Korea University · Medicine
Professor Kyu-Man Han's research lab focuses on the neurobiological and neuroimaging mechanisms underlying mood disorders, particularly major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD). The lab investigates the interplay between genetic factors, epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation, and systemic inflammation in shaping brain structure and function. Using advanced neuroimaging techniques like structural MRI and functional connectivity analysis, the lab explores how peripheral and central inflammatory processes contribute to neural circuit dysfunction and neuroprogression in mood disorders. A key focus is identifying biomarkers and understanding the pathophysiological roles of genes like FKBP5 and neuroinflammatory pathways in psychiatric illness.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
This narrative review discusses how peripheral and central inflammation processes affect brain function and structure in depression, and reports on recent peripheral inflammatory marker-based functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies from the perspective of neural-circuit dysfunction in depression. Chronic stress stimulates the activity of microglial cells, which increases the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the brain. In addition, microglial activation promo
A single nucleotide polymorphism of rs1360780 in the FKBP5 gene is associated with a predisposition to developing major depressive disorder (MDD). We investigated the interactive effects of FKBP5 rs1360780 allelic variants, DNA methylation, and the diagnosis of MDD on structural changes of the entire brain. One hundred and fourteen patients with MDD and eighty-eight healthy controls underwent T1-weighted structural magnetic resonance imaging and FKBP5 rs1360780 genotyping, including DNA methylat
We observed hippocampal subfield volume reductions in both MDD and BD, a finding which more prominent in MDD. The inverse correlation between BD illness duration and hippocampal subfield volume may evidence the neuroprogressive nature of BD.
Our findings indicate that WCS may be beneficial for low-grade systemic inflammation in adults, particularly among those with shorter weekday sleep durations. WCS may also interact with obesity.
Open papers in the app to read, cite, and organize with AI.
