2026-Present: Postdoc Fellow, Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing

2023-2026: Ph.D., Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing & Beijing Normal University

2022-2023: Research Assistant, Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing (CIBR)

2019-2022: M.S., School of Public Health, Maternal Child Department, Sun Yat-Sen University

2014-2019: B.S., School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University

Experiences:

Xiaoyu is interested in brain network development and its relationship with neurodevelopmental disorders. Her doctoral research focused on the white matter structural connectome using diffusion MRI, through which she characterized typical developmental patterns of structural connectivity and their deviations in children with ADHD. In her future work, she aims to investigate individualized alterations in personalized brain networks in ADHD, as a step toward precision psychiatry. Outside the lab, Xiaoyu enjoys spending time with her cat, Free, who is very naughty and clingy.

Publications:

1. Xu, X. et al. Mapping the spatiotemporal continuum of structural connectivity development across the human connectome in youth. Nat. Commun. (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-73072-6

2. Xu, X. et al. Developmental Deviations of Structural Connectivity in Youths with ADHD Predict Symptom and Treatment Outcomes. bioRxiv, 2025.2011.2020.689391 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.11.20.689391

3. Xu, X. et al. White matter substrates underlying morphological awareness deficit in Chinese children with developmental dyslexia. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 134, 111083 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2024.111083