Biography I am an anesthesiologist specializing in the care of neurosurgical and obstetric patients. Additionally, I am also a physician-scientist studying how neural circuits and molecular mechanisms regulate anesthesia-related consciousness. My research focuses on the hypothalamic orexin/hypocretin system, using chemogenetics, optogenetics, and in vivo imaging to dissect how specific brain pathways influence anesthesia depth and recovery. In parallel, I am developing a clinical strategy to facilitate the reversal of general anesthesia. With a background in molecular biology, electrophysiology, and clinical anesthesiology, I am committed to bridging basic neuroscience with real-world anesthetic care, aiming to develop mechanistic insights and innovative tools that improve perioperative outcomes. Role Faculty Location UCSF at Mission Bay UCSF at Mount Zion UCSF at Parnassus Category Clinical Research Specialties Neuroanesthesia Education M.D., - Medicine, Hebei Medical UniversityM.S., - Genetics, Peking Union Medical CollegePh.D., - Biology, University of California, San DiegoResidency, - Anesthesia and Perioperative Care, University of California, San Francisco Publications Orexinergic projections to substantia innominata mediate arousal and analgesia. Xiang X, Wang F, Chen C, Guan Z, Zhou W Neuroanatomical Basis for the Orexinergic Modulation of Anesthesia Arousal and Pain Control. Xiang X, Chen Y, Li KX, Fang J, Bickler PE, Guan Z, Zhou W Ion Channels in Anesthesia. Zhou W, Guan Z Activation of orexin system facilitates anesthesia emergence and pain control. Zhou W, Cheung K, Kyu S, Wang L, Guan Z, Kurien PA, Bickler PE, Jan LY A twist on potassium channel gating. Zhou W, Jan L The microtubule plus-end tracking protein EB1 is required for Kv1 voltage-gated K+ channel axonal targeting. Gu C, Zhou W, Puthenveedu MA, Xu M, Jan YN, Jan LY Cytoplasmic domain structures of Kir2.1 and Kir3.1 show sites for modulating gating and rectification. Pegan S, Arrabit C, Zhou W, Kwiatkowski W, Collins A, Slesinger PA, Choe S Structural insights into the functional interaction of KChIP1 with Shal-type K(+) channels. Zhou W, Qian Y, Kunjilwar K, Pfaffinger PJ, Choe S Determining the basis of channel-tetramerization specificity by x-ray crystallography and a sequence-comparison algorithm: Family Values (FamVal). Nanao MH, Zhou W, Pfaffinger PJ, Choe S Mechanism underlying bupivacaine inhibition of G protein-gated inwardly rectifying K+ channels. Zhou W, Arrabit C, Choe S, Slesinger PA
