The Department of Physiological Sciences, University of Advanced Studies (Sokendai) is operated by the National Institute for Physiological Sciences (NIPS) at Okazaki (http://www.nips.ac.jp/eng/). NIPS consists of 19 divisions dedicated to the study of the physiological functions of living organisms including humans. Research areas cover various physiological sciences including morphology, biochemistry, pharmacology, molecular and cellular biology, and information science. Research activities are extensive and comprehensive.