Education

• M.D., Rush Medical College, 1998
• B.S., Human Communication Sciences, Northwestern University, 1994

About

Jack Lin is a Professor in the Department of Neurology and a core member of the Center for Mind and Brain. He is a systems neuroscientist and neurologist, with a primary research focus on the neural mechanisms underlying memory, learning, emotion, and decision-making. As the Director of the UC Davis Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, he leads a highly productive human intracranial electrophysiology research program that utilizes advanced techniques, including intracranial EEG and single-neuron recordings, to investigate the amygdala-hippocampal-prefrontal network in awake, behaving humans. His work has contributed to fundamental insights into cognitive neuroscience, particularly in the areas of memory consolidation, sleep-related neural plasticity, and reward processing.

Research Focus

Emotional Memory
Dr. Jack Lin's research has uncovered novel oscillatory mechanisms underlying fear processing and the influence of emotion on memory. His team identified two distinct network dynamics: bidirectional theta (3–7 Hz) interactions between the amygdala and hippocampus support correct emotional discrimination, while directional alpha (8–13 Hz) oscillations from the amygdala to the hippocampus drive overgeneralization errors (Zheng, Nature Communications, 2017). His work also explores how the amygdala-hippocampal network supports pattern separation of emotional events, revealing that emotional memory modulation can impair the discrimination of similar experiences (Zheng, Neuron, 2019). More recently, his team demonstrated that awake ripples enhance emotional memory, showing that post-encoding ripple rates predict later memory discrimination (Zhang, Nature Communications 2024).

Sleep and Memory
Dr. Jack Lin's research has advanced understanding of hippocampal-neocortical interactions in sleep-dependent memory consolidation. While hippocampal sharp wave ripples (SWRs) are thought to facilitate memory transfer to the neocortex, his team demonstrated that the prefrontal cortex, not the hippocampus, initiates this process (Helfrich, Nature Communications, 2019). Further, his research showed that synchronized phase relationships between hippocampal SWRs and cortical slow-wave activity (SWA) predict functional connectivity between distant cortical populations, shaping the fidelity and strength of consolidated memories (Skelin, PNAS, 2021). Most recently, his team identified a non-oscillatory mechanism during REM sleep that promotes neural homeostasis, supporting overnight memory consolidation (Lendner, Science Advances, 2023).

Epilepsy: Structural, Cognitive, and Neurodevelopmental Impacts

Dr. Jack Lin’s research explores the broad neurological and cognitive impacts of epilepsy, with a focus on structural abnormalities, cognitive deficits, and neurodevelopmental outcomes. His work has demonstrated that while temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) primarily affects the hippocampus, widespread structural abnormalities extend to cortical, subcortical, and cerebellar regions, disrupting brain connectivity and contributing to cognitive deficits. He has also investigated the neurodevelopmental and neurobehavioral comorbidities of epilepsy in children. His findings reveal that cognitive and structural brain abnormalities are present at epilepsy onset, rather than being solely the result of chronic seizures or medication effects. These insights have led to national guidelines emphasizing early screening and intervention (Fountain et al., Neurology, 2015), shaping clinical approaches to epilepsy management and treatment

Lab

Laboratory for Intracranial Electrophysiology

Publications (selected)

Emotional Memory

• Zheng J, Anderson KL, Leal, SL, Shestyuk, A, Gulsen G, Mnatsakanyan, L, Vadera S, Hsu FPK, Yassa MA, Knight RT, Lin JJ. Amygdala-hippocampal dynamics during salient information processing. Nature Communications (2017) Feb 8;8:14413. doi: 10.1038/ncomms14413. PMCID: PMC5309795 
• Stevenson Zheng J, Mnatsakanyan, L, Vadera S, Knight RT, Lin JJ*, Yassa MA*, Hippocampal CA1 gamma power predicts the precision of spatial memory judgments, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, 2018 Oct 2;115(40):10148-10153 PubMed PMID: 30224452R *co- senior and corresponding author 
• Zheng J, Stevenson R, Mnatsakanyan, L, Vadera S, Hsu FPK, Knight RT, Yassa MA*, Lin JJ*. Multiplexing of Theta and Alpha Rhythms in the Amygdala-Hippocampal Circuit Supports Pattern Separation of Emotional Information. Neuron 2019 Apr 2. Epub ahead of print, PubMed PMID: 30979537. *co- senior and corresponding author 
• Zhang H*, Skelin I*, Ma S, Paff M, Manatsakayan, L, Yassa MA, Knight RT, Lin JJ. Awake ripples enhance emotional memory encoding in the human brain. Nature Communications, 15, 215 (2024). doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-44295-8. PubMed PMID: 38172140; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10764865. 

Sleep and memory consolidation

• Helfrich RF, Lendner JD, Mander BA, Guillen H, Paff M, Mnatsakanyan L, Vadera
  S, Walker MP, Lin JJ*, Knight RT. Bidirectional prefrontal-hippocampal dynamics organize information transfer during sleep in humans. Nature Communications. 2019 Aug 8;10(1): 3572.PubMed PMID: 31395890; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6687745 *co-senior author 
• Lendner, JD, Helfrich, RF, Mander, MA, Romunstad, L., Lin, JJ, Walker, MP, Larsson, PG and Knight, RT*. An electrophysiological marker of arousal level in humans. eLife 2020;9:e55092. Published 2020 Jul 28. doi:10.7554/eLife.55092 PMID: 32720644; PMCID: PMC7394547 
• Skelin I, Zhang H, Zheng J, Ma S, Mander BA, Kim McManus O, Vadera S, Knight RT, McNaughton BL, Lin JJ. Coupling between slow-waves and sharp-wave ripples engages distributed neural activity during sleep in humans. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. 2021 May 25;118(21):e2012075118. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2012075118. PMID: 34001599; PMCID: PMC8166184 
• Lendner JD, Niethard N, Mander BA, van Schalkwijk FJ, Schuh-Hofer S, Schmidt H, Knight RT, Born J, Walker MP, Lin JJ, Helfrich RF. Human REM sleep recalibrates neural activity in support of memory formation. Sci Adv. 2023 Aug 25;9(34):eadj1895. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adj1895. Epub 2023 Aug 25. PMID: 37624898; PMCID: PMC10456851. 

Epilepsy 

• Lin JJ, Salamon N, Dutton RA, Lee AD, Geaga JA, Hayashi KM, Toga AW, Engel J, Jr., Thompson PM Three-dimensional preoperative maps of hippocampal atrophy predict surgical outcomes in temporal lobe epilepsy. Neurology, 65: 1094–1097, 2005. PMID: 16217065. PMCID: PMC2770433 
• Lin JJ, Salamon N, Dutton RA, Lee AD, Geaga JA, Hayashi KM, Luders E, Toga AW, Engel J, Jr., Thompson PM. Reduced cortical thickness and complexity mapped mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis. Cerebral Cortex, 17 (9): 2007-18, 2007. PMID: 17088374 
• Bell B*, Lin JJ*, Seidenberg M*, Hermann BP*. The neurobiology of cognitive disorders in temporal lobe epilepsy, Nature Reviews Neurology, (2011) 7:154-164. PMID: 21304484. PMCID: PMC3856217 *Equal contribution 
• Lin JJ, Mula M, Hermann BP. Uncovering the neurobehavioural comorbidities of epilepsy over the lifespan, The Lancet, (2012) 29:1180-92. PMID: 23021287. PMCID: PMC3838617 
• Bonilha L, Tabesh A, Dabbs K, Hsu DA, Stafstrom CE, Seidenberg M, Hermann BP, Lin JJ. Neurodevelopmental alterations of large-scale structural networks in children with new-onset epilepsy. Human Brain Mapping, (2014) 35(8):3661-72. PMID: 24453089. PMCID: PMC4107168 Featured Cover Article 
• Lin JJ, Dabb K Riley JD, Jones JE, Jackson DC, Hsu DA, Stafstrom CE, Seidenberg M, Hermann BP. Neurodevelopment in new-onset juvenile myoclonic epilepsy over the first 2 years. Annals of Neurology (2014) 76(5):660-8 PMID: 25087843. 

Teaching

Core Concepts & Methods in Learning, Memory, & Plasticity (NSC271A) and Topics in Cognitive Psychology (PSC263)

University Service

Dr. Lin has undertaken transformative efforts to elevate the UC Davis Epilepsy Program to national prominence while ensuring the delivery of exceptional care to the community. In addition, he spearheads strategic planning initiatives within the Department of Neurology and leads the UC Davis Health System’s Integrated Service Line for epilepsy, fostering collaboration and innovation across disciplines and individuals. His contributions also include pivotal roles in recruiting top leaders to strengthen the department and university, further enhancing academic and clinical excellence. At the national level, he serves as a reviewer for multiple NIH BRAIN Initiative grants and high-impact scientific journals, helping to shape the direction of groundbreaking research

Awards

• Association of University Professors of Neurology (AUPN) Faculty Leadership Award (2024), which recognizes exceptional leadership within academic neurology departments.
• Editorial Board Member for Annals of Neurology, a leading peer-reviewed journal in the fields of neurology and neuroscience. 
• Dr. Lin has also been elected as a Fellow of the American Epilepsy Society (FAES) and the American Neurological Association (FANA).