Zixiu Xiang, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
B.S. Neurobiology, Fudan Uninverisity, 1983
Ph.D. Psychobiology, Yale University, 1995
Biosketch and Research Interests
Zixiu Xiang, Ph.D., is a Research Assistant Professor in the Conn group. He obtained his doctoral training at Yale University in the laboratory of Dr. Thomas H. Brown and went on to pursuit his postdoctoral studies the laboratory of Drs. David A. Prince and John R. Huguenard at Stanford University. Before joining Dr. Conn group, he worked with Dr. Steven T. Kitai as a Research Assistant Professor in University of Tennessee Health Science Center. His research interests are centered on questions of how neuromodulators and neural activity modify the excitability and synaptic transmission in cortical and basal ganglia neurons. His current research focuses on definitive determination of roles of muscarinic acetylcholine receptor M1 and M4 subtypes in modulating ion channels that regulate neuronal excitability and synaptic currents in basal ganglia neurons by using patch clamp techniques in conjunction with novel, highly selective M1 and M4 compounds developed by the Program in Drug Discover. These studies will provide new insight into our understanding of cholinergic modulation of basal ganglia functions in health and disease and will also help to develop novel therapeutic agents for treatment of basal ganglia related disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease and dystonia.
Selected Publications
Shirey, J. K. Xiang, Z., Orton, D., Brady, A. E., Myers-Johnson, K. A., Williams, R., Ayala, J. E., Rodriguez, A. L., Wess, J., Weaver, D., Niswender, C. M. and Conn, P. J. (2008) Discovery of novel selective allosteric potentiators of the M4 mAChR suggests a role in modulating excitatory but not inhibitory synaptic transmission in the hippocampus. Nature Chem Biol, 4(1): 42-50
Benneyworth, M. A., Xiang Z., Smith, R. L., Garcia, E. E., Conn, P. J. and Sanders-Bush, E. (2007) A Selective Positive Allosteric modulator of metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 2 blocks a hallucinogenic drug model of psychosis. Mol Pharmacol 72(2):477-84
Wang, L., Kitai, S. T. and Xiang, Z. (2006) Activity-dependent bidirectional modification of inhibitory synaptic transmission in rat subthalamic neurons. J Neurosci. 26(28):7321-7
Wang, L., and Kitai, S. T. and Xiang, Z. (2005) Modulation of excitatory synaptic transmission by endogenous glutamate acting on presynaptic group II mGluRs in rat substantia nigra compacta. J. Neurosci. Res. 93(3):1145-57.
Xiang, Z., Wang, L., and Kitai, S. T. (2005) Modulation of spontaneous firing in rat subthalamic neurons by 5-HT receptor subtypes. J. Neurophsiology, 93: 1145–1157.
Phone: (615) 343-4318
Email: zixiu.xiang@vanderbilt.edu
Fax: (615) 343-3088
Location:12480 Medical Research Building IV