Faculty Directory | Department of Psychiatry, McGill University

Dr. Wong, an Assistant Professor at McGill University and a researcher at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, is interested in understanding the impact of stress on the brain. He also evaluates how this relates to individual behaviour, learning ability, and memory formation. One of his research interests is that of understanding how stress produces an abnormality in synaptic transmission and, consequently, impairment in memory formation. Using a combination of electrophysiological, molecular, and proteomic approaches, he will study the molecular mechanism of how stress facilitates a form of hippocampal synaptic plasticity, namely, long-term depression (LTD). Another major direction of Dr. Wong’s laboratory is that of studying the molecular mechanisms of synaptic plasticity, a cellular process that regulates the strength of synaptic transmission. Research in synaptic plasticity has recently evolved from a focus on physiological processes such as learning and memory to its potential pathological role in producing abnormal synaptic transmission, which is the most common neuropathology in mental illness. For instance, Dr. Wong and his colleagues have found that formation of LTD is greatly affected in animal models of schizophrenia. Understanding how LTD is affected in these animal models could reveal therapeutic targets for treating synaptic pathologies in schizophrenia.

Graduate: MPhil, University of Hong Kong
Graduate: PhD, McGill University
Postdoctoral Fellow: University of British Columbia

Canadian Association for Neuroscience
Canadian College of Neuropsychopharmacology
Society for Neuroscience

Wong TP, Howland JG, Robillard JM, Ge Y, Yu W, Olson AK, Brebner K, Liu L, Weinberg J, Christie BR, Phillips AG, Wang YT. Hippocampal long-term depression mediates acute stress-induced spatial memory retrieval impairment. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2007;104:11471-11476.

Xu W, Wong TP, Chery N, Gaertner T, Wang YT, Baudry M. Calpain-Mediated mGluR1alpha truncation: a key step in excitotoxicity. Neuron. 2007;53:399-412.

Peineau S, Taghibiglou C, Bradley C, Wong TP, Liu L, Lu J, Lo E, Wu D, Saule E, Bouschet T, Matthews P, Isaac JT, Bortolotto ZA, Wang YT, Collingridge GL. LTP inhibits LTD in the hippocampus via regulation of GSK3. Neuron. 2007;53:703-717.

Liu Y, Wong TP, Aarts M, Liu L, Wu DC, Lu J, Tymianski M, Craig AM, Wang YT. NMDA receptor subunits have differential roles in mediating excitotoxic neuronal death both in vitro and in vivo. J Neurosci. 2007;27:2846-2857.

Wong TP, Marchese G, Casu MA, Ribeiro-da-Silva A, Cuello AC, De Koninck Y. Imbalance towards inhibition as a substrate of aging-associated cognitive impairment. Neurosci Lett. 2006;397:64-68.

Ryu J, Liu L, Wong TP, Wu DC, Burette A, Weinberg R, Wang YT, Sheng M. A critical role for myosin IIB in dendritic spine morphology and synaptic function. Neuron. 2006;49:175-182.

Brebner K, Wong TP, Liu L, Liu Y, Campsall P, Gray S, Phelps L, Phillips AG, Wang YT. Evidence for an essential role of nucleus accumbens LTD in mediating the expression of behavioral sensitization. Science. 2005;310:1340-1343.

Liu L, Wong TP, Pozza MF, Lingenhoehl K, Wang Y, Sheng M, Auberson YP, Wang YT. Role of NMDA receptor subtypes in governing the direction of Hippocampal synaptic plasticity. Science. 2004;304:1021-1024.

Wong TP, Liu L, Sheng M, Wang YT. Response to comment on “Role of NMDA receptor subtypes in governing the direction of hippocampal synaptic plasticity”. Science. 2004;305:1912.

Prange O, Wong TP, Gerrow K, Wang YT, El-Husseini A. A balance between excitatory and inhibitory synapses is controlled by PSD-95 and neuroligin. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2004;101:13915-13920.