Zhou Lab

Research Interest

My laboratory is interested in studying the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying synaptic plasticity and learning and memory. We focus on a brain structure called the hippocampus which is important for spatial and episodic learning and memory. Specifically, we are interested in 1) neuron-glia interactions, and 2) the role of CCR5 and other chemokine receptors in normal learning and memory, as well as in cognitive deficits such as those under stress, in Alzheimer’s disease, and in HIV infection. By understanding how neuro-immune interactions regulate synaptic plasticity and memories, and how this process may go awry under pathological conditions, we aim at finding the mechanisms and potential treatments for cognitive deficits associated with neurological or psychiatric disorders.

Education / training

2008 – 2018    Postdoc & Assistant Project Scientist, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

2003 – 2008    Ph.D., Neuroscience Program, University of Southern California (USC), California

2000 – 2003    M.S., Dept. of Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China

1996 – 2000    B.S., Dept. of Physiology & Biophysics, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China

Publications (NCBI Bibliography ;  #:Corresponding author; *: Equal contribution) 

2022

• Riviere-Cazaux C*, Cornell J*, Shen Y, Zhou M# (2022). The role of CCR5 in HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders. Heliyon. July 14; e09950. doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e09950 [ PDF ]

• Shen Y*, Zhou M*#, Cai D, Filho DA, Fernandes G, Cai Y, Sousa A, Tian M, Kim N, Lee J, Necula D, Zhou C, Li S, Salinas S, Liu A, Kang X, Kamata M, Lavi A, Huang S, Silva T, Heo WD, Silva AJ# (2022). CCR5 closes the temporal window for memory linking. Nature. May;  10.1038/s41586-022-04783-1 [ link ]

• Cornell J*, Salinas S*, Huang HY*, Zhou M#. (2022) Microglia regulation of synaptic plasticity and learning and memory. Neural Regen Res. Apr;17(4):705-716. doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.322423. [ PDF ]

• Guo C, Wen D, Zhang Y, Mustaklem R, Mustaklem B, Zhou M, Ma T, Ma YY. (2022) Amyloid-β oligomers in the Nucleus Accumbens Decreases Motivation via Insertion of Calcium-Permeable AMPA Receptors. Mol Psychiatry.  Feb 2. doi: 10.1038/s41380-022-01459-0.

2021

• López-Aranda MF, Chattopadhyay I, Boxx GM, Fraley ER, Silva TK, Zhou M, Phan M, Herrera I, Taloma S, Mandanas R, Bach K, Gandal M, Geschwind DH, Cheng G, Rzhetsky A, White SA, Silva AJ. (2021) Postnatal immune activation causes social deficits in a mouse model of tuberous sclerosis: Role of microglia and clinical implications. Sci Adv. Sep 17;7(38):eabf2073. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abf2073. PubMed PMID: 34533985.. [ PDF ]

• Ozkan AD, Gettas T, Sogata A, Phaychanpheng W, Zhou M, Lacroix JJ. (2021) Mechanical and chemical activation of GPR68 (OGR1) probed with a genetically-encoded fluorescent reporter. J Cell Sci.  Jul 29;. doi: 10.1242/jcs.255455.  PubMed PMID: 34322699.

• Necula D*, Riviere-Cazaux C*, Shen Y, Zhou M#. (2021) Insight into the roles of CCR5 in learning and memory in normal and disordered states. Brain Behav Immun. Feb;92:1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2020.11.037. Epub 2020 Dec 1. Review. PubMed PMID: 33276089. [ PDF ]

2019

• Joy MT, Ben Assayag E, Shabashov-Stone D, Liraz-Zaltsman S, Mazzitelli J, Arenas M, Abduljawad N, Kliper E, Korczyn AD, Thareja NS, Kesner EL, Zhou M, Huang S, Silva TK, Katz N, Bornstein NM, Silva AJ, Shohami E, Carmichael ST. (2019) CCR5 Is a Therapeutic Target for Recovery after Stroke and Traumatic Brain Injury. Cell. Feb 21;176(5):1143-1157.e13. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2019.01.044.   [ PDF ]

2018

• Sehgal M, Zhou M, Lavi A, Huang S, Zhou Y, Silva AJ. (2018) Memory allocation mechanisms underlie memory linking across time. Neurobiol Learn Mem. 2018 Sep;153(Pt A):21-25. (review) [ PDF ]

• Frank AC*, Huang S*, Zhou M, Gdalyahu A, Kastellaskis G, Poirazi P, Silva TK, Wen X, Trachtenberg JT, Silva AJ. (2018) Hotspots of dendritic spine turnover facilitate learning-related clustered spine addition and network sparsity. Nat Commun. Jan 29;9(1):422.  [ PDF ]

2016

• Zhou M*, Greenhill S*, Huang S, Silva TK, Sano Y, Wu S, Cai Y, Nagaoka Y, Sehgal M, Cai DJ, Lee YS, Fox K, Silva AJ. (2016) CCR5 is a suppressor for cortical plasticity and hippocampal learning and memory. eLife. pii: e20985.  [ PDF ]

• Cai DJ, Aharoni D, Shuman T, Shobe J, Biane J, Song W, Wei B, Veshkini M, La-Vu M, Lou J, Flores S, Kim I, Sano Y, Zhou M, Baumgaertel K, Lavi A, Kamata M, Tuszynski M, Mayford M, Golshani P, Silva AJ. (2016) A shared neural ensemble links distinct contextual memories encoded close in time.  Nature. 534(7605),115-118.   [ PDF ]

2014

• Sano Y, Shobe J, Zhou M, Huang S, Shuman T, Cai D, Golshani P, Kamata M, Silva AJ. (2014) CREB regulates memory allocation in the insular cortex. Current Biology.24(23):2833-7.    [ PDF ] 

• Lee Y, Ehninger D, Zhou M, Oh J, Kang M, Kwak C, Ryu H, Butz D, Araki T, Cai Y, Balaji J, Sano Y, Nam C, Kim H, Kaang B, Burger C, Neel B, Silva AJ. (2014) Mechanism and treatment for the learning and memory deficits associated with mouse models of Noonan syndrome. Nat Neurosci. 17(12):1736-43.  [ PDF ]

2013

• Zhou M*, Li W*, Huang S, Kim JY, Song J, Tian X, Kang E, Sano Y, Liu C, Balaji J, Wu S, Zhou Y, Zhou Y, Parivash SN, Ehninger D, He L, Song H, Ming GL, Silva AJ. (2013) mTOR inhibition ameliorates cognitive and affective deficits caused by Disc1 knockdown specifically in adult-born dentate granule neurons. Neuron. 77(4):647-54.  [ PDF ]

2011

• Kye MJ, Neveu P, Lee YS, Zhou M, Steen JA, Sahin M, Kosik KS, Silva AJ. (2011) NMDA mediated contextual conditioning changes miRNA expression. PLoS One. 6(9):e24682.    [ PDF ]  

2010

• Wiltgen BJ*, Zhou M*, Cai Y, Balaji J, Karlsson MG, Parivash SN, Li W, Silva AJ. (2010) The hippocampus plays a selective role in the retrieval of detailed contextual memories. Curr Biol. 20(15):1336-44.  [ PDF ]     

2009

• Zhou Y, Won J, Karlsson MG, Zhou M, Rogerson T, Jayaprakash B, Neve R, Poirazi P, Silva AJ. (2009) CREB regulates excitability and the allocation of memory to subsets of neurons in the amygdala. Nat Neurosci. 12(11):1438-43.    [ PDF ] 

• Jourdi H*, Hsu YT*, Zhou M*, Qin Q, Bi X, Baudry M. (2009) Positive AMPA receptor modulation rapidly stimulates BDNF release and increases dendritic mRNA translation. J Neurosci. 29(27):8688-97.    [ PDF ] 

• Zhou M, Xu W, Liao G, Bi X, Baudry M. (2009) Neuroprotection against neonatal hypoxia/ischemia-induced cerebral cell death by prevention of calpain-mediated mGluR1alpha truncation. Exp Neurol. 218(1):75-82.  [ PDF ] 

• Dominguez R, Hu E, Zhou M, Baudry M. (2009) 17beta-estradiol-mediated neuroprotection and ERK activation require a pertussis toxin-sensitive mechanism involving GRK2 and beta-arrestin-1. J Neurosci. 29(13):4228-38.  [ PDF ] 

• Zhou M, Baudry M. (2009) EUK-207, a superoxide dismutase/catalase mimetic, is neuroprotective against oxygen/glucose deprivation-induced neuronal death in cultured hippocampal slices. Brain Res. 1247:28-37.    

• Liao G, Zhou M, Cheung S, Galeano J, Nguyen N, Baudry M, Bi X. (2009) Reduced early hypoxic/ischemic brain damage is associated with increased GLT-1 levels in mice expressing mutant (P301L) human tau. Brain Res. 1247:159-70.    

2008

• Xu W, Zhou M, Baudry M. (2008) Neuroprotection by cell permeable TAT-mGluR1 peptide in ischemia: synergy between carrier and cargo sequences. Neuroscientist. 14(5):409-14. (review)    

2007

• Zhou M, Dominguez R, Baudry M. (2007) Superoxide dismutase/catalase mimetics but not MAP kinase inhibitors are neuroprotective against oxygen/glucose deprivation-induced neuronal death in hippocampus. J Neurochem. 103(6):2212-23.

2006

• Zhou M, Baudry M. (2006) Developmental changes in NMDA neurotoxicity reflect developmental changes in subunit composition of NMDA receptors. J Neurosci. 26(11):2956-63.  [ PDF ] 

2004

• Zhou M, Liu Z, Hu C, Zhang Z, Mei Y. (2004) Developmental regulation of a Na(+)-activated fast outward K+ current in rat myoblasts. Cell Physiol Biochem. 14(4-6):225-30.

2003

• Wu SM, Ren QG, Zhou M, Peng Q, Chen JY. (2003) Protoporphyrin IX production and its photodynamic effects on glioma cells, neuroblastoma cells and normal cerebellar granule cells in vitro with 5-aminolevulinic acid and its hexylester, Cancer Lett. 200(2):123-31.

• Zhou M, Jiao S, Liu Z, Zhang ZH, Mei YA. (2003) Luzidole, an antagonist of melatonin receptor, inhibited the transient outward K+ current in rat cerebellar granule cells, Brain Res. 970(1-2):169-77.

• Wu S, Ren Q, Zhou M, Wei Y, Chen J. (2003) Photodynamic effects of 5-animolevulinic acid and its hexylester on several cell lines, ACTA BIOCHIMICA et BIOPHYSICA SINICA. 35 (7): 655–660.

2001

• Huan C, Zhou M, Wu M, Zhang Z, Mei Y. (2001) Activation of melatonin receptor increases a delayed rectifier K+ current in rat cerebellar granule cells, Brain Research. 917 182-190.