Allen Chen | Renaissance School of Medicine

Advisor:

Shaoyu Ge, PhD

Qiaojie Xiong, PhD

Graduate Program:

Program in Neuroscience

Research Interest:

I am interested in studying the neural circuit and neuromodulatory mechanisms that govern cognitive-sensory behaviors, which underlie neuropsychiatric disease. My thesis research focuses on perceptual decision-making, which underlies our basic capabilities to respond to the environment with appropriate actions and is dysfunctional in multiple diseases such as Parkinson’s and schizophrenia. Using in vivo calcium imaging, optogenetics, and other systems neuroscience techniques, I explored dopaminergic and striatal neural circuit function in auditory discrimination. My data indicates that dopamine regulates striatal sub-compartments for auditory discrimination. Furthermore, dopamine modulates auditory neural representation and neuronal learning within the posterior auditory striatum. Using patient-level data, I am additionally interested in using quantitative techniques to understand brain disorders at behavioral and epidemiological levels.

2023: American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) Travel Award
2022: Outstanding Future Physician-Scientist, Stony Brook University MSTP
2022: NIH Outstanding Scholars in Neuroscience Award Program (OSNAP)
2021: Best Talk/Oral Presentation Award, 40th Annual Stony Brook MSTP Retreat
2021: St. Jude’s Graduate Research Symposium
2021: Sigma Xi Research Honor Society
2020: Stony Brook Graduate Student Organization Distinguished Travel Award
2019: NIH-NIDCD NRSA F30 Research Fellowship
2018: Stony Brook Outstanding Undergraduate Biology Teaching Award
2017: Stony Brook Medicine Academic Merit Award

2023: Chen AP, Chen L, Shi KW, Cheng E, Ge S, Xiong Q. Nigrostriatal dopamine modulates the striatal–amygdala pathway in auditory fear conditioning. Nature Communications, 14(1), 7231. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-43066-9
2023: Chen AP, Ismail Z, Mann FD, Bromet EJ, Clouston SA, Luft BJ. Behavioral Impairments and Increased Risk of Cortical Atrophy Risk Scores Among World Trade Center Responders. Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1177/08919887231195234
2023: Chen AP, Chea L, Lee EJ, Lin JH. Lysine Ubiquitylation Drives Rhodopsin Protein Turnover. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, 1415, 493–498.
2022: Chen AP, Malgady JM, Chen L, Shi KW, Cheng E, Plotkin JL, Ge S, Xiong Q. Nigrostriatal dopamine pathway regulates auditory discrimination behavior. Nature Communications, 13(1), 5942. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-33747-2
2021: Chen AP, Clouston SA, Kritikos M, Richmond L, Meliker J, Mann FD, Santiago-Michels S, Pellechia A, Carr M, Kuan P, Bromet EJ, Luft B. A Deep Learning Approach for Monitoring Parietal-Dominant Alzheimer’s Disease in World Trade Center Responders at Midlife. Brain Communications, 3(3), fcab145. https://doi.org/10.1093/braincomms/fcab145
2021: Chen AP, Chen L, Kim TA, Xiong Q. Integrating the Roles of Midbrain Dopamine Circuits in Behavior and Neuropsychiatric Disease. Biomedicines, 9(6), 647.
2020: Kéry R, Chen AP, Kirschen GW. Genetic Targeting of Astrocytes to Combat Neurodegenerative Disease. Neural Regeneration Research, 15(2), 199–211.
2018: Chen AP, Kéry R, Ge S. Genetic Targeting of Astrocytes in the Gliovascular Unit of the Adult Brain. Journal of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Sciences, 2(3), 21–25.

May 2022: Chea L, Chen AP, Chan P, Lee G, Lin J. Lysine Ubiquitylation in P23H Rhodopsin Protein Degradation. Poster presentation, Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, Denver, CO.
May 2022: Chen AP, Ismail Z, Mann FD, Bromet EJ, Clouston SA, Luft B. Behavioral and Sensory Impairments in Parietal-Dominant Alzheimer’s Disease. Virtual Poster, Society of Biological Psychiatry.
March 2022: Chen AP, Malgady J, Chen L, Shi K, Cheng E, Zeto A, Plotkin JL, Ge S, Xiong Q. Nigrostriatal Dopamine Pathway Regulates Auditory Discrimination Behavior. Virtual Talk, Electronic Auditory Research Seminar Series (E.A.R.S.). https://sites.google.com/view/ears2020/home
December 2021: Chen AP, Malgady J, Chen L, Shi K, Cheng E, Zeto A, Plotkin JL, Ge S, Xiong Q. Striatal Dopamine Regulates Auditory Discrimination. Poster, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology 2021, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
July 2020: Chen AP, Kirschen GW, Strandt J, Ahamad A, Schwartz NU, Obeid L, Mao C, Ge S. Rejuvenating Hippocampal Neurogenesis in the Aged Brain via Manipulation of Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Metabolism. Virtual Poster, 36th National MD-PhD Student Conference, Boulder, CO.
November 2018: Chen AP, Kirschen GW, Strandt J, Ahamad A, Schwartz NU, Obeid L, Mao C, Ge S. Age- and Experience-Dependent Hippocampal Neurogenesis Is Regulated by Sphingosine 1-Phosphate. Poster, Society for Neuroscience: Neuroscience 2018, San Diego, CA.