Zhen Yan, PhD

JAD profile

Affiliation(s): 

State University of New York at Buffalo

Lab URL: 

http://www.buffalo.edu/~zhenyan

Areas of Interest: 

neurodegenerative diseases, synaptic physiology, epigenetics, glutamate receptors

Biography & Research: 

Dr. Zhen Yan is a professor of physiology and neuroscience at the State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNY-Buffalo), School of Medicine. She received her Ph.D in Neurobiology at the University of Tennessee School of Medicine, and conducted her postdoctoral research at the Rockefeller University. In 2000, she was recruited to SUNY-Buffalo to establish her research program focusing on synaptic physiology of prefrontal cortex (PFC). Her group uses combined electrophysiological, biochemical, molecular biological and behavioral approaches to delineate the synaptic action of various neuromodulators that are linked to mental health and illness, including dopamine, stress hormones and disease susceptibility genes. Specifically, her group has uncovered how these neuromodulators regulate glutamatergic and GABAergic transmission and receptor channel function in the PFC. Her research also characterizes synaptic dysfunction and molecular aberration associated with neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders in cellular and in vivo models. Dr. Yan has over 110 publications on high quality journals, including Neuron, PNAS, Molecular Psychiatry, etc. She has received numerous funding supports for her research. More information can be found at: http://www.buffalo.edu/~zhenyan