Research

Several psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety disorders and depression, have shown strong relationships with sleep disturbance and abnormal fear emotion. Emerging evidence suggests that sleep problems are not only a secondary symptom of psychiatric disorders but represent a predisposing, precipitating and perpetuating factor in their development. However, there remains a lack of research about uncovering causality or correlation with these behavioral phenotypes and unravelling the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms.

Our lab focuses on understanding the interaction of the neural circuits and peripheral systems underlying the relationship between sleep and innate fear in physiological and pathological conditions. We combine advanced experimental and analytical tools, enabling measurements of complex high-dimensional behavioural data and physiological parameters in a laboratory setting and accurate inference of defensive behaviours at the organismal level.

Biography

2023-present, Associate Investigator, BCBDI, SIAT-CAS

2018-2022, Assistant Investigator, BCBDI, SIAT-CAS

2018-2018, Postdoctoral Fellow, MDC-Berlin, Germany

2012-2017, PhD, Humboldt University of Berlin/MDC-Berlin, Germany

2008-2010, Master in Molecular Medicine, Cheng-Kung University, Taiwan

2004-2008, Bachelor in Life Science, Cheng-Kung University, Taiwan

Selected publications

1. Tseng YT, Schaefke B, Wei P, Wang L^*. Defensive responses: behaviour, the brain and the body. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2023
2. Tseng YT^*,Zhao B, Ding H, Liang L, Schaefke B, Wang L^*. Systematic evaluation of a predator stress model of depression in mice using a hierarchical 3D-motion learning framework. Translational Psychiatry. 2023 *Corresponding authors
3. Tseng YT, Zhao B, Chen S, Ye J, Liu J, Liang L, Ding H, Schaefke B, Yang Q, Wang L, Wang F, Wang L^*. The subthalamic corticotropin-releasing hormone neurons mediate adaptive REM-sleep responses to threat. Neuron 2022 (Cover story; highlighted by Nature Reviews Neuroscience)
4. Tseng YT, Liang L, Zhao B, Ye J, Wang L^*. Connectivity Map of Subthalamic Corticotropin-releasing Hormone Neurons in the Mouse Brain. Neurosci Bull . 2022
5. Liu X, Feng X, Huang H, Huang K, Xu Y, Ye S, Tseng YT, Wei P, Wang L, Wang F^*. Male and female mice display consistent lifelong ability to address potential life-threatening cues using different post-threat coping strategies. BMC Biol. 2022
6. Chen S, Tan H, Wang Z, Tseng YT, Li X, Wang L^*. Formation of the Looming-evoked Innate Defensive Response during Postnatal Development in Mice. Neurosci Bull. 2022
7. Tseng YT, Zhao B, Liu J, Ding H, Wang F, Wang L^*. Sleep deprivation and adrenalectomy lead to enhanced innate escape response to visual looming stimuli. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2020
8. Quarta C, Fisette A, Xu Y, Colldén G, Legutko B, Tseng YT, Reim A, Wierer M, De Rosa MC, Klaus V, Rausch R, Thaker VV, Graf E, Strom TM, Poher AL, Gruber T, Le Thuc O, Cebrian-Serrano A, Kabra D, Bellocchio L, Woods SC, Pflugfelder GO, Nogueiras R, Zeltser L, Grunwald Kadow IC, Moon A, García-Cáceres C, Mann M, Treier M, Doege CA, Tschöp MH^*. Functional identity of hypothalamic melanocortin neurons depends on Tbx3. Nat Metab. 2019