申请人杨振纲主要从事神经干细胞、神经发育和神经再生的研究。2007年3月回国任复旦大学脑科学研究院研究组组长并组建自己独立的实验室。近5年来，申请人以通讯作者在Nature Neuroscience，Journal of Neuroscience, Stem Cells，Cell Research和Cerebral Cortex等杂志发表论著9篇，评述2篇，总影响因子101。主要学术成绩如下：（1）发现灵长类大脑皮质的抑制性中间神经元来源于胚胎前脑的基底神经节，而不是大脑皮质本身。（2）发现小鼠成体神经干细胞在脑损伤后能够迁移到受损脑区并能分化为少数特定类型的新生神经元，这为神经干细胞的临床应用提供了新的思路和策略。（3）发现成年人脑中存有少量神经干细胞和新生神经元，该成果为脑损伤后神经修复带来了新希望。这些研究成果受到国际同行高度评价，被Nature, Cell等杂志所引用。 

Zhengang Yang, PhD, focuses on neural stem cells, neural repair and development of the brain. More generally, he is studying the way in which embryonic and adult neural stem cells behave and function – their development into interneurons and their function in the normal and damaged brain. Since he joined the Institutes of Brain Science at the Fudan University as a principal investigator in March 2007, over the past 5 years, as the corresponding author, he has published 11 high-quality papers (total IF: 101) in the premier neuroscience journals, such as Nature Neuroscience, Journal of Neuroscience, Stem Cells, Cell Research and Cerebral Cortex, etc. The main findings from his fascinating research are: (1) Discover that nearly all primate neocortical interneurons are derived from the subcortical ganglionic eminences of the ventral telencephalon. (2) Demonstrate that brain injury does not alter the intrinsic differentiation potential of adult neural stem cells, neural progenitors or neuroblasts. (3) Identify and characterize neural stem cells and neuroblasts in the subventricular zone and rostral migratory stream of the adult human brain. Taken together, Dr. Yang’s research has helped lay the foundation for our understanding of the role and behavior of neural stem cells in the normal and damaged brain, which could lead to new strategies for treating brain damage and diseases.