Yang Dan
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator and Professor of Molecular Therapeutics*
*Nan Fung Life Sciences Chancellor's Chair in Neuroscience
Research Interests
Our research aims to elucidate (1) what circuits in the mammalian brain control sleep, and (2) mechanisms by which the frontal cortex exerts top-down executive control. We use a variety of techniques, including optogenetics, electrophysiology, imaging, and virus-mediated circuit tracing.
Current Projects
Neural circuits controlling sleep. Using optogenetic manipulation, optrode recording, and cell-type-specific calcium imaging, we identify neuronal types that play critical roles in the generation of rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep and non-REM sleep. Local synaptic interactions between cell types are measured by recordings in brain slices, and long-range connections are mapped using a variety of viral tools.
Function of the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Combining electrophysiological recording, calcium imaging, and optogenetic manipulation in mice performing PFC-dependent tasks, we aim to understand how the PFC generate task-related activity, and how the activity regulates the downstream targets for optimal behavioral control.
Selected Publications
Li, Y., Lu, H., Cheng, P., Ge, S., Xu, H., Shi, S.-H., and Dan, Y. (2012). Clonally related visual cortical neurons show similar stimulus feature selectivity. Nature 486, 118-121.
Lee, S.-H., Kwan, A.C., Zhang, S., Phoumthipphavong, V., Flannery, J.G., Masmanidis, S.C., Taniguchi, H., Huang, Z.J., Zhang, F., Boyden, E.S., Deisseroth, K., and Dan, Y. (2012). Activation of specific interneurons improves V1 feature selectivity and visual perception. Nature 488, 379-83.
Zhang, S., Xu, M., Kamigaki, T., Hoang, J.P., Chang, W.C., Jenvay, S., Miyamichi, K., Luo, L., Dan, Y. (2014). Long-range and local circuits for top-down modulation of visual cortex processing. Science 345, 660-665.
Pinto, L., Dan, Y. (2015) Cell-type-specific activity in prefrontal cortex during goal-directed behavior. Neuron 87, 437-450.
Weber, F., Chung, S., Beier, K.T., Luo, L., Dan, Y. (2015). Control of REM sleep by ventral medulla GABAergic neurons. Nature 526, 435-438.
Xu, M., Chung, S., Zhang, S., Zhong, P., Ma, C., Chang, W.-C., Weissbourd, B., Sakai, N., Luo, L., Nishino, S., and Dan, Y. (2015). Basal forebrain circuit for sleep-wake control. Nat. Neurosci. 18, 1641-1647.
Zhang, S., Xu, M., Chang, W.-C., Ma, C., Do, J.P.H., Jeong, D., Lei, T., Fan, J.L. & Dan, Y. (2016). Organization of long-range inputs and outputs of frontal cortex for top-down control. Nat. Neurosci. 19, 1733-1742.
Kamigaki, T., Dan, Y. (2017). Delay activity of specific prefrontal interneuron subtypes modulates memory-guided behavior. Nat. Neurosci. 20, 854-863.
Chung, S., Weber, F., Zhong, P., Tan, C.L., Nguyen, T.N., Beier, K.T., Hörmann, N., Chang, W.C., Zhang, Z., Do, J.P., Yao, S., Krashes, M.J., Tasic, B., Cetin, A., Zeng, H., Knight, Z.A., Luo, L., Dan, Y. (2017). Identification of preoptic sleep neurons using retrograde labelling and gene profiling. Nature 545, 477-481.
Chen, K.-S., Xu, M., Zhang, Z., Chang, W.-C. Gaj, T., Schaffer, D.V., and Dan, Y. (2018) A Hypothalamic switch for REM and non-REM sleep. Neuron 97, 1168-1176.
Liu, D., and Dan, Y. (2019). A Motor Theory of Sleep-Wake Control: Arousal-Action Circuit. Annu Rev Neurosci 42, 27-46.
Zhang, Z., Zhong, P., Hu, F., Barger, Z., Ren, Y., Ding, X., Li, S., Weber, F., Chung, S., Palmiter, R.D., and Dan, Y.(2019). An excitatory circuit in the perioculomotor midbrain for mon-REM sleep control. Cell 177, 1293-1307.
Ma, C., Zhong, P., Liu, D., Barger, Z.K., Zhou, L., Chang, W.C., Kim, B., and Dan, Y. (2019). Sleep regulation by neurotensinergic neurons in a thalamo-amygdala circuit. Neuron 103, 323-334.
Zhong P., Zhang Z., Barger Z., Ma C., Liu D., Ding X., Dan Y. (2019). Control of Non-REM Sleep by Midbrain Neurotensinergic Neurons. Neuron 104, 795-809.
Hu F., Kamigaki T., Zhang Z., Zhang S., Dan U., Dan Y. (2019). Prefrontal Corticotectal Neurons Enhance Visual Processing through the Superior Colliculus and Pulvinar Thalamus. Neuron 104,1141-1152.
Liu D., Li W., Ma C., Zheng W., Yao Y., Tso C.F., Zhong P., Chen X., Song J.H., Choi W., Paik S.-B., Han H., and Dan Y. (2020). A Common Hub for Sleep and Motor Control in the Substantia Nigra. Science 367, 440-445.
Photo courtesy of HHMI, credit Noah Berger.
Last Updated 2020-09-12