Weixing Shen, PhD, graduated from medical school in China and earned a PhD from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The focus of his PhD research was analysis of interactions between nicotinic and muscarinic synapses. He completed two postdoctoral trainings. At Washington University, he focused on neuroactive steroids mediated modulation of inhibitory synaptic transmission, and at Northwestern University, he studied electromotility of outer hair cells in the cochlear organ of Corti. In 2001, Dr. Shen was recruited to his current position. As a research associate professor, he has designed and conducted several research projects on cholinergic modulation of somatodendritic K+ channels in the striatum. More recently, he has expanded his research to include how synaptic efficacy at striatal glutamatergic synapses is controlled by dopamine and acetylcholine and how the regulation is disrupted in hypodopaminergic state like Parkinson’s disease.