| | Staff Scientists and Clinicians
| Masahiro Fujita, M.D., Ph.D. |
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Dr.
Fujita is a Staff Scientist of Molecular
Imaging Branch of the Intramural Research Program,
National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes
of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. He received his M.D. from Osaka University Medical
School, Japan, and his Ph.D. in radiology from the Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine. He
did residencies in radiology and nuclear medicine in Osaka University Medical School. He is board
certified in both radiology and nuclear medicine in Japan.
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| Research Interests |
Dr. Fujita�s research has focused on studying brain neurotransmission in living human brain by using
positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and
radiolabeled ligands. He is an expert on in vivo quantification of neurotransmitter receptors/transporters
and has established a method to quantify low density dopamine receptors in cerebral cortex. He has also
established a noninvasive method to estimate dopamine release in cerebral cortex in living human.
The targets of PET and SPECT studies on neurotransmission systems have been confined mostly to
the measurement of proteins on cell membrane such as receptors and transporters, which are not
enough to understand various pathological changes in psychiatric disorders. In addition to the
measurement of these membrane proteins, Dr. Fujita has been studying neurotransmission from
different aspects such as neurotransmitter release and second messenger systems using PET and
SPECT. These studies will help further understanding of psychiatric disorders.
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| Representative Selected Recent Publications: |
- Fujita M, Seibyl JP, Vaupel DB, Tamagnan G, Early M, Zoghbi SS, Baldwin RM, Horti AG, Koren AO, Mukhin AG, Khan S, Bozkurt A, Kimes AS, London ED, Innis RB: Whole-body biodistribution, radiation-absorbed dose, and brain SPET imaging with [123I]5-I-A-85380 in healthy human subjects. Eur J Nucl Med, 29: 183-190, 2002.
- Fujita M, Tamagnan G, Zoghbi SS, Al-Tikriti MS, Baldwin RM, Seibyl JP, Innis RB: Measurement of a4b2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors with [I-123]5-I-A-85380 SPECT. J Nucl Med; 41:1552-1560, 2000.
- Fujita M, Verhoeff NPLG, Varrone A, Zoghbi SS, Baldwin RM, Jatlow PA, Anderson GM, Seibyl JP, Innis RB: Imaging extrastriatal dopamine D2 receptor occupancy by endogenous dopamine in healthy humans. Eur J Pharmacol; 387:179-188, 2000.
- Fujita M, Seibyl JP, Verhoeff NPLG, Ichise M, Baldwin RM, Zoghbi SS, Burger C, Staley JK, Rajeevan N, Charney DS and Innis RB: Kinetic and equilibrium analyses of [123I]epidepride binding to striatal and extrastriatal dopamine D2 receptors. Synapse; 34:290-304, 1999.
- Fujita M, Woods SW, Verhoeff NPLG, Abi-Dargham A, Baldwin RM, Zoghbi SS, Soares JC, Jatlow PA, Krystal JH, Rajeevan N, Charney DS, Seibyl JP, Innis RB: Changes of benzodiazepine receptors during chronic benzodiazepine administration in humans. Eur J Pharmacol; 368:161-172, 1999.
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