Welcome to the Bo Li Lab
The Li Lab
Neurons in the central amygdala
Harbor View
Jones in Summer
Jones in Snow
Charles Darvin in snow
Jones in snow
About the lab
We study the synaptic and circuit mechanisms underlying behavior. We use in vitro and in vivo electrophysiological, imaging, optogenetic, and chemogenetic techniques combined with mouse genetic and molecular methods to probe and manipulate specific neural circuits, and to determine the role of these circuits in adaptive behaviors or maladaptive behaviors related to mental disorders.
News
Interview with a neuroscientist
Friday, May 31, 2019
Comprised of a M.C. Escher-esque network of pathways, the brain is a maze of chaotic proportions. In its full-functioning glory, the brain helps us move, think, dream, and create. It’s a beautiful marvel of evolution that coordinates and translates messages from cells into emotions, memories, and actions. Read More
How the Brain Hears and Fears
Wednesday, Dec 5 2018
How is it that a sound can send a chill down your spine? By observing individual brain cells of mice, scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) are understanding how a sound can incite fear.
Investigator Bo Li focuses on a part of the mouse brain called the amygdala where sights, sounds, and other stimuli take on positive or negative associations through experience. The continuous process of learning and unlearning that occurs in the amygdala appears impaired in people with anxiety disorders or major depression. Understanding brain cell, or neuron activity in the amygdala could result in better treatments. Read More