Xiaowen Zhuang

Inhibition of Indirect Pathway Activity Causes Abnormal Decision-Making In a Mouse Model of Impulse Control Disorder in Parkinson's Disease

This study develops a mouse model of Parkinson's disease with impulse control disorder and shows that inhibiting indirect pathway neurons exacerbates abnormal decision-making.

Overexpression of alpha synuclein in Midbrain Dopamine Neurons Reduces Dopamine Release Without Cell Loss and Drives Mild Motor Deficits in Mice

Drug Reinforcement Impairs Cognitive Flexibility by Inhibiting Striatal Cholinergic Neurons

This paper shows that drug reinforcement impairs cognitive flexibility by inhibiting striatal cholinergic interneurons through enhanced inhibitory transmission from direct-pathway medium spiny neurons.

Striatal Mu-Opioid Receptor Activation Triggers Direct-Pathway GABAergic Plasticity to Induce Negative Affect

This study shows that chronic opioid use induces GABAergic plasticity in striatal neurons, leading to hypodopaminergic states and negative affect, which contribute to relapse.

Chronic alcohol drinking persistently suppresses thalamostriatal excitation of cholinergic neurons to impair cognitive flexibility

This study shows chronic alcohol consumption impairs cognitive flexibility by reducing thalamic excitation of cholinergic neurons in the dorsomedial striatum.