Preprints

Yuan Cheng, Yusi Chen, Myungji Kwak, Ross P. Kempner, Rudramani Singha, Jared Winslow, Runqi Liu, Umais Khan, Tessa Spangler, Alvi Khan, Talmo D. Pereira, Matthew R. Whiteway, Evan S. Schaffer, Nuttida Rungratsameetaweemana, Nan Yang, Herbert Zheng Wu. Asymmetric social representations in the prefrontal cortex for cooperative behavior. bioRxiv 2025. [Link]

We developed the first cooperative paradigm in mice that gives rise to emergent leader-follower dynamics predictive of learning. The medial prefrontal cortex encodes these social roles and forms an egocentric social value map of partner position. This work provides a new neural and computational framework for studying cognitive group behavior.

Yusi Chen, Angela Radulescu, Herbert Zheng Wu. Unveiling the latent dynamics in social cognition with multi-agent inverse reinforcement learning. bioRxiv 2024. [Link]

We introduce multi-agent inverse reinforcement learning (MAIRL) that combines probabilistic recursive modeling and joint value decomposition to uncover latent beliefs in social behavior. MAIRL reveals goal maps and interaction dynamics, offering a powerful new tool to study social cognition.

Research papers

Zheng Wu, Ashok Litwin-Kumar, Philip Shamash, Alexei Taylor, Richard Axel, Michael N Shadlen. Context-dependent decision making in a premotor circuit. Neuron 106, 316-328 (2020). [Link]

Neuron Preview Taken out of Context: A Novel Cognitive Role for a Premotor Circuit
We developed a cognitively demanding task to study flexible decision making in mice using electrophysiological, imaging, optogenetic, and computational methods. A motor area, previously thought to primarily guide movement, computes the decision locally and represents the perceptual information in a novel population of Layer 2 cells.

Zheng Wu, Anita E Autry, Joseph F Bergan, Mitsuko Watabe-Uchida, Catherine Dulac. Galanin neurons in the medial preoptic area govern parental behaviour. Nature 509, 325-330 (2014). [Link]

Nature News and Views To care or not to care
The Boston Globe Front Page Story Brain circuits that control parental behavior
The Scientist The Infanticidal-to-Paternal Switch
Harvard Magazine The Mr. Mom Switch
Harvard MCB News The hand that rocks the cradle
We performed the first genetic characterization of command-like neurons for parental behavior in vertebrates. This study laid the groundwork for further examination of the circuitry and neuronal populations. This body of work was recognized by the 2021 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences.

Anita E Autry, Zheng Wu, Vikrant Kapoor, Johannes Kohl, Dhananjay Bambah-Mukku, Nimrod D Rubinstein, Brenda Marin-Rodriguez, Ilaria Carta, Victoria Sedwick, Ming Tang, Catherine Dulac. Urocortin-3 neurons in the mouse perifornical area promote infant-directed neglect and aggression. Elife 10, e64680 (2021). [Link]

We uncovered the genetically defined neuronal population critical for infant-directed aggression. Together with my study of the galanin neurons, we provided the entry points and a new framework to investigate the positive and negative regulation of parenting.

Peter Y Wang, Cristian Boboila, Matthew Chin, Alexandra Higashi-Howard, Philip Shamash, Zheng Wu, Nicole P Stein, LF Abbott, Richard Axel. Transient and persistent representations of odor value in prefrontal cortex. Neuron 108, 209-224 (2020). [Link]

We demonstrated the transformation of a representation of odor identity in piriform cortex into transient and persistent representations of value in the prefrontal cortex.

Yoh Isogai, Zheng Wu, Michael I Love, Michael Ho-Young Ahn, Dhananjay Bambah-Mukku, Vivian Hua, Karolina Farrell, Catherine Dulac. Multisensory Logic of Infant-Directed Aggression by Males. Cell 175(7), 1827-1841 (2018). [Link]

We identified 7 vomeronasal receptors and 2 compounds responsible for infant-directed attack in mice. These attacks rely on the combination of parental and infant chemical cues as well as distinctive infant morphological traits.

Reviews

Catherine Dulac, Lauren A O’Connell, Zheng Wu. Neural control of maternal and paternal behaviors. Science 345 (6198), 765-770 (2014). [Link]