Susumu Tomita, PhD

Brain functions are mediated primarily by neural circuits, which consist of neuronal processes connected at synapses. Changes in synaptic transmission primarily mediate the moment-to-moment dynamics of brain function. Susumu Tomita's research aims to understand the principal rules governing synaptic transmission and plasticity. Ionotropic neurotransmitter receptors mediate fast transmission as ligand-gated ion channels. The abundance and channel properties of these receptors determine synaptic strength. Tomita's research group has identified that ionotropic neurotransmitter receptors form a protein complex with auxiliary subunits contributing to synaptic transmission and plasticity. Because synaptic transmission and plasticity are the fundamental machinery for cognition, the research program will contribute to understanding cognition as a bottom-up approach.

animal models ;  behavioral testing ;  biochemistry ;  biophysics ;  electrophysiology ;  immunocytochemistry  

cellular neuroscience ;  long-term memory ;  neurotransmitters ;  plasticity ;  synapses  

Tomita received his bachelor's degree in pharmaceutical science in 1995 and his doctorate in neuroscience in 2000 from the University of Tokyo. He started his lab in 2006 at Yale University, where he rose from Assistant Professor to Professor of Cellular and Molecular Physiology and Neuroscience.