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 cortico-hippocampal circuitry mechanisms that underlie associative learning, spatial navigation and critical period plasticity of the brain.
Latest and Featured Publications
Sh3rf2 haploinsufficiency induces Autistic-like behaviors.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) include a variety of developmental brain disorders with clinical findings implicating the dysfunction of the left hemisphere. We generate mice lacking one copy of ASD-related genen Sh3rf2 and find that these mice recapture... See See Wang and Tan et al., (2018) Cell Reports. .
Schizophrenia gene Crmp2 deficiency causes precocious CP plasticity and deteriorated binocular vision.
Deletion of Schizophrenia risk-gene Crmp2 in the mouse recapitulates many schizophrenia-like behaviors . In this study, we found that in the developing V1, Crmp2 deficiency induces a precocious CP，casued by early emergence of balanced excitatory-inhibitor... See Zhang Y. et al., (2021) Sci. Bulletin. .
Perinatal exposure to Zika virus causes variable defects in brain funcitons.
In this international collaboration study, the teams from China, Brazil and USA have identifed a spectrum of neurodevelopmental abnormalities in both children and mice. Among the findings, we revealed that although mouse brains infected later after birth ... See See Zhao & Shang et al., (2020) Adv. Sci. .
Dendritic computations captured by a new point-neuron model
Modeling single-neuron dynamics is the first step to quantitatively understand brain computation. Yet, the existing point neuron models fail to capture dendritic effects. Using realistic neuronal simulations, theoretical analyse and electrophysiological e... See See Li et al., (2019) PNAS. .
Distinct inhibitory circuits drive cortical oscillations at beta and gamma bands, respectively.
Distinct subtypes of inhibitory interneuron are known to shape diverse rhythmic activities in the cortex, but how they interact to orchestrate specific band activity remains largely unknown. In this study, we conducted in vivo recording and manipulating i... See See Chen et al., (2017) Neuron, 96(6):1403-1418. .
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 latera... See Li et al., (2017) Nat. Neurosci. .
Critical periods begin after intracortical excitatory synapses mature.
By systematically examining various intracortical synapses within the layer 4 of the developing mouse visual cortex, we demonstrate that temporal dynamics of intracortical excitatory synapses are selectively regulated by visual experience prior to the ons... See Miao et al., (2016) Cell Reports .
New approach for directly converting astrocytes into neurons by Ascl-1 in vivo.
Our study, collaborated with Dr. Le-ping Cheng's group at ION, CAS, showed that expression of single transcriptor factor Ascl1 alone is sufficient to convert astrocytes directly into functional neurons in the intact mouse brain. The transdifferentiated ne... See Liu et al. J. Neurosci., 35(25):9336 –9355. .
ASD gene Mecp2 in cortical PV cells regulates V1 critical period plasticity
Critical period plasticity describes a developmental process whereby neural circuits are fine-tuned for specific functions. Here, we show that the Rett syndrome protein MeCP2 in GABAergic parvalbumin- expressing neurons is required for maintaining pr... See He et al., (2014) Nat. Commun. , 5:5036. .
Coincident binocular inputs mediate the critical period plasticity in V1
What correlated inputs from the two eyes are responsible for mediating the critical period plasticity in developing V1 remains unclear. Using in vivo whole-cell recording from the mouse V1, we demonstrate that the coincidence of binocular synapti... See Chen et al., (2014) J. Neurosci., 34(8):2940-2955. .