We aim to understand the etiology of functional neurological disorder and the causal mechanisms in the relationship between sleep and obesity.

Our aim is to understand how the brain contributes to maladaptive patterns of eating behavior at a behavioral, cellular, and molecular level.

We investigate immunology and homeostasis of the brain in health and disease by using multidisciplinary approaches of neurobiology, immunology, and epigenetics. 

We leverage multimodal neuroimaging techniques, pharmacological modeling, and computationally advanced data analytics to better characterize disease processes as a foundation for to the development of rational treatment approaches that are targeted at alleviating disease severity across symptom dimensions and improving overall outcomes for our patients.

The Niwa laboratory employs a variety of cutting-edge neurobiological techniques, from the molecular and cellular levels to the circuit and behavioral levels, to elucidate the mechanisms by which psychological stress in early life alters neuronal functions in the brain and influences adult behaviors.

We are interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms in the brain associated with the serious mental illness schizophrenia. In particular, we are focused on brain energy metabolism and intracellular pH regulation changes that may underlie deficits in protein modification and trafficking.

Disparities in Sleep and Circadian Rhythm Lab: Our research program is translational and seeks to examine the impact of disparities in sleep and circadian rhythms on a variety of health outcomes, as well as developing and testing interventions to reduce these disparities.