Sayaka Inoue

Sayaka Inoue

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry

Education & Training


  • PhD: the University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan, 2013
  • Postdoctoral Training: Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 2024

Major Awards


  • The Japan Neuroscience Society Young Investigator Award, 2021
  • Sammy Kuo Award in Neuroscience from the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Postdoctoral Paper of the Year, 2020

Research Interests


My research interest lies in understanding how the ovarian hormones estrogen and progesterone modulate social behaviors, anxiety, and mood, both in health and disease. Dysregulated ovarian hormone signaling is thought to be a key factor underlying diverse psychiatric symptoms observed in conditions such as premenstrual syndrome, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and menopausal syndrome. My team aims to elucidate the neural mechanisms behind ovarian hormone-dependent behavioral changes throughout the lifespan. Towards this goal, I utilize an interdisciplinary approach that includes systems and molecular neurobiological techniques, applied to animal models that exhibit state changes in hormone levels.

Key Publications


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