Dr. Po-Han Chiang
(江柏翰 博士)

I graduated from National Yang-Ming University in 2009 with a degree in Life Science, and entered the Institute of Neuroscience in NYMU in the same year. Now, I am a Ph.D. student in the Lien Lab. I focus on the GABAergic synapses in the hippocampus, which is important for learning and memory.

By using acute brain slices and electrophysiology approach, we found that cholinergic activation through M1-like muscarinic acetylcholine receptor enhances fast-spiking interneuron activity and promotes the generation of nested theta and gamma rhythms, thereby enhancing hippocampal function and associated performance. This study was published in Neuroscience (Chiang et al. 2010 Neuroscience) and also presented in the Annual Meeting of Society for Neuroscience 2010. In 2011, by using compound and unitary field potential recordings, we found that the GABA, which is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, is depolarizing in the hippocampal dentate granule cells of adolescent and adult rats. This study was presented in the Annual Meeting of Society for Neuroscience 2011 and published in Journal of Neuroscience in 2012. (Chiang et al. 2012 J. Neurosci.)

Now, I am interested in the mechanisms of acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) in the amygdala, which are critical for fear learning and memory. Many pieces of evidence suggest that ASIC1a is crucial in the fear learning and memory. But how exactly ASIC1a contributes to the neural mechanisms underlying fear conditioning is unclear. By using electrophysiology approach, single cell RT-PCR, and ASIC1a conditional knockout mice, I am going to investigate the role of ASICs in the amygdala and the underlying mechanisms.

Education

B.S.    National Yang-Ming University

Ph.D.  National Yang Ming University (Lien lab, 2010-2015)

Publications

酸敏感離子通道在小鼠杏仁核網路的表現模式、特性與角色 (博士論文)

Expression Pattern, Properties and Roles of Acid-Sensing Ion Channels in the Mouse Amygdala Networks (PhD thesis) [PDF]

Chiang PH, Chien TC, Chen CC, Yanagawa Y, Lien CC. ASIC-dependent LTP at multiple glutamatergic synapses in amygdala network is required for fear memory. Sci Rep. 2015 May 19; 5:10143. [PDF] [Supporting information] [PubMed]

Chiang PH*, Wu PY*, Kuo TW*, Liu YC, Chan CF, Chien TC, Cheng JK, Huang YY, Chiu CD, Lien CC. GABA is Depolarizing in Hippocampal Dentate Granule Cells of the Adolescent and Adult Rats. J Neurosci 2012 Jan 4; 32 (1): 62-67. *Co-First author [PDF] [PubMed]

Chiang PH, Yeh WC, Lee CT, Weng JY, Huang YY, Lien CC. M1-Like Muscarinic Acetylcholine Receptors Regulate Fast-Spiking Interneuron Excitability in Rat Dentate Gyrus. Neuroscience 2010 Aug 11; 169 (1): 39-51. Epub 2010 Apr 28. [PDF] [PubMed]

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