Ewha Womans University · Neuroscience
Professor Sujung Yoon's research lab focuses on the neural and neurobiological underpinnings of psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders, with a particular emphasis on the interplay between neuroinflammation, neurotrophic factors, and brain network integrity. The lab investigates how genetic variations—such as the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism—and environmental factors like adolescent methamphetamine use affect brain structure, function, and metabolism. Utilizing advanced neuroimaging techniques, including MRI and MRS, the lab explores the neural correlates of conditions such as PTSD, bipolar disorder, and substance use disorders, aiming to identify biomarkers and pathophysiological mechanisms.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic condition characterized by symptoms of physiological and psychosocial burden. While growing research demonstrated signs of inflammation in PTSD, specific biomarkers that may be representative of PTSD such as the detailed neural correlates underlying the inflammatory responses in relation to trauma exposure are seldom discussed. Here, we review recent studies that explored alterations in key inflammatory markers in PTSD, as well as neuroimaging-b
This systematic review suggests disruption in the functional activity of large-scale brain networks at rest as well as during a task stimuli in bipolar disorder. Disrupted intra- and internetwork functional connectivity that are also associated with clinical symptoms suggest altered functional connectivity of and between large-scale networks plays an important role in the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder.
Val66Met, a naturally occurring polymorphism in the human brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene resulting in a valine (Val) to methionine (Met) substitution at codon 66, plays an important role in neuroplasticity. While the effect of the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism on local brain structures has previously been examined, its impact on the configuration of the graph-based white matter structural networks is yet to be investigated. In the current study, we assessed the effect of the BDNF pol
The adolescent brain, with ongoing prefrontal maturation, may be more vulnerable to drug use-related neurotoxic changes as compared to the adult brain. We investigated whether the use of methamphetamine (MA), a highly addictive psychostimulant, during adolescence affect metabolic and cognitive functions of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). In adolescent MA users (n = 44) and healthy adolescents (n = 53), the levels of N-acetyl aspartate (NAA), a neuronal marker, were examined in the ACC using
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