Sleep is the operating system of memory and emotion.
Why sleep, why now
Sleep is when the brain rebuilds memory, recalibrates emotion, and rehearses behavior. Yet how it does so — and how we can intervene — remains one of neuroscience’s deepest open questions.
Our laboratory pursues this question from multiple directions in parallel: dissecting the REM-sleep circuits that integrate adult-born neurons into memory engrams; developing AI that decodes sleep stages in real time; exploring targeted memory reactivation through sound; and translating these insights toward clinical applications for specific neural conditions. We are based at Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine and collaborate with NCNP, IIIS Tsukuba, RIKEN CBS, and partners across Japan, North America, and Asia.
Four research programs, one question
Adult-born neurons × REM
How sparse activity of adult-born hippocampal neurons during REM sleep consolidates memory (Kumar et al., Neuron 2020; Srinivasan et al., Nat Commun 2025).
Learn more TechnologyReal-time AI sleep staging
Closed-loop neural recording with millisecond-scale stage detection enables stage-specific investigation and intervention during sleep.
Learn more Translation · SESSound Exposure during Sleep (SES)
Targeted memory reactivation through individualized auditory cues during sleep — clinical research targeting specific neural conditions.
Explore Research Translation · RegenerationCircuit-level repair of the central nervous system
Toward treatments for CNS injury and degeneration through integration of new neurons into existing circuits — a research direction currently under development.
Explore ResearchLatest news
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2026 · 04
Grant-in-Aid Kiban-A awarded
The lab received a 3-year Kiban-A grant from JSPS to study mechanisms of memory consolidation during sleep dynamics, in collaboration with Keio University, IIIS Tsukuba, and Kobe University.
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2026 · 04
Dr. Yuto Momohara appointed Assistant Professor
Yuto Momohara joins the lab as Assistant Professor after his postdoctoral training at UTHealth.
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2026 · 01
The lab moves to Kobe University
Masanori Sakaguchi was appointed Professor and Chair of the Department of Neurophysiology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine. He also holds a Visiting Professorship at the University of Tsukuba (from May 2026) and a visiting researcher position at RIKEN CBS.
Join us
We welcome applicants from any country who are passionate about sleep, memory, and translational neuroscience. We host PhD students through the Kobe Graduate School of Medicine, postdoctoral researchers, visiting scholars, and short-term interns. Financial support routes (JSPS, HFSP, MEXT, Humanics) are available for qualified candidates.