After my PhD in the University of Tokyo, I have held research positions in the University of Basel (Switzerland), RIKEN Brain Science Institute (Wako, Japan), and the Universities of Tsukuba and Tokyo. I have been a Senior Research Associate in Cambridge since 2011.
Research Interests
Drosophila neuronal circuitry, especially in the fields of sensory discrimination, and learning and memory.
Qualifications
B.Sc. 1981 (University of Chiba); M.Sc. 1983 (University of Tokyo); PhD 1986 (University of Tokyo)
Career/Research Highlights
Roles of cell adhesion molecules in central nervous system regeneration; identification of a head-determining factor in Cnidaria; establishing stereotypic and random connections as a means to encode sensory information for learning.
Professional Affiliations
The Genetics Society
Selected Publications
A single GABAergic neuron mediates feedback of odor-evoked signals in the mushroom body of larval Drosophila. *Masuda-Nakagawa LM, Ito K, Awasaki T, O’Kane CJ Frontiers Neural Circuits 2014; 8:35. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24782716 ; DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2014.00035
Localized olfactory representation in the mushroom bodies of Drosophila larvae. *Masuda-Nakagawa LM, Gendre N, O’Kane CJ, Stocker RF Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 2009;106, 10314-9 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19502424 ; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0900178106
Stereotypic and random patterns of connectivity in the larval mushroom body calyx of Drosophila. *Masuda-Nakagawa LM, Tanaka NK, O’Kane CJ Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 2005;102, 19027-32 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16357192