ⅱ) How the arousal system affects the reward system and modulates animalsʼ behavior (ⅲ) What kinds of functional alterations are undergoing in animal models of depression and social defeat. We would also examine the influences of social and environmental factors on these functions, modulating the neuronal mechanisms that are involved in regulating the will power. These studies will allow us to understand the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the addiction, depression, apathy and adaptive disorders.

Dealing with the current increase of the youth suffering from mood disorders including so-called modern dejection syndrome (new depression), Hikikomori or social withdrawal apathy, adjustment disorders and eating disorder becomes an urgent problem of the social welfare policy of our country.
Such disorders may have a common neurophysiological basis on dysfunction of can-do spirit or motivation. As such, an improvement of vitality and motivation, and the recovery of "will-power" among young people are specifically expected.
Our mission is to elucidate a neural basis of will-power and ill will-power-induced abnormality on mental states using a brain function imaging technology such as PET and MRI.We set the following subtopics.

A. Molecular and neural bases for will-power

1. Molecular changes by PET and task-related fMRI study for will-power

2. Brain connectome study using DTI and rs-fMRI

B. Molecular and neural bases for dysfuctions of will-power and mental states in modern people

1. Application of PET and MRI for studies on mood disorders including the so-called modern dejection syndrome (new depression),Hikikomori,apathy and adjustment disorders

C. Molecular and neural bases for the recovery of will-power decline

1. Identification of the molecular changes under the pathological condition and the recovery process of disorder

2. An exploration of biomarkers with a machine learning technique