After graduating from the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kumamoto University in 1980, Kohji Fukunaga was hired as an assistant at the Faculty of Medicine of the same university, and obtained a doctor of medicine in 1985. He has been studying as a postdoctoral fellow at Vanderbilt University in the United States since 1988. In 1982, he discovered CaM kinase II (CaMKII), the role of CaMKII in spine dysplasia of mental retardation, regulation of dopamine D2 receptor function by fatty acid-binding protein (FABP), and Lewy's body disease by FABP. Many research results have been achieved, such as elucidating the onset mechanism. In addition to his neuroscience, he has also contributed to drug discovery science, including the development of seeds for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body disease targeting CaMKII and FABP. In his academic activities, he served as the editorial chairman and director of the English-language Journal of Pharmacological Sciences for a long time. He made a significant contribution to the Japanese Pharmacological Society. He has been awarded the 8th Young Researcher's Award of the Japanese Pharmacological Society, the Kumamoto Medical Society Encouragement Award, etc.