Publications
This page lists all 32 peer-reviewed articles in Runnan Cao’s July 2026 CV. Current MCN Lab members are shown in bold. *Equal contribution; #co-corresponding author.
2026
Li Y, Zhang J, Brunner P, Willie J, Cao R#, Wang S#. Theta synchronization coordinates ventral temporal and medial temporal coding of human face familiarity. Cell Reports. In press (2026).
Mao A, Cao R, Sun S, Wang S, Oh D. Physiological encoding of social evaluation: Modeling eye movements, pupillary, and neuronal responses to faces. Journal of Neuroscience. In press (2026).
Cao R#, Wang S#. Computational mechanisms transforming visual codes into sparse representations. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews. 187, 106782. DOI
Cao R#, Zhang J, Zheng J, Wang Y, Brunner P, Willie J, Wang S#. Computational single-neuron mechanisms of visual object coding in the human temporal lobe. Nature Communications. 17, 2234. DOI
Wang Y#, Brunner P, Willie J, Cao R#, Wang S#. Neural computations of visual, semantic, and memorability features in the human brain. PLOS Biology*. 24, e3003614. DOI
Wang Y, Brunner P, Willie J, Cao R, Wang S. Single-neuron datasets for linguistic and semantic processing in the human amygdala and hippocampus. Scientific Data. 12, 1482. DOI
2025
Zhang J, Cao R, Zhu X, Zhou H, Wang S. Distinct attentional characteristics of neurons with visual feature coding in the primate brain. Science Advances. 11, eadq0332. DOI
Cao R#, Zhang J, Zheng J, Wang Y, Brunner P, Willie JT, Wang S#. A neural computational framework for face processing in the human temporal lobe. Current Biology. 35, 1765–1778.e6. DOI
Cao R#, Wang J, Lin C, De Falco E, Peter A, Rey HG, DiCarlo J, Todorov A, Rutishauser U, Li X, Brandmeir NJ, Wang S#. Feature-based encoding of face identity by single neurons in the human amygdala and hippocampus. Nature Human Behaviour. 9, 1959–1974. DOI
Cao R#, Brunner P, Chakravarthula P, Wahlstrom K, Inman C, Smith E, Li X, Mamelak A, Brandmeir NJ, Rutishauser U, Willie J, Wang S#. A neuronal code for object representation and memory in the human amygdala and hippocampus. Nature Communications. 16, 1510. DOI
Cao R#, Brunner P, Brandmeir NJ, Willie J, Wang S#. A human single-neuron dataset for object recognition. Scientific Data. 12, 79. DOI
2024
Zhao S, Cao R, Lin C, Wang S, Yu H. Differences in the link between social trait judgment and socio-emotional experience in neurotypical and autistic individuals. Scientific Reports. DOI
Wang J, Cao R, Chakravarthula P, Brandmeir NJ, Li X, Wang S. A critical period for developing face recognition. Patterns. DOI
Wang Y, Cao R, Li X, Wang S. Encoding of visual objects in the human medial temporal lobe. Journal of Neuroscience*. DOI
Wang Y#, Cao R#, Chakravarthula P, Yu H, Wang S#. Atypical neural encoding of faces in individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Cerebral Cortex. DOI
Cao R#, Dubois J, Mamelak A, Adolphs R, Wang S, Rutishauser U#. Domain-specific representation of social inference by neurons in the human amygdala and hippocampus. Science Advances. 10, eado6166. DOI
2023
Kao H, Yao Y, Yang T, Ziobro J, Zylinski M, Yaqub M, Hu S, Cao R, et al. Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy and respiratory defects in a mouse model of DEPDC5-related epilepsy. Annals of Neurology. DOI
Wang S, Sun S, Cao R, Kar K, Yu H. Multimodal investigations of emotional face processing and social trait judgment of faces. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. DOI
Sun S, Cao R, Wang S. A uniform human multimodal dataset for emotion perception and judgment. Scientific Data. DOI
Han C, Donoghue T, Cao R, Kunz L, Wang S#, Jacobs J#. Using multi-task experiments to test principles of hippocampal function. Hippocampus. 33, 646–657. DOI
Donoghue T, Cao R, Han C, Holman C, Brandmeir NJ, Wang S#, Jacobs J#. Single neurons in the human medial temporal lobe flexibly shift representations across spatial and memory tasks. Hippocampus*. 33, 600–615. DOI
Cao R#, Zhang N, Yu H, Webster P, Paul L, Li X, Lin C#, Wang S#. Comprehensive social trait judgments from faces in autism spectrum disorder. Psychological Science. 34, 1121–1145. DOI
Cao R#, Wang J, Brunner P, Willie J, Li X, Rutishauser U, Brandmeir NJ, Wang S#. Neural mechanisms of face familiarity and learning in the human amygdala and hippocampus. Cell Reports. 43, 113520. DOI
2022
Yu H, Cao R, Lin C, Wang S. Distinct neurocognitive bases for social trait judgments of faces in autism spectrum disorder. Translational Psychiatry. 12, 104. DOI
Wang J, Cao R, Brandmeir NJ, Li X, Wang S. Face identity coding in the deep neural network and primate brain. Communications Biology*. 5, 611. DOI
Cao R#, Lin C, Brandmeir NJ, Wang S#. A human single-neuron dataset for face perception. Scientific Data. 9, 365. DOI
Cao R#, Lin C, Hodge J, Li X, Todorov A, Brandmeir NJ, Wang S#. A neuronal social trait space for first impressions in the human amygdala and hippocampus. Molecular Psychiatry. 27, 3501–3509. DOI
2021
Cao R, Qian C, Ren S, He S, Zhang P. Visual adaptation and 7T fMRI reveal facial identity processing in the human brain under shallow interocular suppression. NeuroImage. 244, 118622. DOI
Cao R#, Todorov A, Brandmeir NJ, Wang S#. Task modulation of single-neuron activity in the human amygdala and hippocampus. eNeuro. 9(1), ENEURO.0398-21.2021. DOI
Cao R#, Li X, Brandmeir NJ, Wang S#. Encoding of facial features by single neurons in the human amygdala and hippocampus. Communications Biology. 4, 1394. DOI
2020
Cao R#, Li X, Todorov A, Wang S#. A flexible neural representation of faces in the human brain. Cerebral Cortex Communications. DOI
2012
He C, Ding N, Mou X, Xie Z, Si H, Qiu R, Ni S, Zhao H, Lu Y, Yan H, Gao Y, Chen L, Shen X, Cao R. Identification of three H1N1 influenza virus groups with natural recombinant genes circulating from 1918 to 2009. Virology. 427(1), 60–66. DOI
Manuscript under review
Chakravarthula P, Cao R, et al. Neuronal burst dynamics in the human amygdala and hippocampus during memory encoding and retrieval. Under review.
Data, code, and research resources
We support transparent and reproducible science. Publicly released datasets include large-scale human single-neuron recordings for face perception, object recognition, and linguistic and semantic processing. Links to additional analysis code, software, preprints, and protocols will be added as they become available.