Postdoc - Neuroscience
Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University - 2023
Zirong Gu
Assistant Professor
Research Interests: Exploring how basal ganglia outputs interact with other brain regions to select, initiate, and execute motivated behavior in both health and disease.
972-883-2441
BSB 13.331
Neurobiology of Basal Ganglia Function and Dysfunction
Curriculum Vitae
ORCID
Currently accepting undergraduate and graduate students
Professional Preparation
PhD - Molecular and Developmental biology
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center; University of Cincinnati - 2015
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center; University of Cincinnati - 2015
Research Areas
Exploring how basal ganglia outputs interact with other brain regions to select, initiate, and execute motivated behavior in both health and disease.
Single-cell RNA sequencing, sophisticated viral tracing, machine learning-assisted brain-wide circuitry mapping and reconstruction, unsupervised behavioral clustering, cell-type and action-specific Cal-light tagging, closed-loop optogenetic manipulation, obsessive-compulsive disorder, neurodegenerative disease.Publications
Dopamine-mediated formation of a memory module in the nucleus accumbens for goal-directed navigation. 2024 - Journal Article
Axon Fasciculation, Mediated by Transmembrane Semaphorins, Is Critical for the Establishment of Segmental Specificity of Corticospinal Circuits 2023 - Journal Article
Semaphorin-Mediated Corticospinal Axon Elimination Depends on the Activity-Induced Bax/Bak-Caspase Pathway 2020 - Journal Article
Olig2-Induced Semaphorin Expression Drives Corticospinal Axon Retraction After Spinal Cord Injury. 2020 - Journal Article
Skilled Movements in Mice Require Inhibition of Corticospinal Axon Collateral Formation in the Spinal Cord by Semaphorin Signaling 2019 - Journal Article
Corticospinal Circuits from the Sensory and Motor Cortices Differentially Regulate Skilled Movements through Distinct Spinal Interneurons. 2018 - Journal Article
Control of species-dependent cortico-motoneuronal connections underlying manual dexterity 2017 - Journal Article
Skilled Movements Require Non-apoptotic Bax/Bak Pathway-Mediated Corticospinal Circuit Reorganization. 2017 - Journal Article
Awards
2023 Sfn Plexon Presenter Award - Plexon Inc [2023]
K99 Pathway to Independence Award - National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NINDS [2020]
NARSAD Young Investigator Award - Brain & Behavior Research Foundation [2019]
Presentations
Direct projections from the external globus pallidus to thalamus and brainstem differentially impact behavior
2023/11 SfN`s annual meeting, Washington, DC. Nanosymposium on Basal Ganglia: Structure and FunctionDissecting projection- and function-specific basal ganglia output circuits in health and disease
2024/01 2024 Plexon Data BlitzDiverse basal ganglia output circuits mediate different behaviors
2023/09 Alfred Benzon Symposium no. 67th, Copenhagen: Bringing Circuit for Movement Together
2023/07 Indiana University
2023/07 UT Southwestern Medical Center