Thanks to the inclusion of Kaizhen Li as a new research leader, MultiPark increases its collective expertise in psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases. Here, he shares what joining MultiPark means to him and what he can contribute to the strategic research area.
What does being included as a MultiPark research leader mean to you?
"Being included as a MultiPark research leader would provide an excellent interdisciplinary environment to connect systems neuroscience with neurodegeneration research. I like how MultiPark brings together research groups across diverse fields, spanning basic, translational, and clinical neuroscience. This collaborative environment would strongly support my research program on microglial modulation of neural circuits underlying emotion and cognition, which requires multiple levels of techniques and translational validation."
What do you consider to be your most essential contribution to MultiPark?
"I can contribute advanced expertise in systems neuroscience approaches, including in vivo calcium imaging using one- and multiphoton microscopy, neural circuit tracing, optogenetics, and ethological behavioral analysis, to better understand cognitive and neuropsychiatric symptoms in neurodegenerative diseases. I also hope to complement the current MultiPark research landscape by integrating neural circuit mechanisms and psychiatric dimensions into neurodegenerative disease research."
