University of California-San Diego · BiologyThe Motor Circuit Lab
Takaki Komiyama · La Jolla, California
Research Focus
Dr. Takaki Komiyama's lab at UC San Diego focuses on understanding how the brain's motor cortex helps us learn and execute movements. They study the interactions between different types of brain cells and how these interactions change when we learn new motor skills. By using mouse models and advanced techniques, the lab aims to find out how neurons in the motor cortex communicate and adapt, particularly in relation to motor disorders like Parkinson's and multiple sclerosis.
motor cortexneural circuitsmotor learningoptogeneticssynaptic plasticity
Research Aims
4AIM 01Investigate how long-range brain inputs influence motor cortex activity.
AIM 02Determine the role of local connections in shaping motor learning in the cortex.
AIM 03Explore how neuron responses in the motor cortex change during motor learning.
AIM 04Understand the interplay between different neuronal populations in motor control.
Skills the Lab Values
mouse modelsoptogeneticsneuroanatomycircuit dissectionbehavioral assays
Output against the department
Publications103bottom 36% of dept.660th of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations7.7ktop 48% of dept.499th of 1,033
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.