Qing-Song Liu, PhD

Professor

Locations

Pharmacology and Toxicology

Contact Information

General Interests

Neuropharmacology

Education

PhD, Neurobiology, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, 1994

Research Interests

Research in my laboratory focuses on understanding the molecular and neural circuit mechanisms that drive diverse pathological states, such as drug addiction, anxiety and depressive behavior.

Drugs of abuse such as cocaine and opioids stimulate the reward circuitry of the brain to produce reward and reinforcement. A key component of the reward circuit is the mesolimbic dopamine system that consists of dopamine projections from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) in the midbrain to the nucleus accumbens (NAc), prefrontal cortex (PFC) and other forebrain regions. Following repeated drug administration, adaptive cellular and molecular changes occur in these areas and translate into behavioral changes, which can produce intense drug craving and compulsive drug seeking. My lab uses a wide variety of experimental approaches – including slice and in vivo electrophysiology, optogenetics, fast-scan cyclic voltammetry, in vivo calcium imaging, and sophisticated behavioral paradigms such as drug self-administration – to identify mechanisms underlying the addictive properties of abused drugs, and to manipulate these molecular and circuit adaptations to prevent drug seeking. These studies may uncover new targets for therapeutic intervention in drug addiction.

Another major research goal in my lab is to study how the endocannabinoid system regulates anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors, and how manipulating endocannabinoid signaling can protect against the development of these behaviors, particularly in rodent models of chronic or acute stress. In particular, we have found that inhibitors of enzymes that degrade endocannabinoids can prevent the development of anxiety- and depressive-like behavior in mice. A key goal in my lab is to unravel the cell-type- and circuit-specific mechanisms whereby endocannabinoids exert these stress-buffering effects.

Similarly, we are studying the cell-type-specific mechanisms whereby endocannabinoid signaling contributes to addictive-like behavior. For example, my lab identified that, with chronic cocaine exposure, endocannabinoid signaling is recruited to suppress inhibitory tone onto VTA dopamine neurons, leading to dopamine neuron hyperexcitability. My lab continues to study how endocannabinoid signaling in distinct brain regions and cell types contributes to diverse behavioral states.

Recruiting

The lab is looking to recruit postdoctoral fellows and graduate students from broad areas. I am highly supportive of the career development of postdocs and trainees and I encourage and support applications for fellowship grants (e.g. F awards) and research career development awards (e.g. K99/R00 awards). Funding is available for work on diverse projects, so an interested applicant could pick the project or topic they are most interested in.

(Vickstrom CR, Liu X, Liu S, Hu MM, Mu L, Hu Y, Yu H, Love SL, Hillard CJ, Liu QS.) Mol Psychiatry. 2021 Jul;26(7):3178-3191 PMID: 33093652 PMCID: PMC8060365 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85093837658 10/24/2020
(Doncheck EM, Liddiard GT, Konrath CD, Liu X, Yu L, Urbanik LA, Herbst MR, DeBaker MC, Raddatz N, Van Newenhizen EC, Mathy J, Gilmartin MR, Liu QS, Hillard CJ, Mantsch JR.) Neuropsychopharmacology. 2020 Nov;45(12):1974-1985 PMID: 32303052 PMCID: PMC7547655 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85084141235 04/18/2020
(Logan S, Arzua T, Yan Y, Jiang C, Liu X, Yu LK, Liu QS, Bai X.) Cells. 2020 May 23;9(5) PMID: 32456176 PMCID: PMC7291286 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85085461803 05/28/2020
(Vickstrom CR, Liu X, Zhang Y, Mu L, Kelly TJ, Yan X, Hu MM, Snarrenberg ST, Liu QS.) eNeuro. 2020;7(4) PMID: 32719103 PMCID: PMC7433892 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85089684913 07/29/2020
(Schurman LD, Carper MC, Moncayo LV, Ogasawara D, Richardson K, Yu L, Liu X, Poklis JL, Liu QS, Cravatt BF, Lichtman AH.) J Neurosci. 2019 Jul 24;39(30):5949-5965 PMID: 31127001 PMCID: PMC6650989 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85071746977 05/28/2019
(Lee SH, Shin SM, Zhong P, Kim HT, Kim DI, Kim JM, Heo WD, Kim DW, Yeo CY, Kim CH, Liu QS.) Nat Commun. 2018 Aug 24;9(1):3434 PMID: 30143647 PMCID: PMC6109165 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85052238097 08/26/2018
(McReynolds JR, Doncheck EM, Li Y, Vranjkovic O, Graf EN, Ogasawara D, Cravatt BF, Baker DA, Liu QS, Hillard CJ, Mantsch JR.) Biol Psychiatry. 2018 Jul 15;84(2):85-94 PMID: 29100630 PMCID: PMC5889367 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85033680278 11/05/2017
(Liu X, Li Y, Yu L, Vickstrom CR, Liu QS.) Neuropsychopharmacology. 2018 Apr;43(5):1066-1077 PMID: 29039413 PMCID: PMC5854804 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85043756812 10/19/2017
(Zhong P, Vickstrom CR, Liu X, Hu Y, Yu L, Yu HG, Liu QS.) Elife. 2018 Jan 02;7 PMID: 29256865 PMCID: PMC5749952 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85044160251 12/20/2017
(Li Y, Yu L, Zhao L, Zeng F, Liu QS.) Sci Rep. 2017 Nov 15;7(1):15657 PMID: 29142291 PMCID: PMC5688096 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85034436814 11/17/2017
(Lu H, Liu QS.) Biochem Pharmacol (Los Angel). 2017 Feb;6(1) PMID: 28758051 PMCID: PMC5531193 08/02/2017
(Olsen CM, Liu QS.) Front Biol (Beijing). 2016 Oct;11(5):376-386 PMID: 28974957 PMCID: PMC5617368 10/05/2017

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