Qi Wang
Columbia University, NY·Neuroscience
Arousal and attention change how the brain processes what we see, hear and feel. Two brain chemical systems help control these states: norepinephrine, released mainly by a small brainstem region called the locus coeruleus (LC), and acetylcholine.
- Fields
Neuroscience
Biomedical Engineering
Physiology
- Topics
locus coeruleus
norepinephrine
noradrenaline
- Grants
- 2 known grants, through Jul 2027
What they work on
- Determine whether long-term chemogenetic stimulation of the locus coeruleus, the brain's main norepinephrine source, delays memory decline and improves synaptic plasticity in amyloid and tau mouse models of Alzheimer's disease.
- Characterize how long-term locus coeruleus stimulation changes amyloid plaque and tau tangle buildup during Alzheimer's progression in mice, using immunohistology to stain brain tissue.
- Test whether uneven loss of locus coeruleus neurons drives region-specific amyloid and tau pathology, using retrograde Cre-dependent viral ablation to remove selected LC neurons in mice.
- Measure how thalamic sensory processing and its contribution to perception depend on pupil-linked arousal, using electrophysiology recordings and behavioral tasks.
- Test whether pupil size tracks norepinephrine and acetylcholine levels in the thalamus, and use CRISPR/Cas9 knockouts of each adrenergic and cholinergic receptor subtype to define each one's role in perception.
More about the research
Problems in these systems have been linked to Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease and depression. The lab's projects ask how the LC and related systems shape brain function in health, and whether boosting the LC could slow Alzheimer's disease.
Why it matters
Alzheimer's disease has no effective treatment, and long-term locus coeruleus stimulation could reduce amyloid and tau buildup and preserve memory, possibly guiding new therapies based on invasive or non-invasive brain stimulation. Abnormal pupil dynamics occur in schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease and depression, so understanding pupil-linked arousal could support better diagnosis and treatment of these disorders.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Noradrenergic and Cholinergic Mechanisms Underlying Pupil-linked Arousal Modulation of Thalamic Sensory Processing
NIH · Aug 2021 – Jul 2027
The effects of long-term locus coeruleus stimulation on amyloid/tau pathology, synaptic plasticity, and memory during Alzheimer's disease progression
NIH · Feb 2022 – Jan 2027
Closest labs
David Weinshenker
Emory University, GA·Neuroscience
Determine how neuromelanin, a pigment in norepinephrine neurons, affects locus coeruleus survival in mice, using a viral vector expressing human tyrosinase (hTyr) to make these neurons produce neuromelanin.
Samuel McKenzie
University of New Mexico, NM·Neuroscience
Test whether locus coeruleus activity, the brain's main source of norepinephrine, drives remapping (resetting) of hippocampal activity patterns after unexpected sensory changes, using electrophysiology and optogenetics in behaving mice.
Ahmed Abdelmoneim
Louisiana State University, LA·Neuroscience
Test whether lead-induced disruption of noradrenergic (noradrenaline-based) signaling causes altered stress responses in developing zebrafish, using genetic and pharmacological modulation of this signaling.
The school
Columbia University: 89 labs on PI Pages, $1.4B a year on research, 625 research doctorates a year.
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