分别于1995年和2000年在福建医科大学获学士学位和硕士学位，2003年于中山大学中山医学院(原中山医科大学)获医学博士学位。

1995年至2000年在福建医科大学解剖学教研室任助教，2003年至2004年在中山大学解剖学系任讲师；2004年至2009年在美国NIH做博士后研究工作；2009-2010在NIH做Research Fellow；2010年10月作为中山大学“百人计划”引进人才回国工作。

学术论著与教材：
(1) Zheng M, Jiao L, Tang X, Xiang X, Wan X, Yan Y, Li X, Zhang G, Li Y, Jiang B, Cai H, Lin Xian*. Tau haploinsufficiency causes prenatal loss of dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area and reduction of transcription factor orthodenticle homeobox 2 expression. FASEB J, Published online Apr 19, 2017.

(2) Mo M, Xiao Y, Huang S, Cen L, Chen X, Zhang L, Luo Q, Li S*, Yang X*, Lin X*, Xu P*. Oncotarget, 2017, 8(1):15-28.

(3)Li X, Zhang G, Nie Q, Wu T, Jiao L, Zheng M, Wan X, Li Y, Wu S, Jiang B, Xiang X, Duan J, Lin X*. Baicalein blocks α-synuclein secretion from SN4741 cells and facilitates α-synuclein polymerization to big complex. Neuroscience Letter, 2017, Jul 1;655:109-114.

(3) Xian Lin, Loukia Parisiadou, Carmelo Sgobio, Guoxiang Liu, Jia Yu, Lixin Sun, Hoon Shim, Xing-Long Gu, Jing Luo, Cai-Xia Long, Jinhui Ding, Yolanda Mateo, Patricia H. Sullivan, Ling-Gang Wu, David S. Goldstein, David Lovinger, and Huaibin Cai.Conditional Expression of Parkinson's Disease-Related Mutant α-Synuclein in the Midbrain Dopaminergic Neurons Causes Progressive Neurodegeneration and Degradation of Transcription Factor Nuclear Receptor Related 1.The Journal of Neuroscience, 2012, 32(27):9248-64.

(4) Xian Lin, Loukia Parisiadou, Xing-Long Gu, et al. Leucine-Rich Repeat Kinase 2 Regulates the Progression of Neuropathologyalpha-synuclein. Neuron, 2009,64:807-827.(First featured papers with first preview).

(5) Chen Lai#, Xian Lin#, Jayanth Chandran, et al. The G59S mutation in p150 causes dysfunction in mice. The Journal of Neuroscience, 2007, 27(51):13982-13900.(co-first author, cover introduction).

(6) Xian Lin, Hoon Shim, Huaibin Cai. Deficiency in the ALS2 gene does not affect the motor neuron degeneration in SOD1(G93A) transgenic mice. Neurobiol Aging, 2007, 28(10):1628-30.

(7) Cai H, Lin X, Xie C, et al. Loss of ALS2 function is insufficient to trigger motor neuron degeneration in knock-out mice but predisposes neurons to oxidative stress. The Journal of Neuroscience, 2005, 25(33):7567-74.

(8) Chandran JS, Lin X, Zapata A, et al. Progressive behavioral deficits in DJ-1-deficient mice are associated with normal nigrostriatal function. Neurobiol Dis, 2008, 29(3):505-14.

(9) Cai H, Shim H, Lai C, Xie C, Lin X, Yang WJ, Chandran J.ALS2/alsin knockout mice and motor neuron diseases. Neurodegener Dis, 2008; 5(6):359-66.

(10) Loukia Parisiadou, Chengsong Xie, Hyun Jin Cho, Xian Lin, Xing-Long Gu, Cai-Xia Long, Evy Lobbestael, Veerle Baekelandt, Jean-Marc Taymans, Lixin Sun, and Huaibin Cai Phosphorylation of Ezrin-Radixin-Moesin Proteins by LRRK2 Promotes the Rearrangement of Actin Cytoskeleton in Neuronal Morphogenesis. The Journal of Neuroscience, 2008, 29(44):13971-80.

(11) Luo J#, Sun L, Lin X, Liu G, Yu J, Parisiadou L, Xie C, Ding J, Cai H*. A calcineurin- and NFAT-dependent pathway is involved in α-synuclein-induced degeneration of midbrain dopaminergic neurons. Hum Mol Genet, 2014, 23(24):6567-74.

(12)Parisiadou L#*, Yu J#, Sgobio C#, Xie C, Liu G, Sun L, Gu XL, Lin X, Crowley NA, Lovinger DM, Cai H*. LRRK2 regulates synaptogenesis and dopamine receptor activation through modulation of PKA activity. Nat Neurosci, 2014, 17(3):367-76.