Research Areas
Neural mechanisms underlying social cognition and its related brain disorders
Education
2007/03 Ph.D. in Zoology Kunming Institute of Zoology, CAS
2002/07 B.S. in Biological Sciences University of Science and Technology of China
2001/07 B.E. in Computer Science and Technology University of Science and Technology of China
Experience
Work Experience
2016-09~present Institute of Biophysics, CAS Principal Investigator
2012-05~2016-09 National Institute of Mental Health Research Fellow
2007-05~2012-05 National Institute of Mental Health Postdoc Fellow
2002-07~2004-08 Kunming Institute of Zoology, CAS Reserach Assistant
Teaching Experience
2013/06 – 2013/08 "Network Analysis and Its Application inNeuroscience" for summer students. National Institutes of Health, United States
Publications
Papers
1. Liu N, Hadj-Bouziane F, Moran R, Ungerleider LG, Ishai A (2016) Facial Expressions Evoke Differential Neural Coupling in Macaques. Cerebral Cortex [Epub ahead of print]
2. Zhang H, Japee S, Nolan R, Chu C, Liu N, Ungerleider LG (2016) Face-selective regions differ in their ability to classify facial expressions. Neuroimage 130:77-90.
3. Liu N, Hadj-Bouziane F, Jones KB, Turchi JN, Averbeck BB, Ungerleider LG (2015) Oxytocin modulates fMRI responses to facial expression in macaques. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 112:E3123-3130.
4. Avidan G, Tanzer M, Hadj-Bouziane F, Liu N, Ungerleider LG, Behrmann M (2014) Selective dissociation between core and extended regions of the face processing network in congenital prosopagnosia. Cerebral Cortex 24:1565-1578.
5. Liu N, Kriegeskorte N, Mur M, Hadj-Bouziane F, Luh WM, Tootell RB, Ungerleider LG (2013) Intrinsic structure of visual exemplar and category representations in macaque brain. The Journal of Neuroscience 33:11346-11360.
6. Hadj-Bouziane F, Liu N, Bell AH, Gothard KM, Luh WM, Tootell RB, Murray EA, Ungerleider LG (2012) Amygdala lesions disrupt modulation of functional MRI activity evoked by facial expression in the monkey inferior temporal cortex. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 109:E3640-3648.
7. Furl N, Hadj-Bouziane F, Liu N, Averbeck BB, Ungerleider LG (2012) Dynamic and static facial expressions decoded from motion-sensitive areas in the macaque monkey. The Journal of Neuroscience 32:15952-15962.
8. Talbot T, Ide D, Liu N, Turchi J (2011) A novel, variable angle guide grid for neuronal activity studies. Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience 6:1.
9. Nasr S, Liu N, Devaney KJ, Yue X, Rajimehr R, Ungerleider LG, Tootell RB (2011) Scene-selective cortical regions in human and nonhuman primates. The Journal of Neuroscience 31:13771-13785.
10. Wu CW, Vasalatiy O, Liu N, Wu H, Cheal S, Chen DY, Koretsky AP, Griffiths GL, Tootell RB, Ungerleider LG (2011) Development of a MR-visible compound for tracing neuroanatomical connections in vivo. Neuron 70:229-243.
11. Wang ZX, Zhang JX, Wu QL, Liu N, Hu XP, Chan RC, Xiao ZW (2010) Alterations in the processing of non-drug-related affective stimuli in abstinent heroin addicts. NeuroImage 49:971-976.
12. Zhou D, Ma Y, Liu N, Chen L, He M, Miao Y (2008) Influence of physical parameters of sound on the sensory gating effects of N40 in rats. Neuroscience Letters 432:100-104.
13. Liu N, Li B, Sun N, Ma Y (2008) Effects of addiction-associated and affective stimuli on the attentional blink in a sample of abstinent opiate dependent patients. Journal of Psychopharmacology 22:64-70.
14. Tan H, Liu N, Wilson FA, Ma Y (2007) Effects of scopolamine on morphine-induced conditioned place preference in mice. Addiction Biology 12:463-469.
15. Yang G, Liu XF, Liu N, Zhang J, Zheng JW, Sun HY, Zhang WD, Ma YY (2007) Dynamics of hippocampal sensory gating during the chronic morphine administration, withdrawal and re-exposure to morphine in rats. Acta Physiologica Sinica 59:305-310.
16. Chen SQ, Liu N, Zheng JW, Qi H, Xiao ZW (2006) Auditory evoked potentials recorded in monkeys with hallucinatory-like behaviors induced by bromocriptine. Neuroscience Bulletin 22:245-254.
17. Tan H, Meng Z, Liu N, Ma Y, Wilson FA (2006) A Training Program for Visual Discrimination Tasks in Monkeys. Zoological Research 27(6):601-605.
18. Liu N, Zhou D, Li B, Ma Y, Hu X (2006) Gender related effects of heroin abuse on the simple reaction time task. Addictive Behaviors 31:187-190.
19. Liu N, Li B, Wilson FA, Ma Y, Hu X (2005) Gender effect on the right-left discrimination task in a sample of heroin-dependent patients. Psychopharmacology 181:735-740.
20. Liu N, Liu Y, Fan Y, Yu H, Wilson FA, Ma Y, Hu X (2005) EEG activities in the orbitofrontal cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during the development of morphine dependence, tolerance and withdrawal in rhesus monkeys. Brain Research 1053:137-145.
21. Liu N, Yu S, Zhou Y, Cai J, Ma Y (2005) Age-related effects of bromocriptine on sensory gating in rhesus monkeys. Neuroreport 16:603-606.
22. Yu S*, Liu N*, Zeng T, Tian S, Chen N, Zhou Y, Ma Y (2004) Age-related effects of bilateral frontal eye fields lesions on rapid eye movements during REM sleep in rhesus monkeys. Neuroscience Letters 366:58-62. *Equal contribution
Research Interests
Social cognition is essential for both individual and group survival, especially in socialanimals like humans and non-human primates. In a variety of psychiatric disorders, disruptedsocial cognition represents a common sensitive domain of their pathology. Although socialcognition has been studied for a long time, its brain underpinning remains elusive. Our long-termresearch goal is to understand the neural mechanisms underlying social cognitions, and develop new diagnostictools and treatment strategies for psychiatric diseases. Given the similarities in social cognition and its underlying neural circuitry between humans andnon-human primates, weuse non-human primates (e.g., rhesus macaque) as the model.Sophisticated non-invasive and invasive experimental approaches, including neuroimaging (e.g.,fMRI), interventional physiology (e.g., permanent/reversible lesion of brain circuits,microstimulation) and computational modeling, will be applied jointly toinvestigate these issues at various scales and levels.
Students
2014/06 – Present Olivia B Tomeo, NIH Post-bachelor Research Fellow
2014/06 – 2014/08 David B Marinelli, Summer Student (NIH Community College Summer Enrichment Program winner)
2013/06 – 2013/08 Melanie A. Robins, Summer Student (NIH Community College Summer Enrichment Program winner)
2012/06 – 2014/06 S William Li, NIH Post-bachelor Research Fellow
2010/06 – 2012/06 Katherine B. Jones, NIH Post-bachelor Research Fellow
2009/08 – 2010/08 Yasunori Nagahama, Medical School Student (HHMI-NIH Research Scholars Program Winner)
2008/06 – 2010/06 James A. Ellis, NIH Post-bachelor Research Fellow
Honors & Distinctions
2014 Summer Mentor Award National Institutes of Health
2013 Postdoctoral Mentor Award National Institutes of Health
2013 Fellows Award for Research Excellence National Institutes of Health
2007 Outstanding Graduate Award Chinese Academy of Sciences