This study develops photoswitchable nanovesicles for controlled in vivo neuropeptide delivery, showing they modulate hippocampal circuit dynamics and social behavior in mice.

bioRxiv · Aug 17, 2026 · PreprintNeuroscience

pan-ECM: live brain extracellular matrix imaging with protein-reactive dye

Xiaoqian Ge, Xueqi Xu, Qi Cai, Hejian Xiong, Chen Xie, Yi Hong, Xiaofei Gao, Yao Yao, Robert M. Bachoo, Zhenpeng Qin

The paper develops a method to image the entire brain extracellular matrix in live tissue using a protein-reactive dye, enabling visualization of ECM structures in various brain conditions.

bioRxiv · Mar 29, 2023 · PreprintNeuroscience

Probing neuropeptide volume transmission in vivo by a novel all-optical approach

Hejian Xiong, Emre Lacin, Hui Xiang Ouyang, Aditi A. Naik, Xueqi Xu, Chen Xie, Jonghae Youn, Blake A. Wilson, Krutin Kumar, Tyler Kern, Erin E. Aisenberg, Daniel M. Kircher, Xiuying Li, Joseph A. Zasadzinski, Céline Matéo, , Zhenpeng Qin

The paper develops an all-optical method to study neuropeptide volume transmission in mouse neocortex, finding faster SST transmission in a chemically degraded extracellular matrix.

Angewandte Chemie International Edition · Jun 20, 2022Peer-reviewedNeuroscience

Modulating the Blood-Brain Barrier by Light Stimulation of Molecular-Targeted Nanoparticles

Xiaoqing Li, Vamsidhara Vemireddy, Qi Cai, Hejian Xiong, Peiyuan Kang, Xiuying Li, Monica Giannotta, Heather N. Hayenga, Edward Pan, Shashank Ramesh Sirsi, Céline Matéo, David Kleinfeld, Chris Greene, Matthew Campbell, Elisabetta Dejana, , Zhenpeng Qin

This paper demonstrates a method to selectively open the blood-brain barrier using light-stimulated nanoparticles targeting tight junctions, enabling macromolecule and gene therapy vector delivery without neurotoxicity.

bioRxiv · Oct 5, 2020 · PreprintNeuroscience