University of Pennsylvania · GeneticsStress and Behavior Research Unit
Zhaolan Zhou · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Research Focus
Dr. Zhaolan Zhou's lab at the University of Pennsylvania focuses on understanding how chronic stress can make individuals more vulnerable to mental health disorders like depression. The lab uses mouse models to study the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms behind this vulnerability, specifically looking at how specific proteins in the brain respond to stress. Their work aims to uncover the biological changes caused by stress that lead to unusual behaviors, with the goal of improving diagnosis and treatment options for psychiatric conditions.
epigeneticschronic stresspsychiatric disordersgenetic modificationmouse models
Research Aims
4AIM 01Investigate the epigenetic mechanisms of stress vulnerability in mouse models.
AIM 02Examine the role of the glucocorticoid receptor in stress-related gene regulation.
AIM 03Evaluate behavioral changes in response to chronic stress exposure.
AIM 04Identify potential targets for intervention in stress-induced psychiatric disorders.
Skills the Lab Values
CRISPRmolecular biology techniquesbehavioral assessmentgenetic modificationgenomicsmouse modelsdata analysiscell cultureWestern blotRNA sequencing
Output against the department
Publications73bottom 19% of dept.209th of 259
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations6.2kbottom 33% of dept.174th of 259
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.