Andrew Huang, PhD

Professor, Department of Psychology,
Fo Guang University

Phone:

03-9871000 #27114

Email:

chweihuang@mail.fgu.edu.tw

Research Expertise:

Biopsychology, Neuroscience, Neuropsychopharmacology, Addiction Behavior, Animal model for human mental illness, Learning and Memory

About Me.

As a neuroscientist, my research focuses on using animal models to study psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, bipolar disorder, PTSD, and drug addiction. One of my primary interests is the paradoxical effect hypothesis of drug abuse, which I proposed based on findings that challenge the traditional reward comparison hypothesis. My lab applies optogenetic techniques to investigate how brain regions like the prefrontal cortex and basolateral amygdala mediate both the rewarding and aversive effects of addictive substances.

In parallel, we study PTSD using animal models, examining the roles of the medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala, and evaluating the effects of fluoxetine on symptom reduction.

In collaboration with Dr. Shyu at Academia Sinica, I also study central post-stroke pain, aiming to identify key pathways and molecular mechanisms (e.g., BDNF, TrkB, neuroinflammation) involved in pain and comorbid symptoms using optogenetics and chemogenetics.

Additionally, I explore the therapeutic potential of psychiatric drugs for neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and cerebral palsy. For example, our recent work suggests that methamphetamine may enhance learning and neural activity in Alzheimer’s models via the prelimbic cortex.

Through these studies, I aim to uncover novel therapeutic mechanisms and repurpose psychiatric medications to treat neurological and psychiatric conditions, ultimately bridging basic neuroscience and clinical applications.

Education

(September 1999 – June 2003)

National Chung Cheng University,
Department of Psychology — Ph.D.

(September 1993 – June 1997)

Chung Yuan Christian University,
Department of Psychology — B.S.

Experience

Office of Academic Affairs,
Fo Guang University
— Section Chief of Registrar
(August 2022 – July 2024)
— Associate Dean of Academic Affairs
(August 2022 – July 2024)
Department of Psychology,
Fo Guang University
— Professor
(February 2017 – Present)
— Associate Professor
(August 2010 – January 2017)
— Assistant Professor
(August 2006 – July 2010)
Institute of Biomedical Sciences,
Academia Sinica, Taiwan
— Visiting Scholar
(January 2015 – June 2015)
— Visiting Scholar
(July 2012 – December 2012)
— Visiting Scholar
(July 2011 – December 2011)
— Visiting Scholar
(January 2011 – June 2011)
Therapeutic Advances
in Psychopharmacology
(SCI, 4.2, Q2)
— Permanent Reviewer,
Editorial Review Board
(October 2024 – Present)
— Guest Editor, Special Issue (2023 – 2024)
Academia Biology
— Editor (2023 – 2024)
Frontiers in Psychology
(SCI, 4.232, Q1)
— Guest Editor, Special Issue (2022 – 2023)
Frontiers in Psychiatry
(SCI, 5.435, Q2)
— Guest Editor, Special Issue (2022 – 2023)
Biomedicines (SCI, 6.081, Q1)
— Topic Editor, Topic Issue
(2022 – Present)
Cells (SCI, 6.600, Q2)
— Topic Editor, Topic Issue
(2022 – Present)
International Journal of
Molecular Sciences
(SCI, 5.924, Q1)
— Topic Editor, Topic Issue
(2022 – Present)
Journal of Clinical Medicine (SCI, 4.242, Q1)
— Topic Editor, Topic Issue
(2022 – Present)
— Guest Editor, Special Issue (2021 – 2022)
Brain Sciences (SCI, 3.394, Q3)
— Topic Editor, Topic Issue
(2022 – Present)
Neurology International
(SCI, 3.2, Q2)
— Topic Editor, Topic Issue
(2025 – Present)
Behavioural Neurology
(SCI, 3.342, Q2)
— Leading Editor, Special Issue (2021 – 2022)
(Neuroscience), Experimental Biology and Medicine (SCI, 2.7, Q2) — Review Editor, (2025 – Present)

Patent

2021 – Wireless Remote-Controlled Magnetic Resonance Device for Optogenetic Modulation of Neural Cells (Taiwan Invention Patent No. I740225)
2022 – A Wireless Magnetic Resonance Device for Optogenetic Applications in Animal Model (U.S. Patent No. US 11,471,699 B2)

Honors

Full Member, Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society (2023–present)
Experimental Biology and Medicine (EBM) Outstanding Reviewer Award (2021/12)
Board Member, Second Term, Taiwan Brain Bank Association (2025–2027)
Committee Member, Public Affairs Committee, Second Term, Taiwan Brain Bank Association (2024–2027)
Program Evaluation Committee Member, Higher Education Evaluation and Accreditation Council of Taiwan (2025)
Program Evaluation Committee Member, Taiwan Assessment and Evaluation Association (2024)
Review Committee Member, “Professor Hsiang-Yu Su Award for Psychology Theses” (2023/08)
Contributing Author for Special Issue, Teacher Chang Monthly (2025)
Invited Contributing Author for Special Issue, Teacher Chang Monthly (2024)
Invited External Supervisor, Taipei Veterans General Hospital Yuanshan Branch, Psychologist Lu-Lu Fang — 3 supervisions conducted (2024/10/23; 2024/11/13; 2024/12/04)
Invited Speaker, Ministry of Science and Technology, Division of Psychology Research Report Presentation — 63rd Annual Conference of the Taiwan Psychological Association, NTU, Taipei (2024/10/26)
Invited Keynote Speaker, Taipei Veterans General Hospital Yuanshan Branch — “Addiction: What Can Be Done? An Example of Opioid Substances” (2024/09/25)
Poster Competition Final Review Committee Member, 36th Joint Annual Conference of Biomedical Sciences — Chinese Physiological Society (2022/03/25)
Invited Speaker, National Ilan University — “Using an optogenetic approach to examine the effects of cingulate, prelimbic, and infralimbic cortices in morphine-induced conditioned taste aversion in conditioning and extinction” (2020/09/22)
Poster Competition Abstract Preliminary Review Committee Member, 35th Joint Annual Conference of Biomedical Sciences — Chinese Physiological Society (2020/01/03)
Poster Competition Abstract Preliminary Review Committee Member, 34th Joint Annual Conference of Biomedical Sciences — Chinese Physiological Society (2019/01/22)
Session Organizer, Physiological Psychology Division, Taiwan Psychological Association Annual Conference (2018/10)
Invited Speaker, Academia Sinica, Institute of Statistical Science — “Neural substrates of conditioned taste suppression induced by morphine: the paradoxical effect hypothesis of abused drugs” (2018/08/13)
Invited Speaker, Physiological Psychology Division, Taiwan Psychological Association Annual Conference (2017/10)
Poster Competition Abstract Final Review Committee Member, 33rd Joint Annual Conference of Biomedical Sciences — Chinese Physiological Society (2018/03/25)
Poster Competition Abstract Preliminary Review Committee Member, 33rd Joint Annual Conference of Biomedical Sciences — Chinese Physiological Society (2018/03/25)
Poster Competition Abstract Preliminary Review Committee Member, 32nd Joint Annual Conference of Biomedical Sciences — Chinese Physiological Society (2017/01/16)
On-Site Poster Final Review Committee Member, 31st Joint Annual Conference of Biomedical Sciences (2016/03/26)
On-Site Poster Final Review Committee Member, 30th Joint Annual Conference of Biomedical Sciences (2015/03/21)
Invited Moderator, “Advancing Research and Teaching Workshop” — Session: International Perspective of Research Teams (2015/09/05)
Invited Speaker, Experimental Psychology Conference, National Chung Cheng University (2015/04/25)
Session Organizer, Physiological Psychology Division, Taiwan Psychological Association Annual Conference (2015/11)
Session Chair, Physiological Psychology Division, Taiwan Psychological Association Annual Conference (2014/11)
Session Chair, Physiological Psychology Division, Taiwan Psychological Association Annual Conference (2013/10)
Session Chair, National Taiwan University 60th Anniversary Academic Conference — “Mind and Brain: From Physiological Psychology to Cognitive Neuroscience” (2009/09)
Invited Distinguished Alumnus Speaker, Department of Psychology, National Chung Cheng University — “The neural mechanism of conditioned learning and extinction in animal models” (2009/11)

National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Distinguished Talent Awards

Recipient of the "2024 NSTC University Research Talent Award" (August 1, 2024 – July 31, 2025).
Recipient of the "2023 NSTC University Research Talent Award" (August 1, 2023 – July 31, 2024).
Recipient of the "2022 NSTC University Research Talent Award" (August 1, 2022 – July 31, 2023).
Recipient of the "2020 Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) University Research Talent Award" (August 1, 2020 – July 31, 2021).
Recipient of the "2019 MOST University Research Talent Award" (August 1, 2019 – July 31, 2020).
Recipient of the "2018 MOST University Research Talent Award" (August 1, 2018 – July 31, 2019).
Recipient of the "2017 MOST Distinguished Talent Award for Universities and Colleges" (August 1, 2017 – July 31, 2018).
Recipient of the "2016 MOST Distinguished Talent Award for Universities and Colleges" (August 1, 2016 – July 31, 2017).
Recipient of the "2015 MOST Distinguished Talent Award for Universities and Colleges" (August 1, 2015 – July 31, 2016).
Recipient of the "2014 National Science Council (NSC) Distinguished Talent Award for Universities and Colleges" (August 1, 2014 – July 31, 2015).
Recipient of the "2013 NSC Distinguished Talent Award for Universities and Colleges" (August 1, 2013 – July 31, 2014).
Recipient of the "2012 NSC Distinguished Talent Award for Universities and Colleges" (August 1, 2012 – July 31, 2013).
Recipient of the "2011 NSC Distinguished Talent Award for Universities and Colleges" (August 1, 2011 – July 31, 2012).
Recipient of the "2010 NSC Distinguished Talent Award for Universities and Colleges" (October 1, 2010 – July 31, 2011).
Recipient of the "Flexible Salary Incentive for Full-Time Teaching and Research Talent – Academic Research Category, Fo Guang University, 2021 Academic Year" (August 2021 – July 2022).