Yanjun Sun, Ph.D.
- Assistant Professor
- CPRIT Scholar, Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas
Biography
Dr. Sun received his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of California, Irvine, where he investigated cell-type specific hippocampal microcircuits, uncovering novel circuit connections and functions. His research was recognized with the Krieg Cortical Kudos Scholar Award from the Cajal Club in 2017.
Following his doctoral studies, Dr. Sun completed postdoctoral training at Stanford University, where he investigated single-cell and population coding dynamics of the hippocampus in adaptive and maladaptive spatial learning. Using in vivo miniscope calcium imaging and computational approaches, he discovered a novel coding property of subicular neurons that are specifically tuned to concave and convex geometries of the environment. For this work, he was awarded the prestigious SCGB Transition to Independence Award from the Simons Foundation in 2024.
Dr. Sun’s research also examines how hippocampal circuits are altered in disease states, including the effects of addictive drugs and chemotherapeutic agents. This line of work is supported by a K01 Career Development Award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and a Scholar Recruitment Award from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT).
In 2025, Dr. Sun joined the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy at McGovern Medical School, UTHealth Houston, as an Assistant Professor. His laboratory integrates viral-genetic circuit tracing, in vivo calcium imaging, single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, and computational modeling to study the neural coding and dynamics underlying learning and memory.
Areas of Interest
Research Interests
The Sun lab aims to uncover the neural circuit mechanisms that underlie learning and memory, with a particular focus on spatial navigation and contextual representation in both health and disease. Navigation is a fundamental cognitive function that allows organisms to orient themselves, locate resources, and avoid danger. Across species – from insects to humans – successful navigation relies on recognizing and interpreting geometric features such as boundaries, corners, curves, and the overall spatial layout. These features are critical for anchoring direction and regaining one’s bearings after disorientation. Yet until recently, little was known about how the brain explicitly encodes such geometric information, which is essential for constructing representations of naturalistic environments.
Our lab recently filled this gap by identifying distinct populations of subicular neurons that encode concave and convex geometries of the environment, revealing a previously unknown coding principle the brain uses to reconstruct spatial layout. Building on this discovery, we hypothesize that the brain decomposes complex environments into geometric primitives – the fundamental building blocks of spatial structure, including straight lines, corners, and curves – and uses this information to guide navigation. More broadly, we also investigate how hippocampal and subicular circuits are altered in disease states such as substance-induced cognitive impairment, aging, and Alzheimer’s disease. For example, we have identified hippocampal neurons that are selectively engaged in maladaptive associations between drug use and the environments in which it occurs, laying the foundation for targeted interventions in substance use disorders.
The Sun lab integrates in vivo calcium imaging, viral-genetic circuit mapping, single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, and computational modeling to study how specific cell types contribute to spatial coding, memory, and disease-related circuit alterations. Trainees in the lab may work on projects ranging from imaging neural activity in freely behaving mice to mapping neural circuits, analyzing high-dimensional neural and behavioral data, building AI-powered computational models, or performing molecular profiling of behaviorally relevant neurons. We emphasize hands-on experience with modern neuroscience techniques, advanced data science tools, and hypothesis-driven experimental design.
Publications
Sun Y*, Nitz DA, Xu X, Giocomo LM* (2024). Subicular neurons encode concave and convex geometries. Nature. 627(8005):821-829. (* corresponding author)
Masuda FK, Aery Jones EA+, Sun Y+, Giocomo LM (2023). Ketamine evoked disruption of entorhinal and hippocampal spatial maps. Nature Communications. 14(1): 6285. (+ equal contribution)
Sun Y, Zweifel LS, Holmes TC, Xu X (2023). Whole-brain input mapping of the lateral versus medial anterodorsal bed nucleus of the stria terminalis in the mouse. Neurobiology of Stress. 23: 100527.
Sun Y*, Giocomo LM* (2022). Neural circuit dynamics of drug-context associative learning in the mouse hippocampus. Nature Communications 13(1): 6721. (* corresponding author)
Sun Y+, Jin S+, Lin X, Chen L, Qiao X, Jiang L, Zhou P, Johnston KG, Golshani P, Nie Q, Holmes TC, Nitz DA, Xu X (2019). CA1-projecting subiculum neurons facilitate object-place learning. Nature Neuroscience. 22(11):1857-1870. (+ equal contribution)
Sun Y, Nitz DA, Holmes TC, Xu X (2018). Opposing and complementary topographic connectivity gradients revealed by quantitative analysis of canonical and non-canonical hippocampal CA1 inputs. eNeuro. 5(1): 0322-17.
Sun Y, Grieco SF, Holmes TC, Xu X (2017). Local and long-range circuit connections to hilar mossy cells in the dentate gyrus. eNeuro. 4(2):0097-17.
Sun Y, Ikrar T, Davis MF, Gong N, Zheng X, Luo ZD, Lai C, Mei L, Holmes TC, Gandhi SP, Xu X (2016). Neuregulin-1/ErbB4 signaling regulates visual cortical plasticity. Neuron. 92(1):160-173.
Xu X, Sun Y, Holmes TC, Lopez AJ (2016). Noncanonical connections between the subiculum and hippocampal CA1. Journal of Comparative Neurology. 524(17):3666-3673.
Nguyen A+, Dela Cruz J+, Sun Y+, Holmes TC, Xu X (2016). Genetic cell targeting uncovers specific neuronal types and distinct subregions in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. Journal of Comparative Neurology. 524(12): 2379-99. (+ equal contribution)
Sun Y, Nguyen A, Nguyen J, Le L, Saur D, Choi J, Callaway EM, Xu X (2014). Cell-type specific circuit connectivity of hippocampal CA1 revealed through Cre-dependent rabies tracing. Cell Reports. 7: 269–280.
Haettig J+, Sun Y+, Wood MA, Xu X (2013). Cell-type specific inactivation of hippocampal CA1 disrupts location-dependent object recognition in the mouse. Learning & Memory. 20(3):139-46. (+ equal contribution)