Yuta Mabuchi, PhD
2025 Leon Levy Scholar in Neuroscience
Columbia University, The Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute
Sub-disciplinary Category
Cellular & Molecular Neuroscience
Previous Positions
- BS, Hokkaido University
- PHD, Cornell University (Dr. Nilay Yapici)
Bio
Dr. Yuta Mabuchi grew up in a suburban district of Greater Tokyo, Japan, before moving to Hokkaido—the northernmost of Japan’s main islands—where he completed a BS in Biological Sciences at Hokkaido University. During his PhD at Cornell University in Nilay Yapici’s lab, he studied visually guided male courtship behavior in Drosophila melanogaster. As a Leon Levy Neuroscience Scholar, he is now interested in studying the molecular and neuronal mechanisms underlying species-specific differences in parental behavior using Peromyscus (deer mouse) species in Dr. Andrés Bendesky’s lab at the Zuckerman Institute, Columbia University.
Research Summary
Studying the mechanistic basis of parental care using transcriptomic, molecular, circuit, and behavioral tools in Peromyscus species, which diverged from laboratory mice and rats.
Technical Overview
Parental care is essential for the survival and development of infants in many species, including humans. The expression of parental behavior varies in intensity among individuals, between sexes, and across species. However, the molecular and neuronal mechanisms underlying this variation remain poorly understood. Dr. Yuta Mabuchi aims to uncover the causes and mechanisms driving behavioral diversity in parental care. He leverages the evolutionary uniqueness of Peromyscus mice—specifically, the oldfield mouse (P. polionotus) and the deer mouse (P. maniculatus)—which exhibit strikingly different parental strategies. The oldfield mouse is monogamous and provides biparental care, whereas the deer mouse is promiscuous, and fathers provide little to no parental care. Recently, the Bendesky lab discovered that the poorly studied steroid hormone 20α-hydroxyprogesterone (20⍺-OHP) contributes to biparental care in the monogamous oldfield mouse. Here, Dr. Mabuchi will use modern molecular, neuronal, and behavioral tools to elucidate the specific neuronal circuits and mechanisms through which 20⍺-OHP modulates parental care. Since 20⍺-OHP is present in humans, investigating its functions and effects on specific neuronal populations may provide insights into variations in human parental motivation. Notably, allopregnanolone, a structurally similar compound, is the only FDA-approved treatment for postpartum depression. This research may enhance our understanding of the mechanisms of action of this class of molecules and potentially lead to improved treatments.