Research Articles

Liu X#*, Wang S#, Lai J#, Gao X, Wang L, Feng B, Yang L, Qian Z, Jiang R, Chu J, Tan L*, Li X*, Wang L*. A bone-derived hormone permits rapid visual escape via GPR37 receptor in a subpopulation of VTA GABAergic neurons. Neuron. 2026 Feb 11:S0896-6273(25)01004-9.

Tan L, Ringach DL, Trachtenberg JT*. The development of receptive field tuning properties in mouse binocular primary visual cortex. Journal of Neuroscience. 2022. 42(17): 3546-3556.

Cheng S#, Butrus S#, Tan L#, Xu R, Sagireddy S, Trachtenberg JT, Shekhar K*, Zipursky SL*. Vision-dependent specification of cell types and function in the developing cortex. Cell. 2022. 185(2):311-327. e24.

Tan L, Ringach DL, Zipursky SL, Trachtenberg JT*. Vision is required for the formation of binocular neurons prior to the classical critical period. Current Biology. 2021. 31: 4305-4313.

Tan L, Tring E, Ringach DL, Zipursky SL, Trachtenberg JT*. Vision changes the cellular composition of binocular circuitry during the critical period. Neuron. 2020. 108(4):735-747. e6.

Xu S#, Xiao Q#, Cosmanescu F, Sergeeva AP, Yoo J, Lin Y, Katsamba PS, Ahlsen G, Kaufman J, Linaval N, Lee P-T, Bellen HJ, Shapiro L, Honig B, Tan L*, Zipursky SL*. Interactions between the Ig-Superfamily Proteins DIP-α and Dpr6/10 Regulate Assembly of Neural Circuits. Neuron. 2018. 100(6):1369-1384. e6.

Tan L#, Zhang KX#, Pecot MY, Nagarkar-Jaiswal S, Lee PT, Takemura SY, McEwen JM, Nern A, Xu S, Tadros W, Chen Z, Zinn K, Bellen HJ, Morey M*, Zipursky SL*. Ig Superfamily Ligand and Receptor Pairs Expressed in Synaptic Partners in Drosophila. Cell. 2015. 163(7):1756-69.

Reviews / Invited Commentaries

Zhao J, Zhou C, Zhou N, Wang Y, Zhang X*, Tan L*. Binocular Circuitry as a Model for Understanding Experience-Dependent Circuit Development across the Mammalian Cortex. Journal of Neuroscience. 2026 Feb 18;46(7):e0326252026.

Zhou C, Gao X, Tan L*. Shaping Sight: Novel Thalamic Plasticity Channels dLGN Feature Preference During Visual Critical Period. Neuron. 2025. 113(9):1294-1296.

Coauthored Papers

Shiyang Yuan,…, Liming Tan, Andrea Colarusso, Keren Lasker, Yihui Wan, Jinwei Zhu, Jacque Pak Kan Ip. nELAVL phosphorylation by CDKL5 regulates inter-condensates composition and communication to promote experience-dependent maturation of the visual cortex. bioRxiv. bioRxiv 2026.04.03.716270; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.04.03.716270.

Chen, Xiaojing, Liming Tan, and Cheng Wang. "Developmental perspectives on spatial navigation: sensory development, experience, and neuronal heterogeneity." Trends in Neurosciences (2025).

Zhang Y#, Song T#, Yang CY#, Shen Y, Yang Y, Hu X, Zhao R, Wang W, Wang X, Liu H, Yan H, Jia C, Liu Y, Wu X, Huang H, Hu X, Zhou JN, Tan L, Lau PM, Wang H, Poo MM, Zhou P, Bi GQ*, Xiao Y*, Liu C*, Xu F*. Whole-brain reconstruction of fiber tracts based on cytoarchitectonic organization. Nat Methods. 2025 Nov 3. doi: 10.1038/s41592-025-02865-2.

Su, C., Hu, Y., Liu, Y., Zhang, N., Tan, L., Zhang, S., ... & Xiao, Y. (2025). Linking connectivity dynamics to symptom severity and cognitive abilities in children with autism spectrum disorder: An fNIRS study. Journal of Neuroscience, 45(44).

Yoo, J., Xie, F., Butrus, S., Xu, R., Tan, Z., Gorzek, R., ... Liming Tan, Dario Ringach, Joshua Trachtenberg, Xiangmin Xu, S Lawrence Zipursky, Karthik Shekhar, Saumya Jain. (2025). Establishing a continuum of cell types in the visual cortex. bioRxiv.

Liu X#*, Lai J#, Han C#, Zhong H, Huang K, Liu Y, Zhu X, Wei P, Tan L, Xu F, Wang L*. Neural circuit underlying individual differences in visual escape habituation. Neuron. 2025. Jul 23;113(14):2344-2357.e5.

Xu C, Theisen E, Maloney R, Peng J, Santiago I, Yapp C, Werkhoven Z, Rumbaut E, Shum B, Tarnogorska D, Borycz JA, Tan L, Courgeon M, Griffin T, Levin R, Meinertzhagen IA, de Bivort B, Drugowitsch J, Pecot MY*. Control of Synaptic Specificity by Establishing a Relative Preference for Synaptic Partners. Neuron. 2019. 103(5): 865-877. e7

Ashley J, Sorrentino V, Nagarkar-Jaiswal J, Tan L, Xu S, Xiao Q, Zinn K*, Carrillo RA*. Transsynaptic interaction between IgSF proteins DIP-α and Dpr10 are required for motor neuron targeting specificity. eLife. 2019. 8, e42690.

Venkatasubramanian L, Guo Z, Xu S, Tan L, Xiao Q, Nagarkar-Jaiswal S, Mann RS*. Stereotyped Terminal Axon Branching of Leg Motor Neurons Mediated by IgSF Proteins DIP-α and Dpr10. eLife. 2019. 8, e42692.

Cosmanescu F, Katsamba PS, Sergeeva AP, Ahlsen G, Patel SD, Brewer JJ, Tan L, Xu S, Xiao Q, Nagarkar-Jaiswal S, Nern A, Bellen HJ, Zipursky SL*, Honig B*, and Shapiro L*. Neuron Sub-type Specific Expression, Interaction Affinities, and Specificity Determinants of DIP/Dpr Cell Recognition Proteins. Neuron. 2018. 100(6):1385-1400. e6.

Zhang KX, Tan L, Pellegrini M, Zipursky SL*, McEwen JM. Rapid Changes in the Translatome during the Conversion of Growth Cones to Synaptic Terminals. Cell Rep. 2016. 14(5):1258-71.