Dr. Yi-Yuan Tang

In Chinese, “Yi ()” means “One”, “Yuan()” means “Source”, “One Source” means “Tao()”, “Tao” means “principles in nature and human beings”. Dr. Tang’s mission is to integrate the eastern wisdom and western science working with his teams and other colleagues in the world to explore the truths in body, brain/mind, nature and life, and then benefit the nature and human beings. During the journey, Dr. Tang will improve and purify himself and achieve his self-growth and enlightenment.

Dr. Tang was born in China and started eastern traditional practice and training when he was very young and learned different body-mind method and techniques from more than 20 teachers. He has been working at the universities for 21 years since he got the first faculty position at Dalian Medical University in 1987. He has been a full Professor of Neuroinformatics and Neuroscience, and the founding director of the Institute of Neuroinformatics and Laboratory of Body and Mind since 2001. He is also the adjunct professor at the Center for Social & Organizational Behavior, Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Key Laboratory for Mental Health, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the PLA General Hospital (301 Hospital), Beijing, China. Dr. Tang is currently visiting professor working with Prof. Michael Posner applying meditation training attention and self-regulation at the University of Oregon, USA.

Dr. Tang has been internationally known in the use of functional MRI to examine brain connectivity in cognitive task and found cultures shape math processing in the brain (Tang et al, PNAS, 2006). Based on the results from many adults and children ranging from 4 to 90 years old in China, Dr. Tang developed Integrative Body-Mind Training (IBMT) in the 1990’s and its effects studied in China since 1995. His recent results indicated that IBMT is an easy, effective way for improvement in self-regulation in cognition, emotion and social behavior (Tang et al, PNAS, 2007). IBMT improves attention and self-regulation by changing the interaction between the central (brain) and the autonomic (body) systems as indexed by ACC theta power and high frequency HRV coorelation (Tang et al, PNAS, 2009).

Dr. Tang has published more than 170 internationally/nationally peer-reviewed articles and received Distinguished Scholar Award in New Century from Ministry of Education in China, First Prize for Scientific Innovation (Liaoning), First Prize for Scientific Achievement (Dalian) and Distinguished Teaching Awards from university, etc. His research received support from National Natural Science Foundation of China, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Education in China, etc. Media coverage by Nature, Science, Nature Review Neuroscience, Trends in Cognitive Sciences, the Associate Press, NBC, Reuters, Washington Post, Los Angeles Time, CBC,Oprah Magazine, Parade Magazine, Reader Digest,Prevention Magazine, New Scientists, CCTV, China Daily, etc. Dr. Tang serves as reviewers for Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences、Trends in Cognitive Science、Journal of Neuroscience, Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, Human Brain Mapping、Neuroimage、Psychoneuroendocrinology, Physiology & Behavior、Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, Learning and Individual Differences, etc.

Dr. Tang’s research applies the tools of neuroimaging (fMRI, PET/SPECT, ERP), psychosocial and physiological measures as well as genetic analysis and covers the topics in cultural neuroscience, body-mind medicine, affective and social neuroscience, computational neuroscience and neuroleadership. He is the founder of the Integrative Body Mind Training (IBMT) and once trained many thousands children and adults to improve the attention, self-regulation and performance.  

Research Team in 2006:

Practice Team in 2006: