Atsushi Fujimoto, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Neuroscience

E-MAIL: [email protected]

Research Interests:

The Fujimoto Lab investigates the neural mechanisms that enable flexible decision-making and how these processes break down in psychiatric disorders. Using advanced neurophysiological, imaging, and molecular techniques in non-human primates, we identify the neural circuits that integrate interoceptive signals into decision-making. We also develop and test neuromodulatory and molecular interventions, including chemogenetics and deep brain stimulation, to model and treat addictive behaviors.

Publications

  • Fujimoto A#, Elorette C, Fujimoto SH, Fleysher L, Rudebeck PH, Russ BE#. Pharmacological modulation of dopamine receptors reveals distinct brain-wide networks associated with learning and motivation in non-human primates. J Neurosci. 2025;45(6):1301242024. ( # corresponding authors)
  • Fujimoto A, Elorette C, Fujimoto SH, Fleysher L, Russ BE, Rudebeck PH. Ventrolateral prefrontal cortex in macaques guides decisions in different learning contexts.  bioRxiv 2024; doi:10.1101/2024.09.18.613767 ( # corresponding authors) (In revision at Nature Communications)
  • Oyama K, Majima K, Nagai Y, Hori Y, Hirabayashi T, Eldridge MAG, Mimura K, Miyakawa N, Fujimoto A, Hori Y, Iwaoki H, Inoue KI, Saunders RC, Takada M, Yahata N, Higuchi M, Richmond BJ, Minamimoto T. Distinct roles of monkey OFC-subcortical pathways in adaptive behavior. Nat Commun. 2024;15(1), 6487.
  • Fujimoto SH, Fujimoto A, Elorette C, Seltzer A, Andraka E, Verma G, Janssen WG, Fleysher L, Folloni D, Choi KS, Russ BE, Mayberg HS, Rudebeck PH. Deep brain stimulation induces white matter remodeling and functional changes to brain-wide networks. bioRxiv 2024;doi:10.1101/2024.06.13.59871 (In revision at Nature Neuroscience)
  • Elorette C*, Fujimoto A*, Stoll FM, Fujimoto SH, Bienkowska N, London L, Fleysher L, Russ BE, Rudebeck PH. The neural basis of resting-state fMRI functional connectivity in fronto-limbic circuits revealed by chemogenetic
    manipulation. Nat Commun. 2024;15(1), 4669 (*co-first authors)
  • Zeisler ZR, London L, Janssen WG, Fredericks JM, Elorette C, Fujimoto A, Zhan H, Russ BE, Clem RL, Hof PR, Stoll FM, Rudebeck PH. Single basolateral amygdala neurons in macaques exhibit distinct connectional motifs with frontal cortex. Neuron 2023;111(20):3307-3320.
  • Fujimoto A, Elorette C, Fredericks JM, Fujimoto SH, Fleysher L, Rudebeck PH, Russ BE. Resting-state fMRI-based screening of deschloroclozapine in rhesus macaques predicts dosage-dependent behavioral effects. J Neurosci. 2022;42(29):5705-5716.
  • Fujimoto, A #, Murray EA, Rudebeck PH. # . Interaction between decision-making and interoceptive representations of bodily arousal in frontal cortex. PNAS USA. 2021;118(35) e2014781118. ( # corresponding authors)
  • Hori Y, Mimura K, Nagai Y, Fujimoto A, Oyama K, Kikuchi E, Inoue KI, Takada M, Suhara T, Richmond BJ, Minamimoto T.Single caudate neurons encode temporally discounted value for formulating motivation for action. eLife 2021;10:e61248.
  • Nagai Y, Miyakawa N, Takuwa H, Hori Y, Oyama K, Ji B, Takahashi M, Huang XP, Slocum ST, DiBerto JF, Xiong Y, Urushihata T, Hirabayashi T, Fujimoto A, Mimura K, English JG, Liu J, Inoue KI, Kumata K, Seki C, Ono M, Shimojo M, Zhang MR, Tomita Y, Nakahara J, Suhara T, Takada M, Higuchi M, Jin J, Roth BL, Minamimoto T. Deschloroclozapine: a potent and selective chemogenetic actuator enables rapid neuronal and behavioral modulations in mice and monkeys” Nat Neurosci. 2020;23:1157–1167.
  • Fujimoto A#, Minamimoto T# . Trait and state-dependent risk attitude of monkeys measured in a single-option response task. Front Neurosci. 2019;13:816 ( # corresponding authors)
  • Fujimoto A, Hori Y, Nagai Y, Kikuchi E, Oyama K, Suhara T, Minamimoto T. Signaling incentive and drive in the primate ventral pallidum for motivational control of goal-directed action. J Neurosci. 2019 Mar 6;39(10):1793-1804. 
  • Fujimoto A, Tsurumi K, Kawada R, Murao T, Takeuchi H, Murai T, Takahashi H. Deficit of state-dependent risk-attitude modulation in gambling disorder. Transl Psychiatry. 2017 Apr 4;7(4):e1085.
  • Nagai Y, Kikuchi E, Lerchner W, Inoue KI, Ji B, Eldridge MA, Kaneko H, Kimura Y, Oh-Nishi A, Hori Y, Kato Y, Hirabayashi T, Fujimoto A, Kumata K, Zhang MR, Aoki I, Suhara T, Higuchi M, Takada M, Richmond BJ, Minamimoto T. PET imaging-guided chemogenetic silencing reveals a critical role of primate rostromedial caudate in reward evaluation” Nat Commun. 2016;7:13605.
  • Fujimoto A, Takahashi H. Flexible modulation of risk attitude during decision-making under quota. NeuroImage 2016;139:304-312
Atsushi Fujimoto