Hiroshi ShiozakiAssistant Professor

Education

• B.A., Osaka University, 2005
• Ph.D., Osaka University, 2011

Research Area

• Neuroscience

Research Description

Animal behaviors are remarkably diverse across species, yet how neural circuits evolve to generate this diversity remains poorly understood. Our lab investigates neural circuit evolution by comparing courtship across closely related Drosophila species.

Our research addresses three broad questions: How do evolutionary changes in synaptic connectivity alter neural circuit activity and behavioral output? How do neural circuits preserve essential behaviors while allowing others to evolve? And how do species-specific circuits arise through changes in developmental programs?

To address these questions, we integrate comparative connectomics, in vivo neurophysiology, cell-type-specific genetic manipulation, developmental genetics, single-cell genomics, quantitative behavior, and computational modeling. By combining these approaches, we aim to establish mechanistic links from genetic change to neural circuit assembly, neural computation, and ultimately behavior.

Research Lab Description

We study how neural circuits evolve to generate behavioral diversity across species. By combining comparative connectomics, neurophysiology, genetics, and quantitative behavior across Drosophila species, we investigate how evolutionary changes in neural circuit development, connectivity, and computation give rise to new behaviors.