Dr. Yingjie Zhu's research focuses on the information processing mechanisms of neural circuits in both physiological and pathological states. Neural circuits represent the mesoscopic structural and functional units of the nervous system, and understanding their operation in health and disease is essential for elucidating brain function and developing new diagnostics and treatments for neurological disorders. Specifically, Dr. Zhu investigates the neural circuit mechanisms of reward and addiction. His work has identified key circuits mediating opioid withdrawal symptoms and addictive memory, and has highlighted the critical role of the lateral septum in regulating reward and addictive behaviors. These findings have been published in leading journals such as Nature, Science, Nature Neuroscience, Neuron, and The Journal of Clinical Investigation.

The information processing mechanisms of neural circuits under both physiological and pathological conditions.

1.Social rank modulates methamphetamine-seeking in dominant and subordinate male rodents via distinct dopaminergic pathways.Deng X#, Wei Xu#, Liu Y#, Jing H, Zhong J, Sun K, Zhou R, Xu L, Wu X, Zhang B, Chen W, Jiang S, Chen G , Zhu Y*.Nature Neuroscience. 2025 May12 ；28（6）:1268–1279.
2.GLP-1R-positive neurons in the lateral septum mediate the anorectic and weight-lowering effects of liraglutide in mice.Chen Z, Deng X, Shi C, Jing H, Tian Y, Zhong J, Chen G, Xu Y, Luo Y, Zhu Y*. The Journal of Clinical Investigation.2024 Sep 3;134(17):e178239.
3.Cellular and circuit architecture of the lateral septum for reward processing. Chen G, Lai S, Jiang S, Li F, Sun K, Wu X, Zhou K, Liu Y, Deng X, Chen Z, Xu F, Xu Y, Wang K, Cao G, Xu F, Bi GQ, Zhu Y*. Neuron. 2024 Aug 21;112(16):2783-2798.
4.Opioid Receptors Modulate Firing and Synaptic Transmission in the Paraventricular Nucleus of the Thalamus. Hou G, Jiang S, Chen G, Deng X, Li F, Xu H, Chen B, Zhu Y*. J Neurosci. 2023 Apr 12;43(15):2682-2695.
5.Distinct reward processing by subregions of the nucleus accumbens. Chen G, Lai S, Bao G, Ke J, Meng X, Lu S, Wu X, Xu H, Wu F, Xu Y, Xu F, Bi GQ, Peng G, Zhou K*, Zhu Y*. Cell Rep. 2023 Feb 6;42(2):112069.
6.Reward and aversion processing by input-defined parallel nucleus accumbens circuits in mice. Zhou K, Xu H, Lu S, Jiang S, Hou G, Deng X, He M, Zhu Y*. Nat Commun. 2022 Oct 21;13(1):6244.
7. Dynamic Salience Processing in Paraventricular Thalamus Gates Associative Learning. Zhu Y, Nachtrab G, Keyes P, Allen W, Luo L, Chen X. Science, 2018, 362(6413):423-429.
8. A thalamic input to the nucleus accumbens mediates opiate dependence.   Zhu Y, Wienecke C, Nathtrab G, Chen X. Nature,2016,  530:219-222. 

Representative achievements include the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, a major project under the National Science and Technology Innovation 2030 "Brain Science and Brain-Like Intelligence" initiative, the National Science Fund for Excellent Young Scholars, the Guangdong Provincial Outstanding Young Team Project, the Shenzhen Key Laboratory, and the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology Original Exploratory Project. The resulting research has been published in leading international journals such as Nature, Science, Nature Neuroscience, Neuron, and The Journal of Clinical Investigation.