Staff

Associate Professor: Shinsuke Kato
Assistant Professor: Shinichiro kitano

Features of the Division

The Division of Neuropathology is focused on education and research related to autopsy, experimental, and diagnostic pathologies, as described below.
Education: Our educational goal is to train medical students to enable them to pass the National Medical Practitioners Qualifying Examination in the subject of neuropathology.
Neuropathology is a broad and complex neuroscientific field, which seeks to understand the mechanisms of neuronal damage or death in neurological diseases of the central nervous system (CNS). In addition, our neuropathology curriculum includes neuroanatomy, basic neurobiology, basic neuroscience, and basic oncology, among other topics. Our division also provides a highly specialized Doctor of Medical Science course.
Research: The research interests and activities of our division cover a broad range that includes neuropathology and pathology as well as neuroanatomy, neuromorphology, neurobiology, basic neuroscience, and translational research. Particular areas of strength in the Division of Neuropathology are neurodegenerative diseases, demyelinating diseases, vascular diseases, CNS neoplasm, toxic injuries, nutritional and metabolic disorders, infectious diseases, malformation, and trauma. By performing autopsy and biopsy in diseased brains, spinal cords, and neoplasms, we can elucidate the pathological mechanisms of neuronal damage or death involved in CNS diseases. A major focus of the research activity of our division is the discovery and development of new therapeutic drugs of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The development of new drugs is directly connected to progress in medical treatment, and the improvement of health in Japan.
Autopsy and diagnostic pathology: Together with the Division of Organ Pathology, the Division of Molecular Pathology, and the Division Pathology of the University Hospital, we are responsible for autopsy and diagnostic pathology in neuropathological fields. We diagnose approximately 30 brain autopsies and 50 brain biopsies every year.

Research areas

• Pathological analysis of all neurological diseases in the CNS, through performing autopsy and biopsy on diseased brains, spinal cords, and neoplasms
• Histopathological, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural studies on brains, spinal cords, and neoplasms in the CNS
• Diagnostic and analytical proceedings based on morphological and molecular neuropathology
• Elucidation of mechanisms of AD using transgenic mice overexpressing human mutant tau and human mutant amyloid precursor protein (animal models of AD)
• Elucidation of mechanisms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) using transgenic mice overexpressing human mutant superoxide dismutase 1
• Elucidation of mechanisms of multiple sclerosis (MS) using experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (MS animal model)
• Histopathological, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural investigations on similarities and differences between animal models and human neuropathology
• Morphological and biotechnological approaches in the CNS diseases and neoplasms
• Discovery and development of new drugs for treating AD, ALS, MS, and intractable neurodegenerative diseases