Korea University · 心理学
Professor Chul-Hyun Cho's research lab specializes in the intersection of circadian biology, digital health, and mental health, focusing on how environmental factors—particularly light exposure—affect mood and sleep regulation. The lab employs machine learning and digital phenotyping to develop early detection tools for mood disorders using real-world behavioral and physiological data. Key research directions include understanding the impact of artificial light at night on sleep architecture and circadian rhythms, and translating these findings into clinical applications for early intervention in bipolar and mood disorders. The lab also emphasizes translational research, bridging basic chronobiology with digital technology for personalized mental health care.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
On the basis of the theoretical basis of chronobiology, this study proposed a good model for future research by developing a mood prediction algorithm using machine learning by processing and reclassifying digital log data. In addition to academic value, it is expected that this study will be of practical help to improve the prognosis of patients with mood disorders by making it possible to apply actual clinical application owing to the rapid expansion of digital technology.
Exposure to artificial light at night (ALAN) has become increasing common, especially in developed countries. We investigated the effect of dALAN exposure during sleep in healthy young male subjects. A total of 30 healthy young male volunteers from 21 to 29 years old were recruited for the study. They were randomly divided into two groups depending on light intensity (Group A: 5 lux and Group B: 10 lux). After a quality control process, 23 healthy subjects were included in the study (Group A: 11
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03088657; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03088657.
In this diagnostic study, an ML method for early detection or screening using digital phenotypes in children's daily lives was developed. The results support facilitating early detection in children; however, additional follow-up studies can improve its performance.
This study examined the link between circadian rhythm changes due to bright light exposure and subthreshold bipolarity. Molecular circadian rhythms, polysomnography, and actigraphy data were studied in 25 young, healthy male subjects, divided into high and low mood disorder questionnaire (MDQ) score groups. During the first 2 days of the study, the subjects were exposed to daily-living light (150 lux) for 4 hours before bedtime. Saliva and buccal cells were collected 5 times a day for 2 consecut
These fMRI findings might reflect the enhanced physiological and cognitive processing in individuals with social anxiety disorder in response to self-referential information. They also provide neural evidence of the effect of virtual reality exposure therapy on social anxiety and self-derogation.
Clinical Research Information Service (CRIS) KCT0009288; https://tinyurl.com/hxrznt3t.
Objective Light pollution has become a social and health issue. We performed an experimental study to investigate impact of dim light at night (dLAN) on sleep in female subjects, with measurement of salivary melatonin. Methods The 25 female subjects (Group A: 12; Group B: 13 subjects) underwent a nocturnal polysomnography (NPSG) session with no light (Night 1) followed by an NPSG session randomly assigned to two conditions (Group A: 5; Group B: 10 lux) during a whole night of sleep (Night 2). Sa
The findings affirm that the K-BRIAN has good construct validity and internal consistency. This suggests that the K-BRIAN can be used to assess biological rhythms in the Korean population, especially for patients with mood disorder.
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a sensorimotor neurological disturbance causing physical and psychological distress. Here, we investigated the severity and effect of depressive symptoms in RLS among a Korean cohort population. Depressive symptoms were more prevalent in the RLS group than in the non-RLS group [≥mild depression: odds ratio (OR)=1.95, p<0.001; ≥ moderate depression: OR=6.15, p<0.001; and ≥severe depression: OR=56.54, p<0.001], with a predominant proportion of severe depression (97%
The Mood Disorder Cohort Research Consortium (MDCRC) study is designed as a naturalistic observational prospective cohort study for early-onset mood disorders (major depressive disorders, bipolar disorders type 1 and 2) in South Korea. The study subjects consist of two populations: 1) patients with mood disorders under 25 years old and 2) patients with mood disorders within 2 years of treatment under 35 years old. After successful screening, the subjects are evaluated using baseline assessments
Symptoms of mental illness often become worse during the spring season. For patients with mood disorders, the phrase "spring fever" has a different meaning. Previous studies have reported that the incidence of mania peaks during the spring in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. 1 Many studies have indicated that suicide rates also peak during the spring season. 2 It has been suggested that the sudden increase in the duration and amount of sunlight is a possible cause of these phenomena.
There have been concerns about abuse and unnecessary chronic administration of zolpidem, and zolpidem's relation to suicide risk. To investigate the temporal association of zolpidem with the risk of suicide, we conducted a 12-year, population-based, retrospective cohort study on the National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort (NHIS-NSC), South Korea. Data were collected from 2002 to 2013 from the NHIS-NSC, and data cleaning was performed for 1,125,691 subjects. Cox proportional haza
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