Academic Appointments
- Assistant Professor of Pathology and Cell Biology in the Institute for Genomic Medicine
Email: yp2249@cumc.columbia.edu
Why do we need sleep? How are sleep states initiated, maintained, and ended? How does sleep impact normal brain functions? What roles does sleep play in neuropsychiatric disorders? The goal of our research is to understand the circuit, cellular, and molecular mechanisms underlying sleep regulation in both normal and diseased brains.
We use a multidisciplinary approach including electrophysiology, calcium imaging, optogenetics, chemogenetics, pharmacology, viral-based neural tracing, molecular biology, and mouse genetics to study the neurobiology of sleep. Currently, we aim to 1) dissect brain circuits that control sleep and wakefulness; 2) identify genes and signaling molecules that initiate and maintain sleep; 3) examine how sleep loss affects brain functions and animal behaviors, such as sensory perception, learning, and memory.
In collaboration with other faculty members at Columbia, we are also interested in understanding the relationship between sleep disruption and neurological/psychiatric disorders. Specifically, we focus on epilepsy and mood disorders. We aim to identify common neuropathological mechanisms underlying abnormal sleep and brain diseases.
Departments and Divisions
- Department of Pathology & Cell Biology
Languages Spoken
- Chinese
Education and Training
- BS, 2001 Biology, Nanjing University (China)
- PhD, 2008 Neurobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai (China)
Links
Committees / Societies / Memberships
2012-present, Member, Society for Neuroscience, U.S.A.
Research Interests
- Epilepsy/Psychiatric Disorders
- Neurobiology of Sleep
- Sensory Physiology
- Systems and Circutis
NIH Grants
BRAIN CIRCUITS MEDIATING MOTIVATED BEHAVIORS (Federal Gov)
Jan 1 2013 - Dec 31 2018
BRAIN CIRCUITS MEDIATING MOTIVATED BEHAVIORS (Federal Gov)
Jan 1 2013 - Dec 31 2017
BRAIN CIRCUITS MEDIATING MOTIVATED BEHAVIORS (Federal Gov)
Jan 1 2013 - Dec 31 2017
GFP RECONSTITUTION ACROSS SYNAPTIC PARTNERS (GRASP) METHODS TO DISSECT MAMMALIAN NEURAL CIRCUITS (Federal Gov)
Sep 1 2011 - May 31 2016
GFP RECONSTITUTION ACROSS SYNAPTIC PARTNERS (GRASP) METHODS TO DISSECT MAMMALIAN NEURAL CIRCUITS (Federal Gov)
Sep 1 2011 - May 31 2016
VALIDATING GFP RECONSTITUTION ACROSS SYNAPTIC PARTNERS (GRAS P) METHODS TO DISSECT (Federal Gov)
Sep 30 2009 - Aug 31 2011
Publications
Wang L, Gillis-Smith S, Peng Y, Zhang J, Chen X, Salzman CD, Ryba NJ, Zuker CS. (2018). The coding of valence and identity in the mammalian taste system. Nature 558(7708), 127-131.
Yarmolinsky DA, Peng Y, Pogorzala LA, Rutlin M, Hoon MA, Zuker CS. (2016) Coding and plasticity in the mammalian thermosensory system. Neuron 92(5), 1079-92.
Peng Y, Gillis-Smith S, Jin H, Tränkner D, Ryba NJ, Zuker CS. (2015). Sweet and bitter taste in the brain of awake behaving animals. Nature 527(7579), 512-5.
Chen X, Gabitto M, Peng Y, Ryba NJ, Zuker CS. (2011). A gustotopic map of taste qualities in the mammalian brain. Science, 333(6047), 1262-6.
Lu S, Fang J, Guo A, Peng Y. (2009) Impact of network topology on decision-making. Neural Networks. 22(1), 30-40.
Peng Y, Xi W, Zhang W, Zhang K, Guo A. (2007) Experience improves feature extraction in Drosophila. Journal of Neuroscience. 27, 5139-5145.
Peng Y, Guo A. (2007) Novel stimulus-induced calcium efflux in Drosophila mushroom bodies. European Journal of Neuroscience. 25(7), 2034-44.
Zhang K, Guo JZ, Peng Y, Xi W, Guo A. (2007) Dopamine-mushroom body circuit regulates saliency-based decision-making in Drosophila. Science. 316(5833), 1901-4.
For a complete list of publications, please visit PubMed.gov