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I am interested in understanding the biological basis of behavior. I believe that the pattern of neural activity contains some version of information, since all sensory signals are converted into neural activity, and the contents of our thoughts, emotions and knowledge are all carried by neural activity. I have focused my studies on neural encoding mechanisms in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). PFC plays an essential role in planning, reasoning, decision-making, and problem-solving. Disruptions in the PFC neural circuitry are associated with behavioral abnormalities in a variety of brain disorders. I will apply multidisciplinary approaches, including innovative miniScope in vivo calcium imaging in freely behaving mice, in combination of optogenetics and viral-genetic tools, to crack the neural code of PFC.
B.S., Biology: University of Science and Technology of China, 1996
M.S., Biology: University of Science and Technology of China, 1998
Ph.D., Physiology: University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 2003
Postdoctoral, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Human Systems Physiology (ZOO3115, Fall and Spring)
** I am currently recruiting graduate students and post-doctoral fellows.