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PI, IDG/McGovern Institute, Tsinghua University
Associate Professor, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University
Tel: +86-10-62783759
Fax: +86-10-62773380
Email: kexinyuan@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn
Lab: www.kexinyuan-lab.com
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[Research Focus]
For human being, audition plays crucial roles in language communication, learning, appreciation of music and social life. For rodents (both rats and mice), audition is important for their survival in natural environment and social interaction. Impaired auditory processing is tightly correlated with some well-known neurodevelopmental disorders, such as schizophrenia and autism. However, compared to other sensory systems, our understanding of auditory system is still very limited at molecular, synaptic, cellular, circuit and behavioral levels. In my laboratory, we are particularly interested in cortical and subcortical mechanisms underlying the processing of sounds and neural circuits underlying cognitive functions related to auditory behavior. Understanding these processes will help us understand the neural basis of audition and cognition, and may also help us develop treatments for cognitive disorders.
Current research directions:
1. The representation of sounds in auditory cortex and the modulation of these representations by cognitive functions, such as emotion, attention and motivation.
2. The role of inhibitory circuits in the maturation of auditory cortical functions.
3. Use modern tracing techniques to dissect the cell-type specific ascending and descending auditory pathways.
Current research directions:
1. The representation of sounds in auditory cortex and the modulation of these representations by cognitive functions, such as emotion, attention and motivation.
2. The role of inhibitory circuits in the maturation of auditory cortical functions.
3. Use modern tracing techniques to dissect the cell-type specific ascending and descending auditory pathways.
4. Neural circuits and cortical mechanisms underlying auditory task-switching flexibility. 5. Neural circuit mechanisms underlying animal social behavior.
[Education & Experience]
2012-present PI，IDG/McGovern Institute, Tsinghua University
2012-present Associate Professor, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University
2009-2012 Postdoctoral Fellow, Coleman Memorial Laboratory, University of California, San Francisco
2006-2008 Postdoctoral Fellow, Coleman Memorial Laboratory, University of California, San Francisco
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Molecular and Cell BiologyUniversity of California, Berkeley
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Molecular and Cell BiologyUniversity of California, Berkeley
2001-2006 Ph.D. in Neuroscience, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
1997-2001 B.S. in Biochemistry, Yantai University
[Selected Publications]
- Cai D, Yue Y, Liu M, Wang Y, Su X, You L, Xie F, Deng F, Chen F, Luo M, Yuan K* (2018) Distinct anatomical connectivity patterns differentiate subdivisions of the nonlemniscal auditory thalamus in mice. Cereb Cortex. doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhy115
- Xie F, You L, Cai D, Liu M, Yue Y, Wang Y, Yuan K* (2017) Fast inhibitory decay facilitates adult-like temporal processing in layer 5 of developing primary auditory cortex. Cereb Cortex. doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhx284.
- Cai D, Han R, Liu M, Xie F, You L, Zheng Y, Zhao L, Yao J, Wang Y, Yue Y, Schreiner CE and Yuan K* (2017) A critical role of inhibition in temporal processing maturation in the primary auditory cortex. Cereb Cortex. doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhx057.
- Xie F, You L, Cai D, Liu M, Yue Y, Wang Y, Yuan K* (2017) Fast inhibitory decay facilitates adult-like temporal processing in layer 5 of developing primary auditory cortex. Cereb Cortex. doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhx284.
- Froemke RC, Carcea I, Barker AJ, Yuan K, Seybold BA, Martins AR, Zaika N, Bernstein H, Wachs M, Levis PA, Polley DB, Merzenich MM and Schreiner CE (2013) Long-term modification of cortical synapses improves sensory perception. Nat Neurosci 16(1): 79-88.
- Yuan K*, Shih JY, Winer JA and Schreiner CE (2011). Functional networks of parvalbumin-immunoreactive neurons in cat auditory cortex. J Neurosci 31(37): 13333-13342.