课题组采用活体荧光寿命成像平台、双光子钙成像、光纤光度记录法、光遗传学、新型的PKA/PKC探针、动物精细行为分型、闭环神经操控等神经科学领域前沿技术，研究多巴胺、腺苷、乙酰胆碱等神经调质在抑郁症、焦虑症、帕金森综合征等神经精神类疾病发病过程中的作用。实验室目前正在做的课题包括：

1.团队通过构建“预警行为-神经环路-分子信号-行为表型”四位一体的多维整合研究体系，揭示社会危险因素通过调控特定神经环路和分子信号通路影响抑郁发生发展的神经生物学机制。

2.通过整合基于动物精细行为的闭环神经调控，揭示多巴胺等神经调质在神经、精神疾病发病过程中的作用并开发精准干预策略。

1. 国家自然科学基金优秀青年基金（海外）项目，生理、病理条件下纹状体功能的调节机制，主持，在研；

2. 国家自然科学基金面上项目，胆碱能神经元对纹状体功能的调节及其机制研究，50万，主持，在研；

3. 江苏省科技计划项目杰出青年基金项目，乙酰胆碱在纹状体功能调控中的作用及其机制研究，180万，主持，在研。

4. 江苏省特聘教授，50 万，主持，在研。

5. 深圳市科技创新基金 睡眠期间钙离子树突峰电位对阿尔茨海默症发病进程的影响 40万，主持，已结题

6. 深圳市科技创新基金  钙离子树突峰电位和新树突棘的相互关系研究  50 万，主持，已结题

1. L. Ma, Julian Day-Cooney, Omar Pedro Jaidar Benavides, Michael A. Muniak, Maozhen Qin, Jun B. Ding, Tianyi Mao, and Haining Zhong. Locomotion activates PKA in both direct and indirect pathway striatal projection neurons. Nature. 2022 Nov;611(7937):762-768.   https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05407-4

2. L. Ma*, B. C. Jongbloets*, W. H. Xiong*, J. B. Melander, M. Qin, T. J. Lameyer, M. F. Harrison, B. V. Zemelman, T. Mao and H. Zhong (2018). A Highly Sensitive A-Kinase Activity Reporter for Imaging Neuromodulatory Events in Awake Mice. Neuron 99(4): 665-679 e665. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0896627318305944

3. Li, W*., L. Ma*, G. Yang and W. B. Gan (2017). REM sleep selectively prunes and maintains new synapses in development and learning. Nature Neuroscience 20(3): 427-437. (Co-first author) https://www.nature.com/articles/nn.4479

4. L. Ma*, Q. Qiao*, J. W. Tsai, G. Yang, W. Li and W. B. Gan (2016). Experience-dependent plasticity of dendritic spines of layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons in the mouse cortex. Developmental Neurobiology 76(3): 277-286.

5. B. C. Jongbloets*, L. Ma*, T. Mao and H. Zhong (2019). Visualizing Protein Kinase A Activity In Head-Fixed Behaving Mice Using In Vivo Two-Photon Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy. J. Vis. Exp. (148), e59526, doi:10.3791/59526 (2019). (Co-first author).

6. L. Ma, BC Jongbloets, WH Xiong, H Zhong, T Mao (2019). Imaging neuromodulatory signaling events at single cell resolution in behaving animal. Microscopy and Microanalysis 25 (S2), 1130-1131

7. Q. Qiao*, L. Ma*, W. Li, J. W. Tsai, G. Yang and W. B. Gan (2016). Long-term stability of axonal boutons in the mouse barrel cortex. Developmental Neurobiology 76(3): 252-261. (Co-first author)

8. Yang, G., C. S. Lai, J. Cichon, L. Ma, W. Li and W. B. Gan (2014). Sleep promotes branch-specific formation of dendritic spines after learning. Science 344(6188): 1173-1178.

9. Q Qiao, C Wu, L. Ma, H Zhang, M Li, X Wu, WB Gan. Motor learning-induced new dendritic spines are preferentially involved in the learned task than existing spines. Cell Reports. 2022 Aug 16;40 (7), 111229  

10. Zhong H, Ceballos CC, Massengill CI, Muniak MA, L. Ma, Qin M, Petrie SK, Mao T. High-fidelity, efficient, and reversible labeling of endogenous proteins using CRISPR-based designer exon insertion. eLife. 2021 Jun 8;10. 

11. Bai Y, Li M, Zhou Y, L. Ma, Qiao Q, Hu W, Li W, Wills ZP, Gan WB. Abnormal dendritic calcium activity and synaptic depotentiation occur early in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. Molecular Neurodegeneration. 2017 Nov 14;12(1):86.