Chiang-Shan Ray Li, MD, PhD
Professor of Psychiatry and of NeuroscienceDownloadHi-Res Photo
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Appointments
Psychiatry
Primary
Neuroscience
Secondary
Contact Info
Psychiatry
CMHC S112, 34 Park Street
New Haven, CT 06519
United States
About
Titles
Professor of Psychiatry and of Neuroscience
Biography
I am a Professor of Psychiatry and of Neuroscience at Yale University School of Medicine. I graduated from National Taiwan University College of Medicine and California Institute of Technology and has been a faculty member at Yale since 2003. My earlier work employed non-human primate models to understand the neural bases of cognition. Current research in my laboratory continues to focus on systems neuroscience. By combining psychophysics, computational modeling and brain imaging we explore the circuit mechanisms of a multitude of cognitive constructs, including self control, affect regulation, and reward-related processes. The primary goals are to understand systems neural bases of these cognitive processes and how these neural processes contribute to the etiology of psychiatric and neurological illnesses, with a specific emphasis on addiction.
Last Updated on April 07, 2025.
Appointments
Psychiatry
ProfessorPrimaryNeuroscience
ProfessorSecondary
Other Departments & Organizations
Education & Training
- Resident
- Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (2001)
- Postdoctoral Associate
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1998)
- PhD
- California Institute of Technology, Computation and Neural Systems (1996)
- MD
- National Taiwan University, Medicine (1989)
Research
Overview
Medical Research Interests
Alcohols; Anatomy; Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms; Behavior Control; Biological Therapy; Central Nervous System; Chemicals and Drugs; Diseases; Drug Users; Mental Disorders; Nervous System; Nervous System Diseases; Psychiatry and Psychology; Psychological Phenomena; Research Subjects; Therapeutics
ORCID
0000-0002-9393-1212
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Frequent collaborators of Chiang-Shan Ray Li's published research.
Publications Timeline
A big-picture view of Chiang-Shan Ray Li's research output by year.
Research Interests
Research topics Chiang-Shan Ray Li is interested in exploring.
Xingguang Luo, MD
Shefali Chaudhary
Jaime Ide, PhD
Thang Le, PhD
John Krystal, MD
Sheng Zhang, PhD
362Publications
16,040Citations
Mental Disorders
Central Nervous System
Drug Users
Nervous System Diseases
Publications
2025
Serum kynurenine metabolites and cytokine levels: diagnostic and predictive implications in acute manic episodes of bipolar disorder
Li W, Liu Z, Wang J, Wang X, Chen W, Li N, Huang J, Gou M, Zhang P, Liu R, Deng H, Yang K, Chen S, Xie T, Tian L, Yang F, Tian B, Li C, Li Y, Tan Y. Serum kynurenine metabolites and cytokine levels: diagnostic and predictive implications in acute manic episodes of bipolar disorder. Brain Behavior And Immunity 2025, 129: 485-493. PMID: 40578536, DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2025.06.033.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsYoung Mania Rating ScaleKynurenine metabolitesHealthy controlsTreatment outcomesCytokine levelsKynurenine metabolite levelsManic episodes of bipolar disorderBipolar disorderAcute manic episodeMania Rating ScaleEpisodes of bipolar disorderWeeks of treatmentInterleukin (IL)-10Predicting treatment outcomePredictors of treatment outcomeManic symptom severitySerum cytokinesSerum levelsTreatment responseIL-4Diagnostic accuracyIL-10Cytokine systemManic episodesIL-8Imaging Markers of Neuroinflammation in Aging and Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia: A Comprehensive Review
Chaudhary S, Chao H, Agarwal K, Gupta S, Li C. Imaging Markers of Neuroinflammation in Aging and Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementia: A Comprehensive Review. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 2025, 176: 106270. PMID: 40578495, DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2025.106270.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsFunctional brain changesBrain changesMagnetic resonance imagingCognitive declineWhite matter deficitsImaging marker of neuroinflammationFunctional brain impairmentAlzheimer's diseaseImpact of neuroinflammationDiffusion tensor imagingMarkers of neuroinflammationFunctional connectivityBrain impairmentAssessment of blood-brain barrierNeural markersBody of researchDevelopment of Alzheimer's diseaseTensor imagingBlood-brain barrierOlder adultsGray matterNeuroinflammatory processesMagnetization transfer imagingStructural imagingRelated dementiaCortisol response patterns to stress correlated to white matter integrity and duration of illness in patients with schizophrenia
Jiang X, Gou M, Yin Y, Chen W, Li Y, Chen S, Pan S, Luo X, Tan S, Tian B, Li W, Tong J, Wang J, Li H, Yu T, Wang Z, Zhang P, Huang J, Tian L, Kochunov P, Li C, Hong L, Tan Y. Cortisol response patterns to stress correlated to white matter integrity and duration of illness in patients with schizophrenia. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2025, 179: 107501. PMID: 40479922, DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107501.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsCortisol response patternsDuration of illnessDiffusion tensor imagingCortisol levelsWM integrityPositive and Negative Syndrome ScaleResponse to acute stress exposureHC groupPaced Auditory Serial Addition TaskResponse patternsNegative Syndrome ScaleFirst-episode schizophreniaBiomarkers of schizophreniaAcute stress exposureWhite matter integrityWM microstructural integrityWM tract integritySalivary cortisol levelsSyndrome ScaleChronic schizophreniaClinical psychopathologyCortisol reactivitySchizophrenia pathogenesisWhite matterBrain regionsPolygenic risks for depression and neural responses to reward and punishment in young adults
Chen Y, Li H, Luo X, Li G, Ide J, Li C. Polygenic risks for depression and neural responses to reward and punishment in young adults. Biological Psychiatry Cognitive Neuroscience And Neuroimaging 2025 PMID: 40412620, DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2025.05.008.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPolygenic risk scoresPunishment processingNeural responsesAchenbach Adult Self-ReportInfluence of genetic riskCortical activityAdult Self-ReportYoung adultsGenetic riskRisk of depressionGambling TaskAberrant rewardDrinking severityHuman Connectome ProjectDepression severityPublished routinesBrain responsesPolygenic riskDepression scoresSelf-reportDepressionConnectome ProjectRewardBrain imagingPunishmentThe effects of alcohol use severity and polygenic risk on gray matter volumes in young adults
Chen Y, Li H, Luo X, Li G, Ide J, Li C. The effects of alcohol use severity and polygenic risk on gray matter volumes in young adults. Frontiers In Psychiatry 2025, 16: 1560053. PMID: 40433172, PMCID: PMC12106418, DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1560053.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsGray matter volumeAlcohol use severityPolygenic risk scoresAlcohol dependenceMatter volumeAlcohol misuseGenetic riskRegional gray matter volumeVoxel-based morphometry analysisStudies of alcohol dependencePosterior orbitofrontal cortexEffects of alcohol exposureSemi-Structured AssessmentGenetics of AlcoholismRisk of alcohol misuseAlcohol use behaviorsChronic alcohol consumptionHuman Connectome Project dataOrbitofrontal cortexSalience circuitsDrinking severityNeurotypical adultsRight insulaLingual gyriMorphometry analysisNetwork structure of psychotic symptoms and childhood trauma in first-episode versus treatment-resistant schizophrenia
Liu Z, Wang X, Deng H, Huang J, Wang J, Chen W, Yang K, Li W, Chen S, Xie T, Liu R, Tian L, Yang F, Tian B, Li Y, Li C, Tan Y. Network structure of psychotic symptoms and childhood trauma in first-episode versus treatment-resistant schizophrenia. Journal Of Psychiatric Research 2025, 185: 31-39. PMID: 40147152, DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2025.03.037.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsTreatment-resistant schizophrenia patientsTreatment-resistant schizophreniaFirst-episode schizophreniaPositive and Negative Syndrome ScaleChildhood traumaPsychotic symptomsInfluences psychotic symptomsNegative Syndrome ScaleChildhood Trauma QuestionnaireChildhood trauma experiencesSyndrome ScaleFirst-episodeTrauma QuestionnaireEmotional neglectTraumatic stressTrauma experiencesSchizophreniaSymptom patternsSexual abuseInfluence symptomsSymptom evolutionPartial correlationSymptomsClinical symptomsChildhoodComparison of clinical symptoms and symptom structure across different onset ages in schizophrenia inpatients
Liu Z, Wang X, Chen W, Huang J, Tong J, Wang J, Liu R, Deng H, Yang K, Li W, Chen S, Xie T, Tian L, Yang F, Tian B, Li Y, Li C, Tan Y. Comparison of clinical symptoms and symptom structure across different onset ages in schizophrenia inpatients. Schizophrenia Research 2025, 277: 177-184. PMID: 40073617, DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2025.03.015.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsEarly-onset schizophreniaLate-onset schizophreniaPositive and Negative Syndrome ScaleAge of onset groupsSymptom network structureNegative symptomsSchizophrenia inpatientsSymptom networksSymptom severityNegative Syndrome ScaleSevere negative symptomsClinical symptom profilesOnset groupTreatment outcomesDevelopment of personalized treatment strategiesPoor treatment outcomesGeneral psychopathologyPositive symptomsSyndrome ScaleSymptom structureDisorganized thoughtsBridge symptomsSchizophrenia patientsSchizophreniaSymptom profilesConnectomics modeling of regional networks of white-matter fractional anisotropy to predict the severity of young adult drinking
Li Y, Li G, Yang L, Yan Y, Zhang N, Gao M, Hao D, Ye-Lin Y, Li C. Connectomics modeling of regional networks of white-matter fractional anisotropy to predict the severity of young adult drinking. Quantitative Imaging In Medicine And Surgery 2025, 15: 2405419-2402419. PMID: 40160628, PMCID: PMC11948382, DOI: 10.21037/qims-24-2131.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsConnectome-based predictive modelingSeverity of alcohol consumptionDrinking severityRule-breaking behaviorSex differencesDiffusion tensor imagingFractional anisotropyMediation analysisWhite matter FAImpact brain structureWhite matter integrityFA valuesAlcohol consumptionYoung adult drinkingHuman Connectome ProjectBrain networksBrain regionsWhite-matter fractional anisotropyBrain structuresAdult drinkingAlcohol misuseAlcohol abuseConnectome ProjectConnectome modelTensor imagingDiminished reward circuit response underlies pain avoidance learning deficits in problem drinkers
Le T, Oba T, Li C. Diminished reward circuit response underlies pain avoidance learning deficits in problem drinkers. NeuroImage Clinical 2025, 45: 103762. PMID: 40009903, PMCID: PMC11908557, DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2025.103762.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsPosterior cingulate cortexAvoidance learningReward circuitDrinking severityReward deficiencyLearning deficitsPain avoidanceProblem drinkersAlcohol useAvoidance learning deficitMedial orbitofrontal cortexReward circuit dysfunctionVentral tegmental areaPoor avoidance learningAssociated with problem drinkingOrbitofrontal cortexTegmental areaGo/NoGo taskCingulate cortexNeural correlatesBehavioral findingsCircuit dysfunctionAdult drinkersBrain regionsNeural processesNeural, Motivational, and Psychological Measures of Pain Avoidance Predict Future Alcohol Use in Adult Drinkers
Le T, Hughes F, Oba T, Li C. Neural, Motivational, and Psychological Measures of Pain Avoidance Predict Future Alcohol Use in Adult Drinkers. Addiction Biology 2025, 30: e70020. PMID: 39952897, PMCID: PMC11828665, DOI: 10.1111/adb.70020.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsDorsal anterior cingulate cortexDrinking motivesAlcohol usePsychological measuresPercentage of heavy drinking daysRisk of alcohol use disorderAlcohol use severityAnterior cingulate cortexHeavy drinking daysAlcohol use disorderPain-related psychological measuresParticipants' alcohol usePromote alcohol usePainful electric shocksLevels of drinkingPain sensitivityAlcohol cravingDrinking severityGo/NoGo taskCingulate cortexNeural correlatesDrinking daysUse disorderAdult drinkersOvert actions
Clinical Trials
Current Trials
Brain Imaging Research Study
HIC ID2000028664RolePrincipal InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date06/30/2025Recruiting ParticipantsGenderBothAge65 years - 85 yearsBiomarkers of Clinical Subtype and Treatment Response in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
HIC ID0803003626RoleSub InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date04/19/2025Recruiting ParticipantsGenderBothAge18 years - 70 years
Academic Achievements & Community Involvement
Activities
activity NIH
07/01/2017 - PresentPeer Review Groups and Grant Study SectionsMember
Honors
honor Fellow, International College of Neuropsychopharmacology
07/01/2019International AwardDetailsUnited Stateshonor Member, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
12/01/2016International AwardDetailsUnited Stateshonor Fellow, Association of Psychological Science
11/01/2016International AwardDetailsUnited States
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Mailing Address
Psychiatry
CMHC S112, 34 Park Street
New Haven, CT 06519
United States