Circuit visualization
Map the connections
Viral tracing and axonal projection mapping reveal the architecture of neural pathways.
Feng Cao Lab · Behavioral Neuroscience
How the brain
encodes aversive
experience.
We explore the neural circuits that connect sensation, learning, and behavior—to understand how the brain responds and adapts to fear, pain, and other aversive experiences.
Neural connectivity · conceptual illustration01 / Our research
From experience
to mechanism.
How does an aversive experience become a lasting change in the brain? We investigate this question across connected levels—from synapses and neural populations to behavior—with an interest in both typical brain function and disrupted circuitry.
01Neural circuit dissection
Which connections shape our responses to aversive experiences?
We use viral tracing and targeted circuit manipulations to identify the neural populations involved in aversive responses, map their inputs and outputs, and examine how those connections contribute to behavior.
02Neural dynamics & imaging
How does neural activity change as an animal experiences and learns?
Calcium imaging and fiber photometry let us follow activity in genetically defined neural populations during behavior. We study how these activity patterns evolve through aversive experiences and learning.
03Behavioral neuroscience
How do changes in a circuit translate into changes in behavior?
Mouse behavioral experiments connect neural circuit function with fear, pain perception, aversive taste, and anxiety-related behaviors. By pairing behavior with circuit manipulations, we investigate the contribution of specific neural pathways.
04Synaptic mechanisms & plasticity
How does experience reshape the connections between neurons?
We investigate synaptic targets and experience-dependent changes in connection strength. This work links molecular and cellular mechanisms of synapse development and plasticity to aversive learning and memory.
Across our interestsFear & anxietyPainTaste aversionEpilepsyAutism spectrum disorder
02 / Our approaches
Multiple scales.
A connected view.
Understanding a circuit means knowing where its neurons connect, when they become active, and what happens when their activity changes. We bring complementary tools to each part of that question.
In vivo recording
Follow the activity
Calcium imaging and fiber photometry capture neural dynamics during behavior.
Targeted manipulation
Test the mechanism
Optogenetic and chemogenetic approaches help reveal the roles of defined neural populations.
Synapses & behavior
Connect the scales
Slice physiology and behavioral experiments link synaptic function with what an animal does.
03 / Meet the principal investigator
Feng Cao, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor · Behavioral Neuroscience
Dr. Feng Cao leads the Neural Circuits & Dynamics Lab in the Department of Psychology at Western Washington University. Her research brings together molecular, circuit, and behavioral approaches to understand aversive experience and the neural connections that support it.
Feng earned her Ph.D. in Physiology and Neuroscience at the University of Toronto in 2019, studying thalamocortical circuits in absence epilepsy and autism spectrum disorder. She then pursued postdoctoral research with Dr. Richard Palmiter at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the University of Washington.
More about Feng
During her postdoctoral training, Feng combined viral tools, chemogenetics, optogenetics, slice physiology, and in vivo recordings to investigate thalamic circuits involved in fear, aversion, and memory.
Her earlier master's research at Southeast University in Nanjing, China, focused on the molecular mechanisms of synaptic plasticity. She received the Connaught International Scholarship during her doctoral studies and is passionate about teaching behavioral neuroscience and mentoring the next generation of scientists.
Doctoral training
University of Toronto
Physiology & Neuroscience · 2019
Postdoctoral training
University of Washington / HHMI
Palmiter Lab
Research recognition
Brain & Behavior Research Foundation · Young Investigator Grant recipient
04 / Publications
Selected work.
Research connecting thalamic circuitry, synaptic function, and behavior.
2025
Nature Communications · 16, 8517
Gustatory thalamic neurons mediate aversive behaviors
2020
Nature Communications · 11, 3744
Neuroligin 2 regulates absence seizures and behavioral arrests through GABAergic transmission within the thalamocortical circuitry
Selected publications by Dr. Cao, including work completed during her previous training.
05 / Teaching & mentorship
The next discovery
starts with
a good question.
Feng is passionate about teaching behavioral neuroscience and supporting the next generation of scientists. The lab's research connects questions about the brain with the experimental tools used to investigate them.
Interested in learning more about neuroscience at Western? Explore the Behavioral Neuroscience Program and its research opportunities.
Curiosity is a starting point.
Have a question about our research or an interest in learning more? Get in touch with Feng to start a conversation.
Introduce yourself06 / Contact
Let's make
connections.
For research questions, collaboration inquiries, or an introduction, reach out to Feng.
Feng.Cao@wwu.eduFind us at Western
Feng Cao Lab
Behavioral Neuroscience Program
Department of Psychology
Western Washington University
Bellingham, Washington
Office & phone
Office AI 572
360-650-2216
Prospective students: include a little about your interests when you write, so we can start with what you are curious about.