Sensory Moter Neuroscience
Staff
| Prof. | Kenji Kondo |
|---|
Overview
Our research focuses on the function and pathophysiology of the auditory, vestibular, and olfactory organs—highly developed sensory systems that enable the body to perceive and interpret both internal and external environments—as well as on the motor nervous system involved in communication, including the facial nerve.
In close collaboration with the Department of Otorhinolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery in the Division of Surgery, we conduct translational research using experimental animal models alongside analyses of human samples and patient data, with the goal of applying our findings to clinical practice.
Projects
- Hearing, speech, and language development following cochlear implantation in children with congenital deafness
- Development of AI-based hearing screening tests for infants and strategies to improve outcomes of cochlear implant treatment
- Auditory perception and speech understanding in noisy environments among cochlear implant users
- Sound source localization and the effects of contralateral hearing aid use in patients with unilateral hearing loss
- Elucidation of the pathophysiology of hearing loss—including age-related hearing loss, acoustic trauma, and Ménière’s disease—and development of preventive and therapeutic strategies using animal models
- Development of novel treatments for balance disorders using vestibular electrical stimulation
- Investigation of the pathophysiology of olfactory disorders and development of therapeutic approaches using animal models of olfactory mucosal injury
- Analysis of human olfactory mucus and its role in olfactory signal transduction
- Development of rehabilitation strategies for sensory disorders, including training devices and biological signal monitoring
- Investigation of the pathophysiology of facial nerve paralysis and development of novel treatment approaches
Anechoic chamber for research on sound localization in patients with unilateral hearing loss and cochlear implant users
An analysis of cochlear sensory epithelium by using tissue clearing
Publication list
- Chapman S, Kondo K, Ihara S, et al: Fibronectin in the olfactory mucus increases sensitivity of olfactory receptor response to odorants. Sci Adv 2025;11:eadu7271
- Fujimoto C, Kawahara T, Kikkawa YS, et al: Multicenter randomized double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study of the effect of prolonged noisy galvanic vestibular stimulation on posture or gait in vestibulopathy. PLoS One 2025;20:e0317822
- Takaki K, Kashio A, Nozaki E, et al: A randomized crossover study in single-sided deafness comparing a cartilage conduction CROS System and an air-conduction CROS System. Otol Neurotol 2024;45:635-642
- Fujimaki Y, Kondo K, Nishijima H, et al: Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor promotes regeneration of severed facial nerve in rats. Front Neurosci 2024;18:1442614
- Kashio A, Yamada C, Yasuhara K, et al: Taurine, Coenzyme Q10, and Hydrogen Water Prevents Germanium Dioxide-Induced Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Associated Sensorineural Hearing Loss in mouse. Hear Res 2023;428:108678
- Nishijima H, Zunitch MJ, Yoshida M, et al: Rapid fluorescent vital imaging of olfactory epithelium. iScience 2022;25:104222
- Ijichi C, Kondo K, Kobayashi M, et al: Lipocalin 15 in the olfactory mucus is a biomarker for Bowman's gland activity. Sci Rep 2022;12:9984
- Koyama H, Kashio A, Fujimoto C, et al: Alteration of Vestibular Function in Pediatric Cochlear Implant Recipients. Front Neurol 2021;12:661302
- Urata S, Iida T, Yamamoto M, et al: Cellular cartography of the organ of Corti based on optical tissue clearing and machine learning. Elife 2019;8:e40946
- Kinoshita M, Fujimoto C, Iwasaki S, et al: Alteration of Musashi1 intra-cellular distribution during regeneration following gentamicin-induced hair cell loss in the guinea pig crista ampullaris. Front. Cell. Neurosci 2019;13:481
- Fujimoto C, Iwasaki S, Urata S, et al: Autophagy is essential for hearing in mice. Cell Death Dis 2017;8:e2780
- Fujimoto C, Yamamoto Y, Kamogashira T, et al: Noisy galvanic vestibular stimulation induces a sustained improvement in body balance in elderly adults. Sci Rep 2016;6;37575
Contact
kondok-tky@umin.ac.jp