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Woojun Seon

Sungkyunkwan University · Medicine

About the Lab

Professor Woojun Seon's research lab specializes in neurological and immunological mechanisms underlying autoimmune and neurodegenerative disorders, with a focus on autoimmune encephalitis, rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (iRBD), and bacterial meningitis. The lab investigates the genetic and immunological underpinnings of these conditions, particularly the role of HLA subtypes in autoimmune encephalitis and functional brain network alterations in iRBD using EEG-based neuroimaging and connectivity analysis. Additionally, the lab contributes to the epidemiology and clinical characterization of sleep-disordered breathing in the Korean population. Their work bridges clinical neurology, immunogenetics, and neurophysiology to uncover pathophysiological mechanisms and potential biomarkers for early diagnosis and intervention.

autoimmune encephalitisiRBDEEG functional connectivityHLA associationbacterial meningitis

Research Overview

Papers
192
Total Citations
4,000
Papers (5y)
69
Primary Field
Medicine

Research Output Trend

Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.

Publications per year (5y)
69total
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Citations per year (5y)
664total
20212022202320242025

Selected Papers

15
1
Article|198 citations·2016
Anti‐LGI1 encephalitis is associated with unique HLA subtypes
Tae‐Joon Kim, Soon‐Tae Lee, Jangsup Moon, Jun‐Sang Sunwoo, Jung‐Ick Byun, Jung‐Ah Lim, Yong‐Won Shin, Jin‐Sun Jun, Han Sang Lee, Woo‐Jin Lee, Ah Reaum Yang, Yunhee Choi
SJR Q1Annals of Neurology

OBJECTIVE: Autoimmune encephalitis (AE), represented by anti-leucine-rich glioma-inactivated 1 (anti-LGI1) and anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (anti-NMDAR) encephalitis, has increasing clinical significance based on recent discoveries of neuronal autoantibodies. However, its immunopathogenesis is not fully understood. Here, we investigated whether AE is associated with the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) subtypes. METHODS: We compared the HLA genotypes of 11 anti-LGI1 and 17 anti-NMDAR encephal

NeurologyMedicine
2
Article|162 citations·2016
Altered Expression of the Long Noncoding RNA NEAT1 in Huntington’s Disease
Jun‐Sang Sunwoo, Soon‐Tae Lee, Wooseok Im, Mijung Lee, Jung‐Ick Byun, Keun‐Hwa Jung, Kyung‐Il Park, Ki‐Young Jung, Sang Kun Lee, Kon Chu, Manho Kim
SJR Q1Molecular Neurobiology
Cancer ResearchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
3
Article|61 citations·2018
Prevalence, sleep characteristics, and comorbidities in a population at high risk for obstructive sleep apnea: A nationwide questionnaire study in South Korea
Jun‐Sang Sunwoo, Young Hwangbo, Won‐Joo Kim, Min Kyung Chu, Chang‐Ho Yun, Kwang Ik Yang
SJR Q1PLoS ONEOA

This is the first study to demonstrate the prevalence of a high risk for OSA in a nationwide representative sample of the Korean adult population. These findings elucidate the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of those at high risk for OSA.

PhysiologyMedicine
4
Article|57 citations·2021
A hospital-based study on etiology and prognosis of bacterial meningitis in adults
Jun‐Sang Sunwoo, Hye‐Rim Shin, Han Sang Lee, Jangsup Moon, Soon‐Tae Lee, Keun‐Hwa Jung, Kyung‐Il Park, Ki‐Young Jung, Manho Kim, Sang Kun Lee, Kon Chu
SJR Q1Scientific ReportsOA

Bacterial meningitis is a neurological emergency with high morbidity and mortality. We herein investigated clinical features, etiology, antimicrobial susceptibility profiles, and prognosis of bacterial meningitis in adults from a single tertiary center. We retrospectively reviewed medical records of patients with laboratory-confirmed bacterial meningitis from 2007 to 2016. Patients with recent neurosurgery, head trauma, or indwelling neurosurgical devices were classified as having healthcare-rel

MicrobiologyImmunology and Microbiology
5
Article|55 citations·2015
Clinical manifestations of patients with CASPR2 antibodies
Jun‐Sang Sunwoo, Soon‐Tae Lee, Jung‐Ick Byun, Jangsup Moon, Jung-Won Shin, Daeun Jeong, Gun-Hee Lee, Seong Ho Jeong, Yong‐Won Shin, Keun‐Hwa Jung, Doo Young Lee, Daejong Jeon
SJR Q2Journal of Neuroimmunology
NeurologyMedicine
6
Article|49 citations·2018
Abnormal activation of motor cortical network during phasic REM sleep in idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder
Jun‐Sang Sunwoo, Kwang Su, Jung‐Ick Byun, Tae‐Joon Kim, Jin‐Sun Jun, Jung‐Ah Lim, Soon‐Tae Lee, Keun‐Hwa Jung, Kyung‐Il Park, Kon Chu, Han‐Joon Kim, Manho Kim
SJR Q1SLEEPOA

Study Objectives: We investigated electroencephalography (EEG) power spectral density and functional connectivity during phasic and tonic rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, and examined any differences between patients with idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) and controls. Methods: EEG data from 13 people with iRBD (mean age, 66.3 years; men, 84.6%) and 10 controls (mean age, 62.3 years; men, 70%) were analyzed. We selected thirty 3 s miniepochs of both tonic and phasic REM sleep. We esti

Cognitive NeuroscienceNeuroscience
7
Article|48 citations·2017
Altered Functional Connectivity in Idiopathic Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behavior Disorder: A Resting-State EEG Study
Jun‐Sang Sunwoo, Sanghun Lee, Jung‐Hoon Kim, Jung‐Ah Lim, Tae‐Joon Kim, Jung‐Ick Byun, Min Hee Jeong, Kwang Su, Jeong Woo Choi, Kyung Hwan Kim, Soon‐Tae Lee, Keun‐Hwa Jung
SJR Q1SLEEPOA

Study Objectives: Idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) is considered as a prodromal stage of synucleinopathy. Although loss of functional connectivity is implicated in neurodegenerative diseases, network characteristics of electroencephalography (EEG) in iRBD are unknown. Therefore, we evaluated resting-state EEG functional connectivity to identify the brain network changes in patients with iRBD. Methods: We prospectively enrolled 20 patients with polysomnography-confirme

NeurologyMedicine
8
letter|48 citations·2016
Reemergence of Japanese Encephalitis in South Korea, 2010–2015
Jun‐Sang Sunwoo, Keun‐Hwa Jung, Soon‐Tae Lee, Sang Kun Lee, Kon Chu
SJR Q1Emerging infectious diseasesOA

that HV-CV1 and its closest homologue, an ssDNA circular virus of unknown taxon discovered in an Antarctic shelf pond, are distantly related to other CRESS-DNA viruses (online Technical Appendix Figure HV-GcV2 and HV-CV1 displayed no capsid protein similarity between them or with any other virus, as determined by blastp. Annotation of the HV-CV1 capsid gene required use of HHBlits (https://toolkit.tuebingen.mpg.de/hhblits), a more sensitive algorithm (E-value 1.2E-06, probability of 97.2%).

Public Health, Environmental and Occupational HealthMedicine
9
Article|37 citations·2020
Nonrapid eye movement sleep electroencephalographic oscillations in idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder: a study of sleep spindles and slow oscillations
Jun‐Sang Sunwoo, Kwang Su, Jung‐Ick Byun, Jin‐Sun Jun, Tae‐Joon Kim, Jung-Won Shin, Soon‐Tae Lee, Keun‐Hwa Jung, Kyung‐Il Park, Kon Chu, Manho Kim, Sang Kun Lee
SJR Q1SLEEPOA

STUDY OBJECTIVES: We investigated electroencephalographic (EEG) slow oscillations (SOs), sleep spindles (SSs), and their temporal coordination during nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep in patients with idiopathic rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (iRBD). METHODS: We analyzed 16 patients with video-polysomnography-confirmed iRBD (age, 65.4 ± 6.6 years; male, 87.5%) and 10 controls (age, 62.3 ± 7.5 years; male, 70%). SSs and SOs were automatically detected during stage N2 and N3. We

Cognitive NeuroscienceNeuroscience
10
Article|35 citations·2020
Sleep duration rather than sleep timing is associated with obesity in adolescents
Jun‐Sang Sunwoo, Kwang Ik Yang, Jee Hyun Kim, Dae Lim Koo, Daeyoung Kim, Seung Bong Hong
SJR Q1Sleep Medicine
Experimental and Cognitive PsychologyPsychology
11
Article|26 citations·2017
Clinical Characteristics of Severe Japanese Encephalitis: A Case Series from South Korea
Jun‐Sang Sunwoo, Soon‐Tae Lee, Keun‐Hwa Jung, Kyung‐Il Park, Jangsup Moon, Ki-Young Jung, Manho Kim, Sang Kun Lee, Kon Chu
SJR Q2American Journal of Tropical Medicine and HygieneOA

Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus is a major cause of devastating viral encephalitis, especially in Asia. Although a successful vaccination program led to its near-elimination over three decades in South Korea, the incidence of JE has increased since 2010. The present study investigated the clinical manifestations, laboratory findings, and factors affecting neurological outcomes of reemerging JE. We retrospectively reviewed medical records of laboratory-confirmed JE patients who presented with ac

Public Health, Environmental and Occupational HealthMedicine
12
Article|26 citations·2019
High risk of obstructive sleep apnea, insomnia, and daytime sleepiness among commercial motor vehicle drivers
Jun‐Sang Sunwoo, Dae‐Seop Shin, Young Hwangbo, Won‐Joo Kim, Min Kyung Chu, Chang‐Ho Yun, Taekyoung Jang, Kwang Ik Yang
SJR Q1Sleep And BreathingOA
Experimental and Cognitive PsychologyPsychology
13
Article|21 citations·2018
Maternal immune activation alters brain microRNA expression in mouse offspring
Jun‐Sang Sunwoo, Daejong Jeon, Soon‐Tae Lee, Jangsup Moon, Jung‐Suk Yu, Dong‐Kyu Park, Ji‐Yeon Bae, Doo Young Lee, Sang Woo Kim, Keun‐Hwa Jung, Kyung‐Il Park, Ki‐Young Jung
SJR Q1Annals of Clinical and Translational NeurologyOA

Abstract Objective Maternal immune activation (MIA) is associated with an increased risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in offspring. Herein, we investigate the altered expression of microRNAs (miRNA), and that of their target genes, in the brains of MIA mouse offspring. Methods To generate MIA model mice, pregnant mice were injected with polyriboinosinic:polyribocytidylic acid on embryonic day 12.5. We performed miRNA microarray and mRNA sequencing in order to determine the differential expr

Cancer ResearchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
14
Article|20 citations·2017
Sleep characteristics associated with drowsy driving
Jun‐Sang Sunwoo, Young Hwangbo, Won‐Joo Kim, Min Kyung Chu, Chang‐Ho Yun, Kwang Ik Yang
SJR Q1Sleep MedicineOA
Experimental and Cognitive PsychologyPsychology
15
Article|20 citations·2021
Fatigue is associated with depression independent of excessive daytime sleepiness in the general population
Jun‐Sang Sunwoo, Daeyoung Kim, Min Kyung Chu, Chang‐Ho Yun, Kwang Ik Yang
SJR Q1Sleep And BreathingOA
Experimental and Cognitive PsychologyPsychology

Research Areas

NeurologyCognitive NeuroscienceEpidemiologyPsychiatry and Mental healthExperimental and Cognitive PsychologySurgery

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