Guochun Yang
Ph.D., Researcher, PI
Email：yangguochun@@gdiist.cn
Biography:
Dr. Guochun Yang is a researcher and the PI of the Laboratory of Cognitive Neural Representation and Regulation. He obtained his Bachelor of Medicine degree (in Medical Laboratory Science) from Wuhan University in 2012 and his Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2018. From July 2018 to February 2025, he conducted postdoctoral research at the Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Iowa, USA. His research findings have been published in journals such as PLOS Biology, eLife, Journal of Neuroscience, and Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews.
Laboratory of Cognitive Neural Representation and Regulation:
Complex higher-order cognitive functions (e.g., executive control, attention, memory) are core features that distinguish humans from other species. For instance, humans can engage in intricate planning for the future through rich imagination and rigorous logical thinking, which is difficult for other species to achieve. Understanding the mechanisms of higher-order cognitive functions not only helps reveal the mysteries of human intelligence but also provides important insights for the development of brain-inspired artificial intelligence.
Our research group employs a combination of cognitive behavioral paradigms, electroencephalography (EEG), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and computational modeling to deeply explore the neural representation mechanisms of higher-order cognitive functions and the regulatory mechanisms of cognitive strategies.
Main Research Directions and Questions:
1. Representation Mechanisms of Higher-Order Cognitive Functions: Higher-order cognitive functions (e.g., cognitive control) exhibit different states under various contexts. How are these states encoded and represented in the brain? How do these representations guide human behavior?
2. Regulatory Mechanisms of Cognitive Strategies: Human processing of external information is not passive but actively regulated based on goal requirements and subjective intentions, thereby enhancing important information and suppressing irrelevant interference. How is this regulatory process achieved? What principles underlie it?
3. Brain-Inspired Computational Models of Behavioral/Neural Representations: Based on external inputs, the brain generates specific activities that ultimately determine behavioral performance. What are the mapping relationships among them? Can they be uniformly described through computational models?
4. Development and Disorders of Executive Functions: Executive functions are the foundation of goal-directed behavior but may exhibit immaturity, decline, or impairment in specific populations. How do the brain mechanisms underlying executive functions change across the lifespan? How can effective research paradigms be designed to measure executive function abnormalities in clinical populations?
*Representative Publications (#co-first author, corresponding author):
1. Yang G.*, Jiang J. * (2024). Cost-benefit tradeoff mediates the transition from rule-based to memory-based processing during practice. Accepted, PLOS Biology, 23(1), e3002987. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002987
2. Yang, G., Wu, H., Li, Q., Liu, X., Fu, Z., & Jiang, J. (2024). Dorsolateral prefrontal activity supports a cognitive space organization of cognitive control. eLife, 12:RP87126. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.87126
3. Yang, G.#, Wang, K.#, Nan, W., Li, Q., Zheng, Y., Wu, H., & Liu, X. (2022). Distinct brain mechanisms for conflict adaptation within and across conflict types. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 34(3), 445-460. https://doi.org/10.1162/jocn_a_01806
4. Yang, G.#, Xu, H.#, Li, Z., Nan, W., Wu, H., Li, Q., & Liu, X. (2021). The congruency sequence effect is modulated by the similarity of conflicts. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition, 47(10), 1705-1719. https://doi.org/10.1037/xlm0001054
5. Yang, G., Wu, H., Qi, Y., & Liu, X. (2021). Cognitive and neural mechanisms of human gender processing. Advances in Psychological Science [Chinese], 29(1),1-10. https://doi.org/10.3724/SP.J.1042.2020.02008
6. Li, Z., Goschl, F., & Yang, G.* (2020). Dissociated neural mechanisms of target and distractor processing facilitated by expectations. Journal of Neuroscience, 40(10), 1997-1999. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2562-19.2020
7. Yang, G., Li, Z., Wu, H., & Liu, X. (2019). Generality and specificity of cognitive control: research logics and debates. Acta Physiologica Sinica [Chinese], 71(1), 140–148. https://doi.org/10.13294/j.aps.2018.0096
8. Li, Q.#, Yang, G. #, Li, Z., Qi, Y., Cole, M. W., & Liu, X. (2017). Conflict detection and resolution rely on a combination of common and distinct cognitive control networks. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 83, 123-131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.09.032
9. Yang, G., Nan, W., Zheng, Y., Wu, H., Li, Q., & Liu, X. (2017). Distinct cognitive control mechanisms as revealed by modality-specific conflict adaptation effects. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 43(4), 807-818. https://doi.org/10.1037/xhp0000351
