Hui Zhang, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Neuroscience
Vickie & Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience
Contact
900 Walnut Street
JHN 4th floor
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-503-7213
215-503-4358 fax
Hui Zhang, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Neuroscience
Vickie & Jack Farber Institute for Neuroscience
Research & Clinical Interests
Research in my laboratory aims to elucidate the pathogenic mechanisms of Parkinson's disease and Schizophrenia at the molecular, cellular and synaptic levels. Much effort is directed at the striatum, the input nucleus of the basal ganglia and the prefrontal cortex, a cortical region which plays a central role in cognition. We employ a combination of electrochemical, electrophysiological, optical imaging, optogenetics, and genetic approaches to explore the plasticity of dopamine neurotransmission, the role of dopamine in modulating information flow and how the process is disturbed in these disorders. In addition, we are developing optical tools to study whether dopamine dys-regulation in schizophrenia is in part due to intrinsic changes in the presynaptic dopamine terminals.
Current Projects
- The pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease: LRRK2 mediated pathogenic pathways in dopaminergic axonal degeneration and synaptic transmission
- Dopamine neurotransmission and modulation of the prefrontal cortex in mouse models of schizophrenia
- The role of tonic and phasic dopamine signaling in the striatum
Publications
- Measurement of Oxygen Consumption Rate in Acute Striatal Slices from Adult Mice
- CalDAG-GEFI mediates striatal cholinergic modulation of dendritic excitability, synaptic plasticity and psychomotor behaviors
- Physiological and pathological roles of LRRK2 in the nuclear envelope integrity
- Vitamin B 12 modulates Parkinson’s disease LRRK2 kinase activity through allosteric regulation and confers neuroprotection
- Loss of PINK1 causes age-dependent decrease of dopamine release and mitochondrial dysfunction
Research & Clinical Interests
Research in my laboratory aims to elucidate the pathogenic mechanisms of Parkinson's disease and Schizophrenia at the molecular, cellular and synaptic levels. Much effort is directed at the striatum, the input nucleus of the basal ganglia and the prefrontal cortex, a cortical region which plays a central role in cognition. We employ a combination of electrochemical, electrophysiological, optical imaging, optogenetics, and genetic approaches to explore the plasticity of dopamine neurotransmission, the role of dopamine in modulating information flow and how the process is disturbed in these disorders. In addition, we are developing optical tools to study whether dopamine dys-regulation in schizophrenia is in part due to intrinsic changes in the presynaptic dopamine terminals.
Current Projects
- The pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease: LRRK2 mediated pathogenic pathways in dopaminergic axonal degeneration and synaptic transmission
- Dopamine neurotransmission and modulation of the prefrontal cortex in mouse models of schizophrenia
- The role of tonic and phasic dopamine signaling in the striatum