Yoko Yazaki-Sugiyama

Dr. Yazaki-Sugiyama received her PhD from Sophia University, Tokyo Japan and did two postdocs at Richard Mooney’s lab in Duke University and Takao Hensch’s lab at RIKEN BSI. Then she became independent at Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Graduate University where she is currently a professor.
Her lab has been working on how auditory experiences shape neuronal circuits to form song memories through social vocal communication in zebra finch song leaning.

Experience
July, 2026 -
Dean of Research
2025 - June, 2026
Associate Dean of Research
2023 - present
Professor, OIST Graduate University (tenured)
2017- 2023
Associate Professor, OIST Graduate University (tenured)
2011-2017
Assistant Professor, OIST Graduate University, Okinawa Japan
2003-2011
Postdoctoral fellow, RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Saitama, Japan
2001-2003
Postdoctoral fellow, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC,
1999-2002
Postdoctoral fellow, Life Science Institute, Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan
Awards
2009
The Research Incentive Award, RIKEN
2024
Tsukahara Memorial Award, Brain Science Foundation
Portrait of Prof. Yoko Yazaki-Sugiyama
Yoko Yazaki-Sugiyama
Dean of Research and Professor
MSc, PhD, Sophia University
BSc, Japan Women’s University

Research Unit

Neuronal Mechanism for Critical Period Unit
Contact
Select Publications

 

  • Yazaki-Sugiyama, Yoko. 2024a. “Transient Sensorimotor Projections in the Developmental Song
    Learning Period.” Cell Reports(2024)
  • Yazaki-Sugiyama, Yoko. 2024b. “Tutor Auditory Memory for Guiding Sensorimotor Learning in
    Birdsong.” Frontiers in Neural Circuits(2024)
  • Katic K., Morohashi Y. and Yazaki-Sugiyama Y. Neural Circuit for Social Authentication in Song Learning. Nat. Commun (2022) 13(1):4442
  • Scarpa G.B., Starrett J..R, Li G..L, Brooks C., Morohashi Y., Yazaki-Sugiyama Y., Remage-Healey L. (2022) Estrogens rapidly shape synaptic and intrinsic properties to regulate the temporal precision of songbird auditory neurons. Cereb Cortex bhac280.
  • Spool J. A., Macedo-Lima M., Scarpa G., Morohashi Y., Yazaki-Sugiyama Y. and Remage-Healey L. (2021) Genetically-identified neurons in avian auditory pallium mirror core principles of their mammalian counterparts. Curr Biol 31:2831-2843.e6,
  • Kudo T, Morhashi Y and *Yazaki-Sugiyama Y. (2020) Early Auditory Experience Modifies Neuronal Firing Properties in the Zebra Finch Auditory Cortex. Frontiers in Neural Circuits 14:63.
  • Yanagihara S. and *Yazaki-Sugiyama Y. (2018) Social interaction with a tutor modulates responsiveness of specific auditory neurons in juvenile zebra finches. Behav Proc,
  • Araki M., Bandi M. M. and *Yazaki-Sugiyama Y. Mind the Gap: Neural Coding of Species Identity in Birdsong Prosody. Science354: 1282-1287
  • Yanagihara, S. and *Yazaki-Sugiyama, Y. (2016) Auditory experience dependent cortical circuit shaping for memory formation in bird song learning. Nat. Commun, doi: 10.1038/NCOMMS11946. (featured article)
  • *Yazaki-Sugiyama, Y., Yanagihara, S, Fuller, P.M. and Lazarus M. (2015) Acute inhibition of a cortical motor area impairs vocal control in singing zebra finches. Eur J Neuroscience 41:97-108
     
Select Invited talks

 

  • The 2023 Birdsong Symposium “Birdsong X: Welcome Back!” satellite event at SFN
    “Transient auditory to motor neuronal projection subserving developmental song
    learning in zebra finches”, George Washington University, Washington DC, USA,(2023)
  • THE DAVID BODIAN SEMINAR, “Transient auditory-motor projections subserving developmental song learning”, The Zanvyl Krieger Mind/Brain Institute, Johns Hopkins University, (2023)
  • “Variable axon connectivity of song memory ensembles in developmental zebra finch song learning”, International Symposium on Development and Plasticity of Neural System, (2022)
  • Invited lecture at Public lecture series at the 40th annual meetings of the Japanese Neuroscience Society, Tokyo Japan, (2017)
  • Gordon Research Conference -Auditory systems (2016)   Selected short talk. ‘Mind the gap: Neuronal coding od species identity in birdsong prosody’, Bates College, USA
  • 9th Avian Model Systems meeting (2016). ‘Chemogenetic control of neuronal activity in songbirds’, Taipei, Taiwan
  • Symposium at 38th Annual Meeting of Japanese Neuroscience Society, ‘The mechanisms of neuronal circuit formation and maturation in the developing brain’ (2015). ‘Learning to be a zebra finch. How does one identify vocalizations of one’s own species?’, Kobe Japan
     

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