Professor Antao Chen is a professor and doctoral supervisor at the School of Psychology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. He has received a national-level talent designation and the State Council Special Government Allowance, was selected for the Ministry of Education's Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University, and is the author of a National Top 100 Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation. His research focuses on basic and applied aspects of cognitive control. He has made a series of advances in using neuroimaging to elucidate how the human brain processes conflicting information, as well as in the early diagnosis of common psychiatric disorders and integrated cognitive-motor interventions. He has published more than 300 peer-reviewed journal articles. He has led seven projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and has received academic honors including the Second Prize of the Natural Science Award of the Chongqing Science and Technology Awards (first-ranked contributor) and the Zhu Zhixian Psychology Award. He currently serves as a council member of the Chinese Psychological Society, the Chinese Society of Cognitive Science, and the Chinese Neuroscience Society; Deputy Chair of the General and Experimental Psychology Committee of the Chinese Psychological Society; Executive Council Member of the Shanghai Psychological Society; Council Member of the Shanghai Society for Neuroscience and Chair of its Exercise and Brain Science Branch; and Associate Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Psychological Science. He has also been named an Outstanding CPC Member, Outstanding Teacher, and Outstanding Individual in Research for the 13th Five-Year Plan at Southwest University.

Website: https://psychology.sjtu.edu.cn/tsml/413.html

Cognitive control; cognitive aging; exercise cognition; exercise intervention; emotion regulation; cognitive enhancement; early diagnosis of common psychiatric disorders

Sep 2003-Jan 2007    Ph.D. in Developmental and Educational Psychology, Southwest University

Sep 2000-Jul 2003    Master's degree in Developmental and Educational Psychology, Southwest China Normal University

Sep 1994-Jul 1998    Bachelor's degree in Psychology, Southwest China Normal University

Aug 2026-Present    Distinguished Professor, School of Psychology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Sep 2025-Present    Vice Dean, School of Psychology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

May 2025-Jul 2026    Tenured Professor, School of Psychology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

May 2022-May 2025    Professor (Level II), School of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport

Jan 2018-Jun 2018    Visiting Scholar, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University

Apr 2016-May 2022    Deputy Director, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University

Mar 2012-Apr 2016    Deputy Director, Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education

Jun 2010-May 2022    Professor, Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University (accelerated promotion; appointed Level II Professor in Jun 2016)

Apr 2009-Apr 2010    Visiting Scholar, Department of Psychology, Iowa State University

Nov 2007-Mar 2012    Postdoctoral Researcher, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China

Jun 2006-Jun 2010    Associate Professor, School of Psychology, Southwest University (accelerated promotion)

Oct 2005-Jun 2006    Lecturer, School of Psychology, Southwest University

Jul 1998-Oct 2005    Teaching Assistant, Department of Education, Leshan Normal University

Mar 2012-Apr 2016    Deputy Director, Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education

Nov 2017-Nov 2021    Executive Council Member, Chinese Psychological Society

May 2022-May 2026    Associate Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Psychological Science

Dec 2021-Dec 2025    Council Member, Chinese Psychological Society

Jan 2022-Jan 2026    Deputy Chair, General and Experimental Psychology Committee, Chinese Psychological Society

May 2022-May 2026    Member, Academic Committee of the Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education

Jun 2025-Jun 2029    Council Member, Chinese Society of Cognitive Science

Sep 2024-Sep 2028    Council Member, Chinese Neuroscience Society

May 2018-May 2022    Vice President, Chongqing Science and Technology Youth Federation

Sep 2023-Sep 2027    Executive Council Member, Shanghai Psychological Society

Representative Publications

1. Wang, J., Li, Z., Li, Q., Zhang, M., Chen, Y., & Chen, A. (2025). The preparation impairs the reinterpretation: insights from EEG-based multivariate pattern analysis. Cerebral Cortex, 35(7), bhaf175.

2. Li, G., Teng, G., Zhang, W., Song, T., Li, Y., Wang, Z., & Chen, A. (2025). Comparative effects of different physical exercises on cognitive function and intervention adherence in older adults with cognitive impairment: A systematic review and network meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 102604.

3. Li, G., Xia, H., Teng, G., & Chen, A. (2025). The neural correlates of physical exercise-induced general cognitive gains: A systematic review and meta-analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging studies. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 106008.

4. Li Yafen, Lin Yixuan, Li Qing, Chen Yongqiang, Li Zhifang, Chen Antao (2025) Temporal dynamics analysis reveals that concurrent working memory load eliminates the Stroop effect through disrupting stimulus-response mapping. eLife. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.100918.1

5. Liu, Z., Xia, H., & Chen, A. (2025). Impaired brain ability of older adults to transit and persist to latent states with well-organized structures at wakeful rest. GeroScience, 47(2), 1761-1776.

6. Song, T., Ye, M., Teng, G., Zhang, W., & Chen, A. (2025). The role of action anticipation in specific sport performance: A three-level meta-analysis and systematic review in temporal occlusion paradigm. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 102839.

7. Teng, G., Xia, H., Li, Q., & Chen, A. (2025). Improving executive function in children and adolescents with cognitive-engaging physical activity: A systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 46(1), e76-e82.

8. Song, T., Ye, M., Teng, G., Zhang, W., & Chen, A. (2025). Expertise advantage of automatic prediction in visual motion representation is domain-general: A meta-analysis. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 76, 102776.

9. Zhang, B., Abdullah, A., Yan, M., Hou, Y., Chen, A., & McLaren, H. (2025). EEG-based multivariate and univariate analyses reveal the mechanisms underlying the recognition-based production effect: evidence from mixed-list design. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 19, 1507782.

10. Xia H, Li T, Hou Y, Liu Z, Chen A. Age-related decline in cognitive flexibility and inadequate preparation: evidence from task-state network analysis. Geroscience. 2024 Mar 22. doi: 10.1007/s11357-024-01135-x. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38514520.

11. Chen Y, Li Z, Li Q, Wang J, Hu N, Zheng Y, Chen A. The neural dynamics of conflict adaptation induced by conflict observation: Evidence from univariate and multivariate analysis. Int J Psychophysiol. 2024 Feb 29;198:112324. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2024.112324. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38428745.

12. Hou Y, Xia H, He T, Zhang B, Qiu G, Chen A. N2 Responses in Youths With Psychosis Risk Syndrome and Their Association With Clinical Outcomes: A Cohort Follow-Up Study Based on the Three-Stimulus Visual Oddball Paradigm. Am J Psychiatry. 2024 Feb 29:appiajp20221013. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.20221013. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38419496.

13. Zhang, W., Zhou, C., Chen, A., (2024). A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of physical exercise on white matter integrity and cognitive function in older adults. GeroScience, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-023-01033-8.

14. Li, Z. Chen, Y Q. Yin, S. Chen A., (2024) Self-referential information optimizes conflict adaptation. Memory & Cognition, DOI: 10.3758/s13421-023-01490-8.

15. Hu N., Long Q., Wang X., Li Q., Li Q., Chen A., (2023). Neural and behavioral measures of stress-induced impairment in error awareness and post-error adjustment. Neuroscience Bulletin, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12264-023-01154-2.

16. Wang, J., Li, Q., Li, Z., & Chen, A. (2024). EEG-based multivariate pattern analysis reveals the control mechanisms of emotion regulation through distancing. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 24(1), 100423. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijchp.2023.100423

17. Qiao, L., Zhang, L., & Chen, A. (2023). Brain connectivity modulation by Bayesian surprise in relation to control demand drives cognitive flexibility via control engagement. Cerebral Cortex http://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhac187

18. Li, T; Xia, H; Li, H; He, Q & Chen, A*. (2023) Functional Connectivity Alterations of Cognitive Flexibility in Aging: Different Patterns of Global and Local Switch Costs. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbad092.

19. Zhang, B., Meng, Z., Li, Q., Chen, A.*, & Bodner, G. E. (2023). EEG-based Univariate and Multivariate Analyses Reveal that Multiple Processes Contribute to the Production Effect in Recognition. Cortex. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2023.04.006.

20. Lin, Y., Li, Q., & Chen A*. (2023). The causal mechanisms underlying analogical reasoning performance improvement by executive attention intervention. Human Brain Mapping. DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26278

21. Li, Q., Yin, S., Wang, J., Zhang, M., Li, Z., Chen, X., & Chen, A*. (2023). Not all errors are created equal: decoding the error-processing mechanisms using alpha oscillations. Cerebral Cortex. https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhad102

22. Meng, Z., Chen, Q., Zhou, L., Xu, L., Chen, A*. (2023). The role of distractors in rapid serial visual presentation reveals the mechanism of attentional blink by EEG-based univariate and multivariate analyses. Cerebral Cortex. https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhad316

23. Zhang, B., Hu, X., Li, Q., & Chen, A. (2023). The stranding of the ideography: A nonnegligible role of the spoken language. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 46, e259. http://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X2300064X

24. Li, Q., Wang, J., Li, Z., & Chen, A. (2022). Decoding the Specificity of Post-error Adjustments Using EEG-Based Multivariate Pattern Analysis. Journal of Neuroscience, 42(35), 6800-6809.

25. Yin, S., & Chen, A. (2022). The functional coupling between frontoparietal control subnetworks bridges the default and dorsal attention networks. Brain Structure & Function, 227(7), 2243-2260.

26. Zhang, M., Li, Q., Li, Y., Chen, Y., Gu, Y., Yin, S. & Chen, A.* (2022). Temporal dynamics of conflict adaptation triggered by conflict strength. Psychophysiology, 60(1), e14160.

27. Hou, Y., Hou, W., Zhang, Y., Liu, W., & Chen, A.* (2022). Relationship between working stress and anxiety of medical workers in the COVID-19 situation: A moderated mediation model. Journal of Affective Disorder, 297, 314-320. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2021.10.072

28. Xia, H., He, Q., & Chen, A.* (2022). Understanding Cognitive Control in Aging: A Brain Network Perspective. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2022.1038756.

29. Lin, Y., Li, Q., Zhang, M., Su, Y., Wang, X., Li, H., & Chen, A. (2022). Evidence in Support of Analogical Reasoning Improvements with Executive Attention Intervention in Healthy Young Adults. Neuroscience Bulletin, 38(12), 1476-1490.

30. Li, Y., Wang, Y., Yu, F., & Chen, A. (2021). Large‐scale reconfiguration of connectivity patterns among attentional networks during context‐dependent adjustment of cognitive control. Human Brain Mapping, 42(12), 3821–3832.

31. Li, G., Hu, Y., Zhang, W., Ding, Y., Wang, Y., Wang, J., Lv, G., Zhao, Y., Chen, A., Han, Y., Cui, G., Ji, G., Nie, Y., & Zhao, Y. (2021). Resting activity of the hippocampus and amygdala in obese individuals predicts their response to food cues. Addiction Biology, 26(3).

32. Yin, S., Bi, T., Chen, A., & Egner, T. (2021). Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Drives the Prioritization of Self-Associated Stimuli in Working Memory. The Journal of Neuroscience, 41(9), 2012–2023.

33. Hu, Y., Ji, G., Li, G., Manza, P., Zhang, W., Wang, J., Lv, G., He, Y., Zhang, Z., Yuan, K., Chen, A., Cui, G., Wang, H., Nie, Y., Zhang, Y., & Wang, G. (2021). Brain Connectivity, and Hormonal and Behavioral Correlates of Sustained Weight Loss in Obese Patients after Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy. Cerebral Cortex, 31(2), 1284–1295.

34. Gu, Y., Liu, T., Zhang, X., Long, Q., Hu, N., Zhang, Y., & Chen, A. (2021). The Event-Related Potentials Responding to Outcome Valence and Expectancy Violation during Feedback Processing. Cerebral Cortex, 31(2), 1060–1076.

35. 26. Li, Q., Hu, N., Li, Y., Long, Q., Gu, Y., Tang, Y., & Chen, A. (2021). Error-induced adaptability: Behavioral and neural dynamics of response-stimulus interval modulations on posterror slowing. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 150(5), 851–863.

36. Xin, F., Zhou, X., Dong, D., Zhao, Z., Yang, X., Wang, Q., Gu, Y., Chen, A., He, Y., & Becker, B. (2020). Oxytocin Differentially Modulates Amygdala Responses during Top-Down and Bottom-Up Aversive Anticipation. Advanced Science, 7(16), 2001077.

37. Wang, J., & Chen, A. (2020). High progesterone levels facilitate women’s social information processing by optimizing attention allocation. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 122, 104882.

38. Qiao, L., Xu, M., Luo, X., Zhang, L., Li, H., & Chen, A. (2020). Flexible adjustment of the effective connectivity between the fronto-parietal and visual regions supports cognitive flexibility. NeuroImage, 220, 117158.

39. Long, Q., Hu, N., Li, H., Zhang, Y., Yuan, J., & Chen, A. (2020). Suggestion of cognitive enhancement improves emotion regulation. Emotion, 20(5), 866–873.

40. Liu, L., Zhang, Y., Zhou, Q., Garrett, D. D., Lu, C., Chen, A., Qiu, J., & Ding, G. (2020). Auditory-Articulatory Neural Alignment between Listener and Speaker during Verbal Communication. Cerebral Cortex, 30(3), 942–951.

Invention Patent

Patent title: Needle-type dry electrode structure and wireless EEG cap with detachable electrodes and adjustable leads. Patent No.: CN202210421454.0. Publication date: Jun 14, 2022. Inventors: Yongqing Hou and Antao Chen.

1.Key Program, National Natural Science Foundation of China: Role of Neurofeedback in the Improvement of Cognitive Function through Non-invasive Brain Stimulation (61431013), Jan 2015-Dec 2019, RMB 2.9 million

2.General Program, National Natural Science Foundation of China: Neural Mechanisms of Cognitive Control Based on the Dual-System Hypothesis (32371105), Jan 2024-Dec 2027, RMB 500,000

3.General Program, National Natural Science Foundation of China: Neural Mechanisms of Post-error Attentional Adjustment (32171040), Jan 2022-Dec 2025, RMB 590,000

4.General Program, National Natural Science Foundation of China: Neural Mechanisms of Conflict Adaptation within the Attention-Guided Binding Hypothesis Framework (31771254), Jan 2018-Dec 2021, RMB 600,000

5.General Program, National Natural Science Foundation of China: A Cognitive Neuroscience Study of Executive Dysfunction in Schizophrenia (81271477), Jan 2013-Dec 2016, RMB 700,000

6.General Program, National Natural Science Foundation of China: Neural Mechanisms of Attention and Cognitive Control Based on Dimensional Similarity (31170980), Jan 2012-Dec 2015, RMB 500,000

7.Young Scientists Fund, National Natural Science Foundation of China: Cognitive and Neural Mechanisms of Cognitive Control across the Dual Dimensions of Processing Level and Response Strength (30700226), Jan 2008-Dec 2010, RMB 220,000

8.Subproject of a Major Program, National Social Science Fund of China: Effects and Mechanisms of an Integrated Networked Social Support Model in Promoting Mental Health during Major Public Health Emergencies (22&ZD187), Nov 2022, RMB 150,000

9.Second Round of Special Funding, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation: Mechanisms by Which Insufficiency of Premises Affects Judgments of the Strength of Inductive Reasoning (200902613), Nov 2009-Jul 2012, RMB 200,000