Biology subjects

Matsunaga, M.

Publications and source records attributed to Matsunaga, M..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Adolescent prodromal phenotypes of psychiatric disorders: insights from a novel DISC1-perturbed monkey model

Neurodevelopmental deficits frequently lead to mild but significant adolescent social and cognitive changes, representing prodromal manifestations of adult-onset psychiatric disorders in a cross-disease manner. Although experimental medicine utilizes animal models to address the mechanisms, rodent brains lack critical structures for human higher brain functions such as the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. To fill this translational gap, we generated monkeys with an impaired DISC1 gene locus, targeting the multifunctional protein essential for neurodevelopment and involved in transdiagnostic mental health risks. Here we analyze the F0 animals by minimizing mosaicism. At ages equivalent to human adolescence, these monkeys exhibited blunted responsiveness to social stimuli and increased internal drives, mirroring altered social behaviors in the prodromal stage in humans. Resting-state functional MRI data indicated disrupted global functional connectivity and reorganization of network topology, marked by a shift in the dominance of brain hubs from prefrontal regions to sensory areas. This primate model provides a unique platform for studying psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, across the developmental trajectory.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2025

Mother-child autonomic nervous system interaction as an indication of parental stress: 24-hour cross recurrence plot analysis

Mothers and children interact through behaviors and mutual physiological signals. Recent research has suggested that physiological interactions are sensitive biomarkers for parenting challenges such as childcare stress. Most studies have focused on short-term, activity-based interactions. However, few studies have examined longer timescale data, such as interactions containing circadian rhythms, which are closely associated with stress. This study aimed to explore the link between childcare stress and mother-child autonomic nervous system activities in daily interactions using 24-hour at-home data. Cross-recurrence plots were used to quantify interactive patterns to reflect the rich nonlinear dynamics of autonomic nervous system signals and the complex interplay between mothers and children. The relationships between quantified low-dimensional cross-recurrence plot representations and parenting stress were evaluated through multiple regression analysis. The day-to-night mother-child autonomic nervous system patterns, quantified through cross-recurrence plots, significantly predict maternal parenting stress, surpassing the predictions achieved by separately analyzing individual autonomic nervous system activity using recurrence plots.

physiology↗

bioRxiv2023

Temperament in early childhood is associated with gut microbiota composition and diversity

Temperament is a key predictor of human mental health, and cognitive and emotional development. While human fear behavior is reportedly associated with gut microbiome in infancy, infant gut microbiota changes dramatically during the first five years, when the diversity and composition of gut microbiome are established. This period is crucial for developing human executive functioning, including emotion regulation. Therefore, this study investigated the relationship between temperament and gut microbiota in 284 preschool children aged 3-4 years. Child temperament was assessed by maternal reports of the Childrens Behavior Questionnaire. Gut microbiota (alpha/beta diversity and genera abundance) was evaluated using 16S rRNA sequencing of stool samples. A high abundance of anti-inflammatory bacteria (e.g., Faecalibacterium) and low abundance of inflammatory bacteria (e.g., Eggerthella, Flavonifractor) were associated with higher positive emotionality and reward-seeking (i.e., Surgency/Extraversion, {beta} =0.15, p = 0.013), and lower negative emotionality and behavioral inhibition (i.e., Negative Affectivity, {beta} = -0.17, p = 0.004). Additionally, gut microbiota diversity was associated with a more active approach and exploration (i.e., Impulsivity, a specific aspect of Surgency/Extraversion, {beta} = 0.16, p = 0.008). This study provides insight into the biological mechanisms of temperament and takes important steps toward identifying predictive markers of psychological/emotional risk.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2022

The Intestinal Microbiome, Dietary Habits, and Physical and Psychological Resilience in Postpartum Women

The population of postpartum women suffering from mental illness is increasing steadily, particularly under conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Identifying factors that contribute to resilience in postpartum women is urgently needed to decrease risks of poor physical and psychological functioning. Studies have linked variations in the intestinal microbiota to depression in clinical samples, but the impacts in postpartum women in a Japanese population are unknown. We conducted two studies to examine the links between intestinal microbiota, physical condition, and psychological state in nonclinical, postpartum Japanese women. Our results show that decreasing Lachnospira and alpha diversity of microbiome is related to high mental health risk (i.e., parenting stress and/or depression). Psychological resilience and physical conditions were associated with relative abundances of genera Blautia, Clostridium, Eggerthella. This study contributes to further understanding of the gut-brain axis mechanisms and supports proposals for interventions to enhance resilience in postpartum women.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2022

Single-cell RNA-seq reveals stepwise fate conversion of supporting cells to hair cells in the chick auditory epithelium

In contrast to mammals, the avian cochlea, specifically the basilar papilla, can regenerate sensory hair cells, which involves fate conversion of supporting cells to hair cells. To determine the mechanisms for converting supporting cells to hair cells, we used single-cell RNA sequencing during hair cell regeneration in explant cultures of chick basilar papillae. We identified dynamic changes in the gene expression of supporting cells, and the pseudotime trajectory analysis demonstrated the stepwise fate conversion from supporting cells to hair cells. Initially, supporting cell identity was erased and transition to the precursor state occurred. A subsequent gain in hair cell identity progressed together with downregulation of precursor-state genes. Transforming growth factor beta receptor 1-mediated signaling was involved in induction of the initial step, and its inhibition resulted in suppression of hair cell regeneration. Our data provide new insights for understanding fate conversion from supporting cells to hair cells in avian basilar papillae.

neuroscience↗