Heii Arai, MD, PhD
(Japan), Board of Directors

Heii Arai is Chairman Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Juntendo University School of Medicine and Department of Behavioral Science and Psychiatry, Juntendo Postgraduate School, Tokyo, Japan. He graduated from Juntendo University School of Medicine with an MD in 1978. After 2-years clinical training in Department of Internal Medicine, Juntendo University Hospital, he selected a clinical research course under supervision by Prof. Reiji Iizuka in the Departement of Psychiatry, Juntendo Postgraduate School and graduated with a PhD in 1984. Then, he was employed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Psychiatry as a fellow researcher in the Division of Psychopharmacology. During 1985-1987, he got a fellowship from the Mental Health Foundation, UK and stayed at Medical Research Council Center, Cambridge, UK under supervision by Dr. Piers C Emson and Department of Psychiatry, Addenbrook’s Hospital, Cambridge University under the supervision by Prof. Sir Martin Roth. He also worked at Department of Neurobiology, Babraham Institute, Cambridge with Dr. P C Emson. In 1989, He was given a lecturer position in the Department of Psychiatry, Juntendo University School of Medicine, and the current position in June, 1997. 

Prof. Arai’s research career started with the work on morphological examination with computed tomography (CT) in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Then, he has done a lot of comprehensive biological studies as well as clinical surveys on AD and other neurodegenerative disorders. One of his highly important papers is one that firstly reported extensive dramatic changes in serotonergic system in postmortem human brains with AD. Since moving to the Juntendo University, he has been engaged in pre- and post-graduate psychiatric education and training, research-conducting work and clinical works managing the department. Representative current research topics are comprehensive studies on the etiology and pathogenesis of AD, schizophrenia and mood disorders as well as psycho-oncology.

His scientific interests in psychogeriatrics studying on not only basic but also clinical aspects as well as experiences as a board member of Japanese Psychogeriatric Society made him realize importance of international collaboration of this field from academic and practical viewpoints. Through bio-psycho-social studies on AD and related disorders, he wants to scientifically contribute development of psychogeriatrics and socially support adaptation of people in later life-stage.

Dr. Arai was elected to the IPA Board of Directors in September 2004.  He can be contacted at heii@med.juntendo.ac.jp.

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