As an electrophysiologist, a physician scientist and a movement disorder specialist, my research focuses on the cognitive and motor control mechanism of the cerebellum and cerebellar-cerebral-basal ganglia circuitry, as well as the pathophysiology of related movement disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor. We use optical and electrical approaches in both animal and human works. In animal studies, we apply in-vivo electrophysiology in freely moving rodents, optogenetics, fiber photometry, intracerebral microinfusion, two-photon calcium imaging in awake-behaving mice, and CLARITY for 3D structural imaging. In human works, we used clinical electrophysiology (e.g. cerebellar electroencephalography), non-invasive neurostimulation (e.g. transcranial magnetic stimulation) and imaging tools (e.g. diffusion spectrum imaging of magnetic resonance imaging).
These approaches allow us to use modern technologies to access in-depth mechanism in experimental animals and validate animal predictions/therapeutic potentials in real-world patients, with publications in high-profile journals such as Journal of clinical investigations 2014, 2016 (IF: 12.282); Annals of Neurology 2016 (IF: 10.244); Acta Neuropathologica 2017 (IF: 15.781), PNAS 2018 (IF: 9.58), Science Translational Medicine 2020 (IF: 17.161). I am currently a committee member of Tremor Study Group in international Movement Disorder Society (MDS); one of the two online authors of essential tremor section in BMJ Best Practice, an online database hold by British Medical Journal (IF: 27.604). One of the three organizers in International Tremor Congress, with Sheng-Han Kuo in Columbia University and Elan D. Louis in Yale University.