Dr Jing Ren

Interests

The serotonin system is the most frequently targeted neural system for treating mental illnesses, including depression and anxiety. Our team focuses on bridging the huge gap on the link between the abnormalities of serotonergic wiring and transmission, and the vulnerability to mental illnesses. The serotonin system innervates nearly every area of the brain and has been implicated in the modulation of seemingly every human behavior. We recently revealed that there are anatomically defined parallel serotonin sub-systems that exert different influences on distinct behavioral functions of mice. Furthermore, we elucidated the molecular architecture of these sub-systems. The next key questions that intrigue us are: How is the organization of the serotonin system determined during development, and how do disruptions in these developmental programs alter this organization? How multiple transmitters’ co-release is modulated in serotonin system? How do these abnormalities influences behaviors?

Research Focus

Equipment

Behavioural analysis

Calcium imaging

Cell culture

Confocal microscopy

Electrophysiological recording techniques

Fluorescence microscopy

Immunohistochemistry

Microscopy

single cell RNA sequencing; Light-sheet microscopy; Flow cytometry; Fiber photometry;

Whole cell patch clamp