March 28

Research Seminar: Yutaka Yoshida, PhD, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

Speaker: Yutaka Yoshida, PhD, Associate Professor in Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

Talk Summary: We are interested in understanding the neural circuits underlying locomotor and skilled motor behaviors in mammals.  The motor neuron activity integral to these neural circuits is regulated by synaptic inputs from three main pathways: local interneuron circuits, proprioceptive sensory feedback, and descending fibers from the brain, including the corticospinal (CS) tract.  In this presentation, I will particularly focus on CS circuits.  CS neurons control motor neuron activity for skilled movements such as reaching and grasping.  I will also briefly talk about our spinal cord injury research at the end of my talk.

About the Speaker: Dr. Yutaka Yoshida is an associate professor in Division of Developmental Biology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCMHC), where he studies neural circuits to control motor behaviors. He obtained his PhD degree in Dr. Tadashi Yamamoto’s lab at University of Tokyo, and then did his postdoctoral training in Dr. Thomas Jessell’s lab at Columbia University. He has been a faculty member in CCHMC since 2008.

Hosted by Pat Levitt, PhD, Simms/Mann Chair in Developmental Neurogenetics, Institute for the Developing Mind, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, WM Keck Provost Professor of Neurogenetics, Keck School of Medicine of USC

RSVP is Required to tecpad@chla.usc.edu