Stanford Psychiatry’s Renzhi Yang receives grant to research neuronal and molecular mechanisms of flexible social behavior in mice

We are pleased to share that Stanford Psychiatry’s Renzhi Yang, postdoctoral scholar of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, has received a K99/R00 postdoctoral award from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development titled “Unraveling neuronal and molecular mechanisms of flexible social behavior in mice.”

Developmentally wired programs of social interactions in animals enhance reproductive success, yet these underlying neural circuits also allow for flexibility in behavior, such as modulating behavior in response to past experiences. However, the neural mechanisms behind this flexibility are not well understood. This project aims to define the experience-driven neural mechanisms that enhance behavioral performance in male mating.

The goal of this project is to uncover mechanisms underlying circuit plasticity during experientially driven changes in mating behavior, with potential implications for understanding reproductive behavior in health and disease. Using an interdisciplinary approach will provide insights into the interplay among genes, circuit plasticity, and innate behaviors, establishing a platform for future independent research.

“This research aims to clarify the neural and molecular mechanisms underlying experience-driven changes in an innate social behavior in male mice, providing fundamental insights into flexibility in social interactions,” says Dr. Yang. “Understanding these mechanisms may point the way to therapeutic strategies for addressing conditions such as declining libido, which affects 15-20% of the human population. Ultimately, this project will advance fundamental knowledge about how the brain regulates behavior and may enhance the quality of life by paving the way for new treatments and interventions for social and behavioral disorders.”

Dr. Yang works with research mentor Nirao Shah, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, of Neurobiology and, by courtesy, of Obstetrics and Gynecology, in the Shah Laboratory in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. The Shah Lab studies how genes, neurons, and experience regulate sex differences in behavior. Dr. Yang has previously received NIH NRSA F32 postdoctoral award, and he is also a recipient of  a 2023 Neurosciences Interdisciplinary Scholar Award from the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute. Recent publications written by Dr. Yang and colleagues include “A neural circuit for male sexual behavior and reward” published in Cell in 2023.
 

More Information

For more details about this project, visit NIH RePORTER.