Zirui Huang, PhD

 portrait of Zirui Huang
Research Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology
Director of Center for Consciousness Science
Medical School
[email protected]
Available to mentor
Zirui Huang, PhD
portrait of Zirui Huang
Research Assistant Professor
  • About
  • Qualifications
  • Research Overview
  • Recent Publications

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    • About

    I am a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Anesthesiology and a member of the Center for Consciousness Science at the University of Michigan Medical School. I have a multidisciplinary background including psychology, biology, cognitive neuroscience, and neuroimaging. I study the mechanistic role of large-scale brain networks in conscious cognition and its alteration by pharmacologic, neuropathologic and psychiatric manipulations using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

    Qualifications
    • Postdoctoral Fellow
      University of Michigan Medical School, Department of Anesthesiology, Ann Arbor, United States
      2016 - 2018
      Postdoctoral Fellowship
    • Postdoctoral Fellow
      University of Ottawa, Institute of Mental Health Research, Ottawa, Canada
      2012 - 2016
      Postdoctoral Fellowship
    • PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience
      Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
      2007 - 2012
    • BS in Biotechnology
      Department of Biology, China Agriculture University, Beijing, China
      2003 - 2007

    Research Overview

    The neural substrates of consciousness, e.g., the boundaries between conscious and non-conscious processing.
    Neural signatures in human subjects during awake, anesthesia, vegetative state, and mental/cognitive disorders.
    Spatiotemporal configurations and alterations of large-scale brain dynamics.
    Perceptual awareness.

    Recent Publications

     See All Publications
    • Preprint
      Opposing Network Patterns of Integration-Segregation in Psychedelic and Sedated States of Consciousness
      Dai R, Jang H, Hudetz AG, Huang Z, Mashour GA. 2026 Feb 20; bioRxiv, DOI:10.64898/2026.02.17.706398
    • Journal Article
      Author Correction: Role of thalamus in human conscious perception revealed by low-intensity focused ultrasound neuromodulation.
      Jang H, Fotiadis P, Mashour GA, Hudetz AG, Huang Z. Nat Commun, 2026 Feb 5; 17 (1): 1391 DOI:10.1038/s41467-026-69395-z
      PMID: 41644954
    • Journal Article
      An open fMRI resource for studying human brain function and covert consciousness under anesthesia.
      Huang Z, Tarnal V, Fotiadis P, Vlisides PE, Janke EL, Puglia M, McKinney AM, Jang H, Dai R, Picton P, Mashour GA, Hudetz AG. Sci Data, 2026 Jan 9; DOI:10.1038/s41597-025-06442-2
      PMID: 41513662
    • Journal Article
      Polarisation of brain dynamics in mania and depression
      Martino M, Magioncalda P, Conio B, Amore M, Huang Z. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 2026 Jan 1; 28 (1): 10 - 20. DOI:10.1080/19585969.2026.2663032
    • Journal Article
      Role of thalamus in human conscious perception revealed by low-intensity focused ultrasound neuromodulation.
      Jang H, Fotiadis P, Mashour GA, Hudetz AG, Huang Z. Nat Commun, 2025 Nov 28; DOI:10.1038/s41467-025-66832-3
      PMID: 41315300
    • Preprint
      A Mesoscale Framework for Psychedelic Drug Action in the Human Brain
      Dai R, Cofré R, Timmermann C, Carhart-Harris RL, Hudetz AG, Huang Z, Mashour GA. 2025 Nov 29; bioRxiv, DOI:10.1101/2025.11.23.690016
    • Presentation
      Consciousness and the Brain's Macroscale Spatiotemporal Architecture
      2025 Feb 6;
    • Journal Article
      Measuring the dynamic balance of integration and segregation underlying consciousness, anesthesia, and sleep in humans.
      Jang H, Mashour GA, Hudetz AG, Huang Z. Nat Commun, 2024 Oct 24; 15 (1): 9164 DOI:10.1038/s41467-024-53299-x
      PMID: PMC11502666

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