研究领域
主要研究感觉经验调节大脑皮层神经环路形成的神经元形态与突触可塑性基础。在神经元形态发生方面，发现N-cadherin细胞黏附分子的水平受神经电活动调控，且其特异地介导了新生树突的维持。在突触可塑性方面，建立了发育早期丰富环境饲养这一多模态自然感觉刺激的行为范式，并发现丰富环境饲养可促进小鼠神经环路的发育。进一步发现早期感觉刺激可跨模态的调节小鼠大脑感觉皮层的兴奋性突触传递，且催产素这种由下丘脑分泌的神经肽是介导该跨模态可塑性的关键分子。催产素由于其与情绪和社交行为的相关性，已成为孤独症治疗的热点分子之一。该研究提示催产素在发育更早期就对感觉皮层的神经环路形成有促进作用。鉴于孤独症患儿经常伴随有感觉输入的异常，该发现对进一步解析孤独症的致病机制有重要的借鉴意义。
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1. Zheng, J.J., Li, S.J., Zhang, X.D., Miao, W.Y., Zhang, D.H., Yao, H.S. & Yu, X. (2014) Oxytocin mediates early experience–dependent cross-modal plasticity in the sensory cortices. Nat. Neurosci. 17:391-399 (highlighted by same issue News and Views 17:340 and by Nat. Rev. Neurosci. 15:139)
2. Peng, Y.-R., Zeng, S.-Y., Song, H.-L., Li, M.-Y., Yamada, M. K., and Yu, X. (2010) Postsynaptic spiking homeostatically induces cell-autonomous regulation of inhibitory inputs via retrograde signaling J. Neurosci. 30:16220-16231, cover story.
3. He, S., Ma, J., Liu, N., and Yu, X. (2010) Early enriched environment promotes neonatal GABAergic neurotransmission and accelerates synapse maturation. J. Neurosci. 30:7910-7916.
4. Tan, Z.-J., Peng, Y., Song, H.-L., and Yu, X. (2010) N-cadherin dependent neuron-neuron interaction is required for the maintenance of activity-induced dendrite growth. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 107:9873-9878, cover story.
5. Peng, Y.-R., He, S., Marie, H., Zeng, S.-Y., Ma, J., Tan, Z.J., Lee, S., Malenka, R.C., and Yu, X. (2009) Coordinated changes in dendritic arborization and synaptic strength during neural circuit development. Neuron 61:71-84. (Selected by Faculty 1000 Biology)
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