Xiaoting Wu, PhD

The Wu laboratory is focused on understanding the neurobiology of social cognition. We live in a social environment and the ability to distinguish various individuals, form memories of social encounters and make appropriate decisions is pivotal to our lives. How do neural circuitries and synaptic plasticity mediate social cognitive processes? Our lab uses multi-disciplinary approaches across molecular, synaptic, and behavioral scales to investigate this question. We employ techniques such as optogenetics, fiber photometry, electrophysiology, and single cell transcriptomics to uncover the mechanisms underlying social cognition.