Topic: Neocortex assembly and operation
Date and time: 9:30–11:00, November 3
Speaker: Professor SHI Song-Hai, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University (Tsinghua)
Venue: Auditorium, L Building
Host: GUAN Ji-Song
Abstract:
The ability of the neocortex to command higher-order brain functions depends on the assembly and operation of intricate neural circuitries comprised of a vast number of diverse neurons and glia. Notwithstanding the progress made in our understanding of the initial specification and the general histology and information flow of the neocortex, the principles and mechanisms that instruct the assembly and operation of neocortical circuits remain largely elusive. The research in Prof. SHI’s lab has focused on searching for the common developmental commodities of neocortical circuits at both the structural and functional levels and linking them with animal behaviors under normal and disease conditions. He has analyzed the molecular and cellular mechanisms that control the production and positioning of neocortical excitatory and inhibitory neurons, as well as glia, with the premise that the origin and lineage relationship guide the formation of defined neuronal ensembles or substrates for effective functional circuit assembly. In this lecture, he will discuss their recent findings and ongoing efforts.
Biography:
1991-1996, Tsinghua University, B.S.
1996-2001, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory & State University of New York at Stony Brook, Ph.D.
2001-2006, University of California at San Francisco & Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Postdoctoral Fellow
2006-2019, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center/Weill Cornell Medical College, Assistant Member/Associate Professor
2019-present, School of Life Sciences & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research at Tsinghua University, Professor & Director