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Pharmacology and Toxicology
Qing-Song Liu, PhD

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.

Publications

  • (Yu L, Li Y, Lv Y, Gu B, Cai J, Liu QS, Zhao L.) Cells. 2024 Sep 25;13(19) PMID: 39404372 PMCID: PMC11475322 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85206276022 10/15/2024

  • (Liu S, Nawarawong N, Liu X, Liu QS, Olsen CM.) Transl Psychiatry. 2024 Sep 23;14(1):387 PMID: 39313502 PMCID: PMC11420216 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85204921376 09/24/2024

  • (Sarka BC, Liu S, Banerjee A, Stucky CL, Liu QS, Olsen CM.) Addict Biol. 2024 Aug;29(8):e13430 PMID: 39121884 PMCID: PMC11315577 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85200756850 08/10/2024

  • (Kelly TJ, Bonniwell EM, Mu L, Liu X, Hu Y, Friedman V, Yu H, Su W, McCorvy JD, Liu QS.) Neuropsychopharmacology. 2024 Apr;49(5):854-863 PMID: 37752222 PMCID: PMC10948882 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85172244117 09/27/2023

  • (Arzua T, Yan Y, Liu X, Dash RK, Liu QS, Bai X.) Transl Psychiatry. 2024 Jan 22;14(1):51 PMID: 38253552 PMCID: PMC10803756 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85182859098 01/23/2024

  • (Tran H, Feng Y, Chao D, Liu QS, Hogan QH, Pan B.) Pain. 2024 Jan 01;165(1):102-114 PMID: 37463226 PMCID: PMC10787817 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85179842560 07/18/2023

  • (Mu L, Liu X, Yu H, Vickstrom CR, Friedman V, Kelly TJ, Hu Y, Su W, Liu S, Mantsch JR, Liu QS.) Mol Psychiatry. 2023 Sep;28(9):3930-3942 PMID: 37845497 PMCID: PMC10730389 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85174315132 10/17/2023

  • (Hess EM, Kassel SN, Simandl G, Raddatz N, Maunze B, Hurley MM, Grzybowski M, Klotz J, Geurts A, Liu QS, Choi S, Twining RC, Baker DA.) J Neurosci. 2023 Mar 29;43(13):2349-2361 PMID: 36788029 PMCID: PMC10072291 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85151313130 02/15/2023

  • (Mu L, Xia D, Cai J, Gu B, Liu X, Friedman V, Liu QS, Zhao L.) Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Oct 21;23(20) PMID: 36293516 PMCID: PMC9604030 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85140811979 10/28/2022

  • (He Y, Madeo G, Liang Y, Zhang C, Hempel B, Liu X, Mu L, Liu S, Bi GH, Galaj E, Zhang HY, Shen H, McDevitt RA, Gardner EL, Liu QS, Xi ZX.) Sci Adv. 2022 Sep 02;8(35):eabo1440 PMID: 36054363 PMCID: PMC10848951 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85137156932 09/03/2022

  • (Liu X, Vickstrom CR, Yu H, Liu S, Snarrenberg ST, Friedman V, Mu L, Chen B, Kelly TJ, Baker DA, Liu QS.) Elife. 2022 Aug 22;11 PMID: 35993549 PMCID: PMC9436413 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85137135848 08/23/2022

  • (Yan Y, Logan S, Liu X, Chen B, Jiang C, Arzua T, Ramchandran R, Liu QS, Bai X.) Cells. 2022 Aug 11;11(16) PMID: 36010580 PMCID: PMC9406780 SCOPUS ID: 2-s2.0-85136592621 08/27/2022

Publications of from the

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