Research Field

Neurons are interconnected with one another to form neural circuits, functional entities of neuronal population, in the brain. Neural circuits respond to environmental stimuli and guide appropriate behaviors in animals. However, permanent alterations in neural circuit by biological or environmental factors produce abnormal behaviors and lead to psychiatric diseases. Dr. Myoung-Hwan Kim is currently investigating the interplay between gene, environment, and neural circuit using gene knockout mice to better understand the mechanism between permanent modification of neural circuits and psychiatric disease. Combining electrophysiology, cellular & molecular biology, and behavioral neurogenetics, Dr. Myoung-Hwan Kim’s group investigates gene-to-behavior pathways in psychiatric disease.
Main topics of research:
1) Neural mechanisms underlying stress susceptibility and behavioral despair
2) Intellectual disability in inheritable metabolic disease.

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Keyword

Neuroscience, Synapse, Behavior, Electrophysiology, Neuropsychiatric disease