The research group developed mutant mice of an autism spectrum disorder (ASD)-associated gene, KMT2C. These mice exhibited ASD-like behaviors and transcriptomic alterations relevant to ASD risks, which were rescued by treatment with a histone-modifying drug. These findings are anticipated to contribute to the understanding of ASD pathology and the development of treatments.

The research group developed improved versions of genetically encoded indicators: a red calcium indicator (RCaMP3) and a green cAMP indicator (cAMPinG1). These sensors are crucial for facilitating dual-color imaging in living animals and analyzing the relationship between Ca²⁺ and cAMP signaling simultaneously.

This study found that low doses of (R)-ketamine specifically activate the insular cortex, leading to enhanced social cognitive functions. This highlights a potential new treatment avenue for social cognitive decline in mental disorders.

A machine learning classifier using human brain MRI scans from more than 2,000 people from 21 global locations showed over 70% accuracy to classify between healthy control individuals and those clinically at high risk of developing psychosis who later transited to psychosis. The high accuracy can be observed when considering harmonization of brain image data and non-linear brain developmental trajectory of healthy controls during adolescence and young adulthood. The findings could be helpful in future clinical application, as well as understanding brain pathology related to onset of psychosis.

Genetically engineered animal models of marmosets are extremely useful for elucidating human diseases and developing treatments, but their creation requires many embryos. To develop a new method for producing embryos, the research group implanted marmoset ovaries under the kidney capsule of mice, harvested eggs matured by hormone administration, successfully fertilized them to produce embryos and obtained blastocysts. This is the first time in the world that a primate embryo capable of implantation in the uterus has been obtained through xenotransplantation.

The research group revealed that propagation of prediction error signals from higher-order auditory cortex to primary auditory cortex is critical for the change detection in the non-human primates. The feedback error signal is critical for automatic detection of unpredicted stimuli in physiological auditory processing and may serve as backpropagation-like learning.

The research group demonstrated 2P-SRRF, a fluorescence spatiotemporal correlation analysis-based two-photon super-resolution microscopy. Application of 2P-SRRF enabled in-vivo visualization of tiny neuronal structures located at a depth of several hundred micrometers. This technique will contribute to uncovering various nanoscale biological phenomena occurring in the deep area of organisms.