KAZUYA SAITA

Last Updated :2026/06/11

Affiliations, Positions
Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Associate Professor/Lecturer
E-mail
saitahiroshima-u.ac.jp
Self-introduction
My research has focused on validating rehabilitation intervention efficacy through functional neuroimaging. Currently, I investigate the biological mechanisms and psychosocial factors underlying neurocognitive dysfunction in brain injury and cancer-related conditions, employing a comprehensive biopsychosocial approach.

Basic Information

Major Professional Backgrounds

  • 2026/04/01, Hiroshima Univerisity, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Lecturer/Associate Professor

Research Fields

  • Social sciences;Psychology;Experimental psychology
  • Medicine,dentistry, and pharmacy;Clinical internal medicine;General internal medicine (including psychosomatic medicine)
  • Complex systems;Biomedical engineering;Rehabilitation science / Welfare engineering
  • Complex systems;Brain sciences;Brain biometrics

Research Keywords

  • cognitive reserve
  • Brain activity
  • near infrared spectroscopy
  • Higher brain function
  • Cognitive function
  • Cancer
  • Chemobrain

Educational Activity

Course in Charge

  1. 2026, Undergraduate Education, Intensive, Interprofessional education
  2. 2026, Undergraduate Education, Second Semester, Emergency Medicine and Risk Management
  3. 2026, Undergraduate Education, Second Semester, Emergency Medicine and Risk Management
  4. 2026, Undergraduate Education, Second Semester, Seminar of Occupational therapy assessment for developmental disorders
  5. 2026, Undergraduate Education, Intensive, Clinical practice I
  6. 2026, Undergraduate Education, Intensive, Clinical practice II
  7. 2026, Undergraduate Education, 3Term, Preliminary Research Practice
  8. 2026, Undergraduate Education, 1Term, Seminar of developmental occupational therapy I
  9. 2026, Undergraduate Education, Second Semester, Practice of minor crafts as occupational therapy media II
  10. 2026, Undergraduate Education, First Semester, Practice of occupational therapy assessment for physical dysfunction II
  11. 2026, Undergraduate Education, 3Term, Seminar of occulational therapy for physical dysfunction II
  12. 2026, Undergraduate Education, First Semester, Seminar of higher brain dysfunction I
  13. 2026, Undergraduate Education, Second Semester, Seminar of higher brain dysfunction II
  14. 2026, Undergraduate Education, Second Semester, Seminar of applied community-based occupational therapy
  15. 2026, Undergraduate Education, Second Semester, Intoroduction to research methods in occupational therapy II
  16. 2026, Undergraduate Education, Intensive, Practice of clinical clerkship I
  17. 2026, Graduate Education (Master's Program) , First Semester, Advanced Lecture on Health Science 1(Survey Research)

Research Activities

Academic Papers

  1. AI Facial Expression Valence: Reproducibility in Healthy Japanese Adults for Digital Environments, Academia Mental Health Well-Being, 202604
  2. Strategies for Exoskeletal Upper Limb Robot with Bio-Sensors in Stroke Rehabilitation: A Scoping Review, NEUROREHABILITATION, 58(3), 396-405, 202605
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  3. Effectiveness of the Combined Exercise and Cognitive Training System in Enhancing Frontal Lobe Function in Older Adults: A Randomized Control Study, BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL, 2026(1), 2026
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  4. Short latency afferent inhibition differs with load type during isometric finger abduction, JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, 45(1), 20260225
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  5. What the performance of multimodal LLMs on a national licensing exam teaches us about occupational therapy education, BMC Medical Education, 26(1), 180-180, 202601
  6. Association between sense of coherence and phasic heart rate variability under psychosocial stress conditions, PHYSIOLOGY & BEHAVIOR, 298, 20250901
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  7. A scoping review of minimal important change and minimal detectable change of the Fugl-Meyer Assessment lower extremity scale in patients with stroke (accepted in March 2025), Physical Therapy Research, 202505
  8. Stressors during the COVID-19 pandemic in international students: a qualitative study, BMC PUBLIC HEALTH, 25(1), 20250327
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  9. ★, Changes in chemotherapy‑induced cognitive impairment in gastrointestinal cancer survivors using multidomain assessments: a prospective cohort study, Journal of Cancer Survivorship, 202502
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  10. Exploring Home-Visit Rehabilitation for Terminally Ill Patients With Cancer: Insights From Japanese Care Managers, Cureus, 17(1), e76978, 202501
  11. Enhancing the health and well-being of international students: insights from changes in their lifestyle post-COVID-19, FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH, 12, 20241217
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  12. Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation enhances short-latency afferent inhibition via central cholinergic system activation, SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, 14(1), 20240516
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  13. The effects of life review-based collage book making on psychosocial functioning and discrepancy between patients ' and hospital staff ' s perception of daily functioning in long-term hospitalized patients with schizophrenia: A randomized controlled trial, ARCHIVES OF PSYCHIATRIC NURSING, 51, 183-193, 20240704
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  14. Prefrontal activation during dual-task seated stepping and walking performed by subacute stroke patients with hemiplegia, Frontiers in Neuroscience, 17, 1169744, 202305
  15. ★, A scoping review of cognitive assessment tools and domains for chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairments in cancer survivors, FRONTIERS IN HUMAN NEUROSCIENCE, 17, 202302
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  16. Effect of Robot-assisted Rehabilitation to Botulinum Toxin A Injection for Upper Limb Disability in Patients with Chronic Stroke: A Case Series and Systematic Review, Neurol Med Chir, 62(1), 35-44, 20220122
  17. Radiofrequency Ventro-oral Thalamotomy for Post-stroke Focal Dystonia in a Pediatric Patient, NMC Case Report Journal, 8(1), 445-450, 20210806
    Link to Paper Search Results by DOI
  18. ★, Qualitative and Comparative Cortical Activity Data Analyses from a Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Experiment Applying Block Design, Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE, 20201203
  19. Feasibility of single and combined with other treatments using transcranial direct current stimulation for chronic stroke: A pilot study., SAGE open medicine, 8, 2050312120940546, 20200707
  20. Feasibility of supplemental robot-assisted knee flexion exercise following total knee arthroplasty., Journal of back and musculoskeletal rehabilitation, 33(3), 413-421, 20200521
  21. ★, Feasibility of Robot-assisted Rehabilitation in Poststroke Recovery of Upper Limb Function Depending on the Severity, Neurologia medico-chirurgica, 60(4), 217-222, 20200415
  22. Effects of Home-Based Robotic Therapy Involving the Single-Joint Hybrid Assistive Limb Robotic Suit in the Chronic Phase of Stroke: A Pilot Study., BioMed research international, 2019, 5462694-5462694, 2019
  23. Biofeedback effect of hybrid assistive limb in stroke rehabilitation: A proof of concept study using functional near infrared spectroscopy., PloS one, 13(1), e0191361, 2018
  24. Contralateral Cerebral Hypometabolism After Cerebellar Stroke: A Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study., Journal of stroke and cerebrovascular diseases : the official journal of National Stroke Association, 26(4), e69-e71, 201704
  25. Combined therapy using botulinum toxin A and single-joint hybrid assistive limb for upper-limb disability due to spastic hemiplegia., Journal of the neurological sciences, 373, 182-187, 20170215
  26. Feasibility of rehabilitation using the single-joint hybrid assistive limb to facilitate early recovery following total knee arthroplasty: A pilot study., Assistive technology : the official journal of RESNA, 29(4), 197-201, 2017
  27. Tailor-made rehabilitation approach using multiple types of hybrid assistive limb robots for acute stroke patients: A pilot study., Assistive technology : the official journal of RESNA, 28(1), 53-6, 2016
  28. Changes in Motor-Related Cortical Activity Following Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson's Disease Detected by Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy: A Pilot Study., Frontiers in human neuroscience, 10, 629-629, 2016
  29. Pain reduction associated with improved functional interhemispheric balance following transcranial direct current stimulation for post-stroke central pain: A case study., Journal of the neurological sciences, 358(1-2), 484-5, 20151115
  30. Effectiveness of Acute Phase Hybrid Assistive Limb Rehabilitation in Stroke Patients Classified by Paralysis Severity., Neurologia medico-chirurgica, 55(6), 487-92, 2015

Publications such as books

  1. Handbook of the Behavior and Psychology of Disease, [Chapter: Methods, Instruments and Techniques] Methods for assessing and measuring cognition in cancer survivors(Accepted), Springer Nature, 2024, Scholarly Book, Joint work, 英語, Kazuya Saita, Satoru Amano

Invited Lecture, Oral Presentation, Poster Presentation

  1. Individual differences in coping strategies influence prefrontal hemodynamics during phonemic fluency tasks, Kazuya Saita, Kotarou Terasawa, Satoru Amano, Fumiko Kaneko, Hitoshi Okamura, ISPRM 2026, 2026/05/19, Without Invitation, English, Canada, Vancouver
  2. Condition-Specific and Trait-Like Reproducibility of Valence Ratings in Healthy Adults, Satoru Amano, Shota Yoshihara, Kazuya Saita, Kayoko Takahashi, ISPRM 2026, 2026/05/19, Without Invitation, English, Canada, Vancouver
  3. Factors Associated with the Quality of Life of Family Caregivers for Rare Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy, Moe Nakanishi, Kazuya Saita, Kentarou Tokumo, Yasutoshi Fujii, Wataru Okamoto, Fumiko Kaneko, Hitoshi Okamura, Japanese Medical Oncology Annual Meeting (JSMO) 2026, 2026/03/27, Without Invitation, English, Yokohama
  4. The effectiveness of digital reminiscence collages for older patients with cancer receiving care at home : A randomized controlled trial, Satoko Sakaguchi,Fumiko Kaneko, Kazuya Saita, Hitoshi Okamura, 21st European Geriatric Medicine Society (EuGMS) Congress, 2025/09/24, Without Invitation, Japanese, Reykjavik, Iceland
  5. Multidomain assessments to detect chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment in gastrointestinal cancer survivors: a prospective cohort study, Kazuya Saita, Kazuaki Tanabe, Yoichi Hamai, Fumiko Kaneko, Hitoshi Okamura, 9th BIENNAL International Cognition and Cancer Task Force (ICCTF) conference, 2025/03/06, Without Invitation, English, Canceropole Nord-Quest, France, Caen
  6. Continuous Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation Boosts Short-Latency Afferent Inhibition via Cholinergic System Activation, Hikari Kirimoto, Takayuki Horinouchi, Kazuya Saita, Shota Date, Kurumadani Hiroshi, Tomohisa Nezu, the 8th Asia Pacific Occupational Therapy Congress, 2024/11/06, Without Invitation, English, Sapporo
  7. Virtual reality devices for pre-practice infection prevention and control education for occupational therapy students: A feasibility study, Kazuya Saita, Minoru Hattori, Kazuhiko Hirata, Hikari Kirimoto, Kazuaki Tanabe, the 8th Asia Pacific Occupational Therapy Congress 2024, 2024/11/06, Without Invitation, English
  8. Difference in levels of sense of coherence effect on the autonomic nervous system under acute stressful situation, Yuki Kamiya, Kazuya Saita, Fumiko Kaneko, Hitoshi Okamura, 7th International Conference on Saltogenesis, 2024/06/20, Without Invitation, English, Poland
  9. Clinical application of portable fNIRS to measure cognitive impairment after chemotherapy in a colorectal cancer patient, Kazuya Saita, Kazuaki Tanabe, Shintaro Akabane, Satoru Amano, Hitoshi Okamura, 2024/02/22, Without Invitation, English
  10. Relationship between the verbal fluency task performance and cortical activity in time segments using a portable functional near-infrared spectroscopy, Kazuya Saita, Fumiko Kaneko, Shinnosuke Nosaka, Kazuaki Tanabe, Hitoshi Okamura, 2023 INS Taiwan meeting, 2023/07/06, Without Invitation, English, International Neuropsycological society, Taipei, Taiwan
  11. Neurocognitive assessment tools and domains for chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairments in cancer survivors: A scoping review, Kazuya Saita, Satoru Amano, Fumiko Kaneko, Hitoshi Okamura, 2023 the Japanese Society of Medical Oncology Annual Meeting, 2023/03/18, Without Invitation, English, Japanese Society of Medical Oncology, Fukuoka
  12. A scoping review of assessment tools and domains for chemotherapy-related cognitive impairments in cancer survivors, 2022/09/17, Without Invitation, Japanese
  13. psychosocial effects of life-review based collage book-making on long-term inpatient with schizophrenia, 2022/09/16, Without Invitation, Japanese
  14. A case study of robotic and intensive occupational therapy after selective peripheral neurotomy for arm spasticity, Hyakutake K, Morishita T, Saita K, Kamada S, Inoue T, The 56th JOTC, 2022/09/16, Without Invitation, Japanese, Kyoto
  15. Effects of home-based robotic therapy involving Single-Joint Hybrid Assistive Limb in upper limbs after stroke: A pilot study, Koichi Hyakutake, Yoshinari Uehara, Takashi Morishita, Kazuya Saita, Hiroyuki Fukuda, Takuro Matsuda, Satoshi Kamada, Tooru Inoue, 7th Asia Pacific Occupational Therapy Congress, 2021/11/23, Without Invitation, English, Philippine (Web)
  16. Dynamic Motor-related Cortical Activity Following Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson's disease: A Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy Study, Morishita T, Higuchi M, Saita K, Tsuboi Y, Abe H, Yamada S, Muratani H, Inoue T, INS 13th World Congress, 2017/05/27, Edinburgh, UK
  17. Neurofeedback Effect of Hybrid Assistive Limb in Acute Stroke Rehabilitation: A Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy Study, Inoue T, Morishita T, Saita K, Yamada S, Hyakutake K, Muratani H, INS 13th World Congress, 2017/05/27, Edinburgh, UK

External Funds

Acceptance Results of Competitive Funds

  1. KAKENHI(Grant-in Aid for Early-Career Scientists), 2026/04, 2029/03
  2. KAKENHI(Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists), 2023/04, 2026/03
  3. KAKENHI(Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up), 2021/09, 2023/03
  4. 2017/10, 2019/03

Social Activities

History as Peer Reviews of Academic Papers

  1. 2025, Progress in Rehabilitation Medicine, Others, peer review, 1
  2. 2025, Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, Others, peer review, 1
  3. 2025, Digital Health, Others, peer reviewer, 1
  4. 2024, European Journal of Medical Research, Others, peer review, 1
  5. 2024, Progress in Rehabilitation Medicine, Others, 1
  6. 2024, Integrative Cancer Therapies, Others, peer review, 1
  7. 2023, Progress in Rehabilitation Medicine, Others, peer review, 1
  8. 2021, Applied Bionics and Biomechanics, Others, 1
  9. 2022, Progress in Rehabilitation Medicine, Others, 1
  10. 2022, Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, Others, 1