Dr. Xiao Chen is an Associate Research Fellow at the School of Psychology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. He received his Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience from the Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and completed postdoctoral training at the Institute of Psychology and Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), University of Toronto. His research focuses on the neural mechanisms of rumination and precision neuromodulation for depression, integrating large-scale neuroimaging, intracranial EEG, and longitudinal clinical data to identify treatment biomarkers and optimize individualized brain stimulation therapies.

Website: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=vCvbsGcAAAAJ&hl=en

Neural and cognitive underpinnings of mental disorders

Neuromodulation approaches for the treatment of mental disorders

Functional organization of the human brain and its association with psychological processes

Ph. D. 2016-2019 Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing

M. Sc. 2013-2016 School of Psychology, Army Medical University, Chongqing

B. Sc. 2009-2013 Chongqing University, Chongqing

2026- Associate Research Fellow, School of Psychology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

2022-2024 Postdoctoral Fellow, Temerty Centre for Therapeutic Brain Intervention, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

2021-2025 Research Assistant Professor, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

2019-2021 Post-doctoral Researcher, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Reviewer for Biological Psychiatry, Advanced Science, NeuroImage, Journal of Affective Disorders, NeuroImage: Clinical, Sleep Medicine, Biological Psychology, Neuroscience, Journal of Clinical Neuroscience, Behavioral Brain Research

Committee Member, Neurostimulation Committee, Chinese Psychological Society

Committee Member, Biomedical Technology and Rehabilitation Committee, Chinese Association of Rehabilitation Medicine

Committee Member, Brain–Computer Synergy and Technological Innovation Committee, Shanghai Research Hospital Association

Selected First- or Corresponding-Author Publications (*Corresponding author, #Equal contribution)

Chen, X.#, Lu, B.#, Wang, Y.-W., Li, X.-Y., Wang, Z.-H., Li, H.-X., Liao, Y.-F., Blumberger, D. M., Castellanos, F. X., Garza-Villarreal, E. A., Cao, L.-P., Chen, G.-M., Chen, J.-S., Chen, T., Chen, T.-L., Chen, Y.-R., Cheng, Y.-Q., Chu, Z.-S., Cui, S.-X.,…Yan, C. G.* (2025). Subgenual anterior cingulate cortex functional connectivity abnormalities in depression: insights from brain imaging big data and precision-guided personalized intervention via transcranial magnetic stimulation. Science Bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scib.2025.05.042

Hu, Z.-J.-Y., Jia, F.-N., Liu, Y.-S., Yan, C.-G., & Chen, X.* (2026). Characterizing gradients of functional connectome underpinning rumination and their alteration in depression. Translational Psychiatry. doi:10.1038/s41398-026-04294-x

Yang, H.#, Chen, X.#, Chen, Z. B.#, Li, L., Li, X. Y., Castellanos, F. X., … & Yan, C. G.* (2021) Disrupted Intrinsic Functional Brain Topology in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder. Molecular Psychiatry. 26:7363-7371.

Chen, X., Lu, B., & Yan, C. G.* (2018). Reproducibility of R‐fMRI metrics on the impact of different strategies for multiple comparison correction and sample sizes. Human Brain Mapping, 39(1), 300-318.

Chen, X., Blumberger, D. M., Downar, J., Middleton, V. J., Monira, N., Bowman, J., Kriske, J., Kriske, J., Donachie, N., & Kaster, T. S.* (2024). Depressive symptom trajectories with prolonged rTMS treatment. Brain Stimulation, 17(3), 525-532.

Chen, X., Chen, N. X., Shen, Y. Q., Li, H. X., Li, L., Lu, B., ... & Yan, C. G.* (2020). The subsystem mechanism of default mode network underlying rumination: A reproducible neuroimaging study. NeuroImage, 221, 117185.

Chen, X. & Yan, C. G.* (2021) Hypostability in the default mode network and hyperstability in the frontoparietal control network of dynamic functional architecture during rumination. NeuroImage, 2021, 118427.

Chen, X., Blumberger, D. M., Yan, C. G., Downar, J., Vila-Rodriguez, F., Daskalakis, Z. J., & Kaster, T. S.* (2025). Crosswalk between HRSD and MADRS outcomes for rTMS in patients with depression. BMJ Mental Health, 28(1).

Chen, X.#, Jia, F. N., Liu, F. Y., Liu, Y. S., Liu, X.*, & Yan, C. G.* (2025). Shared but distinct functional connectome profiles underlying rumination in depressed and healthy individuals. BMC Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-025-07724-0

Jia, F. N.#, Chen, X.#, Du, X. D., Tang, Z., Ma, X. Y., Ning, T. T., Zou, S. Y., Zuo, S. F., Li, H. X., Cui, S. X., Deng, Z. Y., Fu, J. L., Fu, X. Q., Huang, Y. X., Li, X. Y., Lian, T., Liao, Y. F., Liu, L. L., Lu, B., . . . Liu, Y. S.* (2023). Aberrant degree centrality profiles during rumination in major depressive disorder. Human Brain Mapping, 44(17), 6245-6257.

Shao, K.#, Chen, X.#, Yu, X., Yang, J., Wei, M., Zhang, M., Li, R., Wang, X., Wei, Y., Yan, C. G.*, & Han, Y.* (2024). Functional connectivity changes in two cortico-hippocampal networks of Alzheimer's disease continuum and their correlations with cognition: A SILCODE study. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 13872877241291236.

Chen, X., Feng, Z. Z.*, Wang, T., Su, H., & Zhang, L. (2016). Internal switching and backward inhibition in depression and rumination. Psychiatry Research, 243, 342-348.

Chen, X., Lu, B., Li, H. X., Li, X. Y., Wang, Y. W., Castellanos, F. X., … & Yan, C. G.* (2022). The DIRECT consortium and the REST-meta-MDD Project: towards neuroimaging biomarkers of major depressive disorder. Psychoradiology, 2(1), 32-42.

Chen, X.#, Fan, Z.#, Chen, D.#, Wang, L.*, Chen, L.*, & Yan, C. G.* (2024). Intracranial neurophysiological correlates of rumination: A cross-sectional observational study. Medicine Plus, 1(3), 100048.

Jia, F.#, Chen, X.#, Wang, X.#, Quan, C., Ruan, J., Huang, Y., Fu, X., Wang, Y., Sun, H., Liu, L., Zhou, Y., Yan, C., Liu, Y., & Du, X. (2025). Activity of the default mode network mediates the effect of peripheral plasma glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor levels on rumination in major depressive disorder patients. Psychoradiology, 5, kkaf014. https://doi.org/10.1093/psyrad/kkaf014

Li, X. Y., Chen, X.*, Yan C.G.*. (2022). Altered cerebral activities and functional connectivity in depression: a systematic review of fMRI studies. Quantitative Biology, 10(4), 366‒380.

Fan, Z.#, Chen, X.#, Qi, Z. X., Li, L., Lu, B., Jiang, C. L., ... & Chen, L.* (2019). Physiological significance of R-fMRI indices: Can functional metrics differentiate structural lesions (brain tumors)?. NeuroImage: Clinical, 22, 101741.

National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Science and Technology Major Project for Brain Science and Brain-Like Intelligence Technology, Grant No. 2026ZD0222303. Receptor Structure-Driven Intelligent Design and Lead Discovery of Rapid-Acting Antidepressants. Jul 2026–Dec 2030. Principal Investigator (PI).

National Natural Science Foundation of China, Young Scientists Fund (Category C), Grant No. 32300933. Theta Burst Stimulation Targeting the IPL–MTL Circuit for the Neuromodulation of Rumination. Jan 2024–Dec 2026. Principal Investigator (PI).

China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, Postdoctoral Innovative Talent Support Program, Grant No. BX20200360. Neural Mechanisms of Rumination in Major Depressive Disorder and Its Clinical Applications. Sep 2020–Sep 2022. Principal Investigator (PI).

China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, General Program, Grant No. 2019M660847. Functional Connectivity and Dynamic Characteristics of the Default Mode Network During Rumination in Major Depressive Disorder. Aug 2019–Aug 2021. Principal Investigator (PI).