Korea University · Neuroscience
Professor Byung-Joo Ham's research lab specializes in the neurobiological and neurochemical underpinnings of mood and stress-related disorders, with a focus on the interplay between genetic variations, epigenetic modifications, and brain structure/function. The lab investigates how polymorphisms in monoaminergic systems—such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine—along with epigenetic markers like NR3C1 methylation and neurochemical metabolites such as N-acetylaspartate (NAA), contribute to the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and related traits like alexithymia. Using multimodal neuroimaging (fMRI, MRS) and molecular genetics approaches, the lab aims to identify biomarkers and neural circuit mechanisms underlying emotional dysregulation and stress vulnerability. Their work bridges genetics, neurochemistry, and brain imaging to advance personalized understanding of psychiatric disorders.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
Lower methylation in the NR3C1 promoter, which might have compensatory effects relating to CA2-3 and CA4-DG, is a distinct epigenetic characteristic in non-psychotic outpatients with MDD. Future studies with a longitudinal design and a comprehensive neurobiological approach are warranted in order to elucidate the effects of NR3C1 methylation.
Serotonergic genes have been implicated in mood disorders, alcoholism and certain personality traits. We investigated the possible relationship between several polymorphisms in the serotonin (5-HT) system and amygdala responses to negative facial stimuli in Korean women using functional magnetic resonance imaging. All participants were genotyped with regard to the following polymorphisms: the serotonin transporter-gene-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR), tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (TPH2) G(-703)
Monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) enzymatically degrades biogenic amines such as norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin, and plays a key role in the regulation of their neurotransmission. Allelic variations at the MAOA locus have been implicated in the neurobiology of aggression and impulsivity. We investigated the possible relationship between the MAOA–upstream variable number of tandem repeats (uVNTR) polymorphism and brain responses to negative facial stimuli, using functional magnetic resonance im
The purpose of this study was to investigate the concentration of N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) in the brain and its relationship with clinical characteristics in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy was performed in order to measure NAA concentrations in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and bilateral hippocampus in 26 subjects with fire-related PTSD, who were survivors of a subway fire in South Korea, and 25 age- and sex-matched healthy compa
It has been suggested that the characteristics of alexithymia result from deficits in frontal lobe functioning, and the prefrontal cortex is particularly dependent on the catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT) pathway. We investigated the relationship between COMT Val108/158Met, serotonin transporter coding sequence (5-HT transporter gene-linked polymorphic region; 5-HTTLPR) polymorphisms, and alexithymia. The study sample comprised 109 students at the Korea University. All participants were tested
We observed an association between the risk allele of the SLC6A15 gene rs1545843 and the WM integrity of the PHC in MDD patients, which is known to play an important role in the neural circuit involved in emotion processing.
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