Research

Instinct refers to the inherent behavior patterns independent of prior learning or experience. Cognition, on the other hand, is the process of forming experience to guide subsequent behavior. The cooperation of instinct and cognition is crucial for the survival and reproduction of animals, and various neurological or psychiatric disorders can lead to abnormalities in both innate and cognitive behavior. However, little is known about how the neural circuits underlying innate and cognitive behaviors interact and how their activity features contribute to their functional differences. Using precise behavior analysis, optogenetics, calcium imaging etc., we are committed to studying: 1) the neural circuit mechanism of spatial cognition guiding innate defense behavior; 2) The innate and cognitive behavior traits in monkey models for neurological or psychiatric disorders such as autism.

Biography

Dr. Yang is currently a senior engineer in BCBDI participating in construction of Shenzhen Brain Science Infrastructure, with special focus on the Non-Human Primate Research Platform.

2023-present, Senior Engineer, BCBDI, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, CAS

2018 – 2022，Postdoctoral Fellow/Assistant Investigator,  BCBDI, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, CAS

2011 – 2016，Research Assistant/Assistant Investigator, Institute of Neuroscience, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, CAS

2006 – 2011, Ph.D.,  Institute of Neuroscience, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, CAS

Selected publications

(1) Liu, Qingqing; Yang, Xing; Luo, Moxuan; Su, Junying; Zhong, Jinling; Li, Xiaofen; Chan, Rosa; Wang, Liping ; An iterative neural processing sequence orchestrates feeding, Neuron, 2023

(2) Liu, Qingqing; Yang, Xing; Song, Ru; Su, Junying; Luo, Moxuan; Zhong, Jinling; Wang, Liping ; An Infrared Touch System for Automatic Behavior Monitoring, Neuroscience Bulletin, 2021, 37(6): 815-830

(3) Yang, Xing; Liu, Qingqing; Zhong, Jinling; Song, Ru; Zhang, Lin; Wang, Liping ; A simple threat-detection strategy in mice, BMC Biology, 2020, 18(1): 0-93

(4) Liu, Qingqing; Yang, Xing; Tian, Jingsong; Gao, Zhongbao; Wang, Meng; Li, Yan; Guo, Aike; Gap junction networks in mushroom bodies participate in visual learning and memory in Drosophila., Elife, 2016, 5: 1-18

(5) Yang, Xing; Guo, Aike ; Distinct acute zones for visual stimuli in different visual tasks in Drosophila., PLoS One, 2013, 8(4): e61313-e61313