Research Overview

Members

Professor Emeritus, Nara Women's University
Senior Researcher, KYOUSEI Science Center for Life and Nature

Miki, Kenju

Field of Expertise: Autonomic Physiology, Environmental Physiology, Cardiovascular Physiology

Professor
Department of Health Sciences, Course of Life and Health
Faculty of Human Life and Environment

Yoshimoto, Misa

Field of Expertise: Autonomic Physiology, Nutritional Physiology, Cardiovascular Physiology

Graduate School of Humanities and Sciences
[Graduate student]

Faculty of Human Life and Environment, Department of Health Sciences, Course of Life and Health
[third- and fourth-year undergraduate students]

Research Overview

Autonomic Regulation During Sleep, Exercise, and Hypertension

We study how the autonomic nervous system changes during sleep, exercise, and the development of hypertension, and how these changes regulate cardiovascular function.
Using freely moving, conscious rats, we have established a unique method for long-term recording of sympathetic nerve activity. Our studies have shown that during REM sleep, sympathetic nerve activity and cardiovascular dynamics resemble those seen during wakefulness -- even without increased muscle activity -- indicating that higher brain centers can directly drive sympathetic output.
We have also examined how sympathetic nerve activity contributes to the transition from normal blood pressure to hypertension.



Organ Network Dynamics and Disease Prediction

(JST Moonshot Goal 2)
We perform long-term, simultaneous recordings of vagal and sympathetic nerve activity in conscious rats to understand how the autonomic nervous system maintains glucose and energy homeostasis.
By continuously measuring nerve activity, heart rate, blood pressure, and blood glucose under unanesthetized conditions, we directly capture neural communication between organs over time.
In a type 1 diabetes model, we identified organ-specific autonomic responses during the development of hyperglycemia. These large-scale time-series data are now being integrated with mathematical modeling to develop predictive frameworks for early disease detection.
This work contributes to JST Moonshot Goal 2, which aims to enable ultra-early prediction and prevention of diabetes and related diseases by 2050.



Methods and Facilities

Our laboratory has established techniques for long-term recordings of renal and lumbar sympathetic nerve activity as well as cervical vagal nerve activity in conscious rats.
Stable recordings require advanced microsurgical skills, specialized instruments, and a carefully controlled experimental environment. Because autonomic nerve signals are extremely small (10-50 μV), experiments are conducted in shielded, temperature-controlled chambers with custom-designed amplifiers optimized for long-term, low-amplitude recordings.
Identification of nerve activity relies on both waveform analysis and auditory signal recognition, an essential skill in our laboratory.





Publications

For earlier publications and information on research funding, please refer to the links below:
Kenju Miki ► reseachmap (Publications)
Misa Yoshimoto ► reseachmap (Publications)

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