Awarded in 2016
Home Department: Biology

Faculty Advisors: Jun Ding (Neurosurgery) and Michael Lin (Neurobiology, Bioengineering)

Research Title: Dissecting the neural network underlying motor control

Research Description: Movement disorders are affecting more and more people nowadays. Striatum is a crucial brain structure for motor control, which integrates information about environment, actions, and emotions to regulate the movement. Many movement disorders are caused by disrupted striatal functions. Renzhi’s project is to use the cutting-edge technology of voltage imaging to characterize the network activity of striatum during movement. Combining this with genetic and drug manipulations, he will also study the regulation mechanisms of the striatal network. His work will provide clues for restoring the normal neural network for patients with motor disorders.

WHERE IS HE NOW?

Renzhi is a postdoctoral researcher in Nirao Shah’s lab at Stanford.