Zuo Lab
Principal Investigator: Yi Zuo
Institution: University of California, Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz, CA)
Primary Subfield: Neuroscience
Recruitment Status: Inquire for rotation/fellowship opportunities
Research Focus
PROJECT SUMMARY Complex decision-making often encompasses both cognitive and affective components. Cognitive and affective processes engage distinct but interacting systems in the brain, and both systems are effected by stress, a prevalent problem in modern society and a well-known risk factor for psychiatric disorders. Human brain imaging studies suggest a network of brain regions as the potential interface between cognitive and affective processing, particularly the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), the anterior insular cortex (aIC), and midbrain dopamine (DA) regions such as the ventral tegmental area (VTA). However, these studies lack causality tests at the neural circuit level. Comparative neuroanatomy and developmental genetics have identified in mice evolutionarily related mPFC, aIC, and DA regions. The structure and function of these regions are also disturbed by stress. These findings open the venue to use mouse as a model species for causal studies of the fundamental functions of these brain regions with precise circuit manipulation tools. Our overall goal is to elucidate the fronto-insular circuit mechanisms underlying cognitive-affective interactions during decision-maki…
Active NIH Awards
- 5R01MH127737-05: Fronto-insular network in cognitive-affective interactions during decision-making (2026)
- 5R01MH127737-04: Fronto-insular network in cognitive-affective interactions during decision-making (2025)
- 4RF1MH136381-02: Synaptic circuit mechanisms underlying psilocybin's therapeutic effects in the stressed brain (2025)
- 5R01AG071787-05: Identifying signatures of brain aging through heterochronic blood exchange (2025)
- 1R01MH136381-01A1: Synaptic circuit mechanisms underlying psilocybin's therapeutic effects in the stressed brain (2024)
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