People

Faculty

Kensuke Yamamura

DDS. Ph.D.
Professor, Division of Oral Physiology
Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences

Dr. Kensuke Yamamura went on to complete his PhD with Dr. Yoshiaki Yamada at Niigata University, Division of Oral Physiology in 1994.?After completion of his PhD, Dr. Kensuke Yamamura worked as a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Barry J Sessle in the Division of Oral Physiology at the University of Toronto.
+ Education
DDS: Niigata University
PhD: Niigata University
+ Expertise
Brain Function, Mastication, Swallowing, Motor Function
+ Publications

• Neural mechanisms of swallowing and effects of taste and other stimuli on swallow initiation.Yamamura K, Kitagawa J, Kurose M, Sugino S, Takatsuji H, Mostafeezur RM, Zakir HM, Yamada Y.Biol Pharm Bull. 2010;33(11):1786-90. Review.
• Modulation of spindle discharge from jaw-closing muscles during chewing foods of different hardness in awake rabbits. Zakir HM, Kitagawa J, Yamada Y, Kurose M, Mostafeezur RM, Yamamura K.Brain Res Bull. 2010 Nov 20;83(6):380-6.
• Mastication-induced modulation of the jaw-opening reflex during different periods of mastication in awake rabbits. Mostafeezur R, Yamamura K, Kurose M, Yamada Y. Brain Res. 2009 Feb 13;1254:28-37.

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Keiichiro Okamoto

DDS. Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Division of Oral Physiology
Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences

Dr. Keiichiro Okamoto worked with Prof. Emiko Senba at Wakayama Medical University, Dept. Anatomy and completed his PhD with Prof. Yasuhiko Tamai at Wakayama Medical University, Dept. Physiology in 2006. Dr. Keiichiro Okamoto also worked as a research fellow with Prof. David A. Bereiter at Brown University Medical School (2001~2003) and University of Minnesota, School of Dentistry (2006~2015) in the USA. "
+ Education
DDS: Kyushu dental University
PhD: Wakayama Medical University
+ Expertise
Neuroscience, Neurobiology of Pain
+ Publications

• Sensitization of trigeminal brainstem pathways in a model for tear deficient dry eye. Rahman M, Okamoto K, Thompson R, Katagiri A, Bereiter DA. Pain. 2015 May;156(5):942-50.
• Trigeminal pathways for hypertonic saline- and light-evoked corneal reflexes. Rahman M, Okamoto K, Thompson R, Bereiter DA. Neuroscience. 2014 Sep 26;277:716-23.
• Estrogen status and psychophysical stress modify temporomandibular joint input to medullary dorsal horn neurons in a lamina-specific manner in female rats. Okamoto K, Thompson R, Katagiri A, Bereiter DA. Pain. 2013 Jul;154(7):1057-64.

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Masayuki Kurose

DDS. Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Division of Oral Physiology
Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences

Dr. Masayuki Kurose went on to complete his PhD with Dr. Yoshiaki Yamada at Niigata University, Division of Oral Physiology in 2004. After completion of his PhD, Dr. Masayuki Kurose worked as a postdoctoral fellow with ?Dr. Ian Meng at University of New England in the Center of Biomedical Research Excellence for the Study of Pain and Sensory Function.
+ Education
DDS: Iwate Medical University
PhD: Niigata University
+ Expertise
Neuroscience, reflex motor control, Dry Syndrome, neurobiology of Pain
+ Publications

• Corneal sensitivity following lacrimal gland excision in the rat. Meng ID, Barton ST, Mecum NE, Kurose M. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2015 May 1;56(5):3347-54.
• The role of corneal afferent neurons in regulating tears under normal and dry eye conditions.Meng ID, Kurose M. Exp Eye Res. 2013 Dec;117:79-87.
• Dry eye modifies the thermal and menthol responses in rat corneal primary afferent cool cells.Kurose M, Meng ID. J Neurophysiol. 2013 Jul;110(2):495-504.

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Our Projects

For more than three decades, our faculty has been studying orofacial motor function and sensory processing from a basic science perspective. Investigators have international reputations for their work in the field of mastication, swallowing and pain. They have been successful in explaining some of the mechanisms of 1) coordination of mastication and swallowing and 2) orofacial and ocular pain.

+ Project 1 Mastication and Swallowing

In the clinical management of patients with impaired function of mastication and swallowing, practitioners have involved in rehabilitation aimed at restoring its efficiency. Our research projects have a long tradition to determine the functional physiology of mastication and swallowing. Accordingly, evidence provided by our human and animal studies that we have employed clearly contribute to provide possible mechanisms underlying mastication and swallowing that is unique to orofacial and dental field.

+ Project 2 Neuroimaging

The human brain has about 100 billion neurons. Humans take in the information associated with hearing, touch, smell, and taste from sensory organs and convert this information to electrical signals which are then sent to the brain. Neurons in the brain process this information through mutual exchange of the signals to determine the next action. During this process, oxygenated hemoglobin (oxyHb) supplies oxygen via capillary vessels. NIRS technology can analyze the functional localization of the brain by measuring this reaction in real time using near infrared light. Our main interests by using NIRS technology is to access the involvement of higher brain center (eg. Prefrontal Cortex) in orofacial movements.

+ Project 3 Pain mechanisms in deep craniofacial tissues

Our main interests include central nociceptive processing in several structures such as temporomandibular joint and masticatory muscles. Emphasis for the basic research is directed on the several issues in how changes in vegetative function such as autonomic function and hormonal status could affect trigeminal nociception in the brain and how trigeminal pain influences orofacial motor function like jaw muscle activity. Most techniques for these research in Project 2 and 3 employed extracellular neural recording from trigeminal primary afferents and trigeminal subnucleus caudalis, EMG recording from masticatory muscles, orofacial behavioral and immunohistochemistry in vivo condition.

+ Project 4 Pain mechanisms under dry syndromes in the eye and mouth

Pain can be caused by noxious stimulation to organs in the body, while possible environment changes in the absence of any obvious external (harmful) stimuli at the ocular surface and oral tissues are sufficient to cause uncomfortable sensations like pain. These findings obviously indicated that alterations of autonomic function have substantial roles to influence pain processing. Dry syndromes such as dry eye and dry mouth are commonly seen in clinics, but are hard to treat because of the lack of knowledge regarding their precise mechanisms. Hypotheses concerning the basis for uncomfortable sensation (mostly pain) in the eye and mouth should account for the chronic nature, decreased motor function and its association with alterations in autonomic function.

Prospective InternationalStudents

We are pleased that you are considering Graduate Students opportunities at the Division of Oral Physiology Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences . Niigata University is a great place to study and work. If you are interested in working with us, please contact to us. No phone inquiries,?please.?