Contact Us: The NCP Lab is located in the 3rd (Zen) Yard in the campus of Beijing Normal University , Beijing, China. Dr. Xiaohui Zhang ; Phone: (010) 5880-4978.
Exp. Tools: We use multiple approaches including electrophysiology (in vivo and slices), optogenetics, cellular imaging, and transgenic mouse models of brain diseases.
Research Direction
- Our research is focused on elucidating corticohippocampal circuitry mechanisms that underlie associative learning, spatial navigation and critical period plasticity of the brain.
A distinct EC to hippocampal CA1 direct circuit for associative learning.
Entorhinal cortex (EC) transfers multimodal information to hippocampus CA1 neurons via indirect and direct pathways. By using ChR2-assisted circuit mapping method, in vivo optogenetics and electrophysiology, we show that excitatory projections from lateral entorhinal cortex selectively target a subpopulation of morphologically complex, calbindin-expressing pyramidal cells (cPCs) in CA1, forming a distinct direct circuit that is required for olfactory associative learning. The cPCs develop more selective spiking responses to odor cues during learning, and may function as key players integrating spatial and non-spatial information in the hippocampu.