Personal Introduction

• Dr. Siyu Zhang is a Principal Investigator at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. Her primary research interests are the neural mechanisms underlying cognitive behaviors, e.g., attention and decision-making, and how these behaviors are modulated by sleep, emotion, and disease. Combining virus-assisted circuit mapping, in vivo and in vitro electrophysiology, Patch-seq, in vivo Ca2+ imaging, and cell-type specific optogenetic manipulation to understand the modulation of neuronal circuits and cognitive behavior. Dissecting the neural mechanisms of cognitive behaviors with cell-type-specificity holds promise to provide insights into treating cognitive diseases.

Academic History

• 2016-present Principal Investigator, Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.

• 2010-2016 Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley. Adviser, Yang Dan.

• 2004-2010 Ph.D. Neurobiology, Institute of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China. Adviser, Mu-Ming Poo.

• 2000-2004 B.S. Bioscience, Department of Bioscience, Nanjing University, China.

Scientific Research Projects

• National Natural Science Foundation of China （31871051, 2019-2022）：3D anatomic connectome and functional connectome for cortical neurons in visual selective-attention related areas

• National Natural Science Foundation of China（32170993, 2022-2025）：Integration of hierarchical cortical and thalamic inputs in the primary visual cortex.

• National Science and Technology Innovation 2030 Major Program (2021ZD0202804, 2022-2026): Circuit mechanisms of emotional regulation of attention and memory

• National Science and Technology Innovation 2030 Major Program (2021ZD0203704, 2022-2026): Regulation of decision making by neuromodulators

Publications

1. Liu, Y. #, Zhang, J. #, Jiang, Z., Qin, M., Xu, M., Zhang, S.*, and Ma, G.*. Organization of Corticocortical and Thalamocortical Top-down Inputs in the Primary Visual Cortex. Nat Commun, 15:4495 (2024).

2. Wang, Y. #, Cen, Z. #, Ma, G. #, Wang, L., Liu, Y., Qin, M., Fei, X., Wu, Y., Xu, M.*, and Zhang, S.*. A frontal transcallosal inhibition loop mediates interhemispheric balance in visuospatial processing. Nat Commun, 14:5213 (2023).

3. Peng, W. #, Liu, X. #, Ma, G. #, Wu, Z., Wang, Z., Fei, X., Qin, M., Wang, L., Li, Y., Zhang, S.*, and Xu, M.*. Adenosine-Independent Regulation of the Sleep-Wake Cycle by Astrocyte Activity. Cell Discov, 9(1):16 (2023).

4. Wang, Z. #, Fei, X. #, Liu, X. #, Wang, Y. #, Hu, Y., Peng, W., Wang, Y., Zhang, S.*, and Xu, M.*. REM sleep is associated with distinct global cortical dynamics and controlled by occipital cortex. Nat Commun, 13, 6896 (2022).

5. Wang, Q. #, Zhu, J. #, Wang, L. Kan, Y., Wu, Y., Gu, X., Yi, X., Lin, Z., Wang, Q., Lu, J., Jiang, Q., Li, Y., Liu, M., Xu, N., Zhu, X., Wang, L., Zhang, S.*, Li, W. *, and Xu, T.* Insular cortical circuits as an executive gateway to decipher threat or extinction memory via distinct subcortical pathways. Nat Commun, 13, 5540 (2022).

6. Ma, G. #, Liu, Y. #, Wang, L., Xiao, Z., Song, K., Wang, Y., Peng, W., Liu, X., Wang, Z., Jin, S., Tao, Z., Li, C. T., Xu, T., Xu, F., Xu, M.*, and Zhang, S.* Hierarchy in sensory processing reflected by innervation balance on cortical interneurons. Sci adv, 7(20):eabf5676 (2021).

7. Zhang, S. #, Xu, M. #, Chang, W. C., Ma, C., Hoang Do, J. P., Jeong, D., Lei, T., Fan, J. L., and Dan, Y. Organization of long-range inputs and outputs of frontal cortex for top-down control. Nat Neurosci, 19, 1733-1742 (2016).

8. Zhang, S., Xu, M., Kamigaki, T., Hoang Do, J. P., Chang, W. C., Jenvay, S., Miyamichi, K., Luo, L., and Dan, Y. Selective attention. Long-range and local circuits for top-down modulation of visual cortex processing. Science, 345, 660-665 (2014).

9. Zhang, S. #, Xu, M. #, Miao, Q. L., Poo, M. M. * & Zhang, X. H. * Endocannabinoid-dependent homeostatic regulation of inhibitory synapses by miniature excitatory synaptic activities. J Neurosci, 29, 13222-13231, (2009).