Dr. Wen-hua Zhang, Ph.D.

Professor, Neuroscience

Vice Dean, Institute of Biomedical Innovation

Nanchang University

whzhang@ncu.edu.cn

Education

Research Interests:

Our research focuses on elucidating the neurobiological mechanisms underlying psychiatric disorders, particularly anxiety and depression, and translating mechanistic discoveries into innovative therapeutic strategies. By integrating advanced approaches—including neural circuit tracing, electrophysiology, fiber photometry, optogenetics, chemogenetics, and multi-omics analyses—we investigate disease-related alterations across molecular, synaptic, cellular, circuit, and behavioral levels. Based on these findings, we aim to identify and validate novel therapeutic targets, resolve the structures and regulatory mechanisms of key target proteins, and facilitate structure-guided drug discovery and development. Through this multidisciplinary framework, our research seeks to bridge fundamental neuroscience, structural biology, pharmacology, and neuroengineering, ultimately advancing more effective and precise interventions for psychiatric disorders.

Selected Publications

1. Bao Ma#, Di Wu#, En Cao#, Cheng Chi#, Zhi-Hao Wang, Zhan-Yi Xia, Long-Hua Sun, Bing-Xing Pan*, Dao-Hua Jiang*, Wen-Hua Zhang*. Structural mechanisms for inhibition and activation of human small-conductance Ca2+-activated potassium channel SK2. Nature Communications, 2026, 17(1): 1770

2. Jia-Xin Zou#, Wei-Zhu Liu#, Ya-Qing Li, Qi Wang, Yuan-Yuan Li, Wen-Jie You, Han-Qing Pan, Wen-Hua Zhang*, and Bing-Xing Pan*. Sgk1 upregulation in hippocampus-projecting amygdala neurons underlies the delayed onset of PTSD-like avoidance. Nature Communications, 2026, 17(1): 4683

3. Han-Qing Pan#, Wei-Zhu Liu#, Cui-Zhu Yang#, Si-Ying Jiang, Mao-Xue Zhang, Ping Hu, Hao-Tian Yang, Yun-Yun Wang, Ya-Qing Li, Jiang-Long Tu, Wen-Bing Chen, Lu-Min Liu, Bing-Xing Pan* and Wen-Hua Zhang*. Enhanced Rap1 small GTPase activity in the ventral hippocampus drives stress-induced anxiety. Science Advances, 2025, 11: eadt 3163

4. Han-Qing Pan#, Tian Xia#, Yu-Ya-Nan Zhang#, Hui-Jie Zhang, Meng-Jie Xu, Jing Guo, Xue-Ying Bai, Yan Liu, Wen-Hua Zhang*, Qi-Gang Zhou*, Wei-Hua Yue* and Bing-Xing Pan*. Unveiling the enigma of anxiety disorders and depression: from pathogenesis to treatment. Science China-Life Sciences, 2025, In press

5. Wei-Zhu Liu, Shou-He Huang, Yu Wang, Chun-Yan Wang, Han-Qing Pan, Ke Zhao, Ping Hu, Bing-Xing Pan*, Wen-Hua Zhang*. Medial prefrontal cortex input to basolateral amygdala controls acute stress-induced short-term anxiety-like behavior in mice. Neuropsychopharmacology, 2023, 48:734-744.

6. Yu Liu#, Ping Hu#, Zhi-Heng Zheng, Da Zhong, Wei-Chang Xie, Zhi-Bo Tang, Bing-Xing Pan*, Jun Luo*, Wen-Hua Zhang*, Xiao-Lei Wang*. Photoresponsive Vaccine-Like CAR-M System with High- Efficiency Central Immune Regulation for Inflammation-related Depression. Advanced Materials, 2022, 34(11):e2108525.

7. Xia Qin, Han-Qing Pan, Shou-He Huang, Jia-Xin Zou, Zhi-Heng Zheng, Xiao-Xuan Liu, Wen-Jie You, Zhi-Peng Liu, Jun-Li Cao, Wen-Hua Zhang*, Bing-Xing Pan*. GABAA(δ) receptor hypofunction in the amygdala-hippocampal circuit underlies stress-induced anxiety. Science Bulletin, 2022, 67(1):97-110

8. Wen-Hua Zhang, Jun-Yu Zhang, Andrew Holmes, Bing-Xing Pan*. Amygdala circuit substrates for stress adaptation and adversity. Biological Psychiatry, 2021, 89(9):847-856 (IF2021=12.81)，（Cover story）

9. Zhi-Heng Zheng#, Jiang-Long Tu#, Xiao-Han Li, Qing Hua, Wei-Zhu Liu, Yu Liu, Bing-Xing Pan, Ping Hu, Wen-Hua Zhang*. Neuroinflammation induces anxiety- and depressive-like behavior by modulating neuronal plasticity in the basolateral amygdala. Brain Behavior and Immunity, 2021, 91:505-518. ESI Highly Cited Paper and Hot paper

10. Wei-Zhu Liu#, Wen-Hua Zhang#, Zhi-Heng Zheng, Jia-Xin Zou, Xiao-Xuan Liu, Shou-He Huang, Wen-Jie You, Ye He, Jun-Yu Zhang, Xiao-Dong Wang, Bing-Xing Pan*. Identification of a prefrontal cortex-to-amygdala pathway for chronic stress-induced anxiety. Nature Communications, 2020, 11:2221. ESI Highly Cited Paper

11. Li-Guo Jin#, Ping Hu#, Yin-Yin Wang, Luo-Jia Wu, Kang Qin, Hao-Xin Cheng, Shu-Hua Wang, Bing-Xing Pan, Hong-Bo Xin, Wen-Hua Zhang*, Xiao-Lei Wang*. Fast-Acting Black-Phosphorus-Assisted Depression Therapy with Low Toxicity. Advanced Materials, 2020, 32(2):e1906050.

12. Wen-Hua Zhang, Wei-Zhu Liu, Ye He, Wen-Jie You, Jun-Yu Zhang, Hong Xu, Xiao-Li Tian, Bao-Ming Li, Lin Mei, Andrew Holmes, Bing-Xing Pan*. Chronic stress causes projection-specific adaptation of amygdala neurons via small-conductance calcium-activated potassium channel downregulation. Biological Psychiatry, 2019, 85(10):812-828（Previewed by Ming-Hu Han, Biological Psychiatry, 85:784-786, 2019）