Long Li, PhD, studies the neural circuit alterations associated with psychiatric disorders. The medulla is where our cardiovascular and respiratory systems link together into a united system that controls our heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, and more. Dr. Li explores how these processes can change the state of our brain within the context of psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
To find out how information flows to and from the medulla, an anterograde tracer and retrograde tracer were injected into the medulla. The anterograde tracer labels the outputs of the medulla and the retrograde tracer labels the inputs. The inputs are shown in gold and outputs are shown in cyan.
Dr. Li's image, "The Great Escape: Mapping the Path to Freedom," depicts axonal projections from the inferior olivary nucleus to the lateral septum circuit, which promotes escape behavior.