https://scholarworks.korea.ac.kr/kumedicine/handle/2020.sw.kumedicine/438 2026-04-09T03:03:53Z 2026-04-09T03:03:53Z Yang, Hyun-Ho Han, Kyu-Man Kang, You Bin Shin, Daun Tae, Woo Suk Han, Mi-Ryung Ham, Byung Joo https://scholarworks.korea.ac.kr/kumedicine/handle/2021.sw.kumedicine/79514 2026-03-17T00:30:11Z 2026-03-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Novel epigenetic loci identified from an epigenome-wide association study underlying brain structural changes in bipolar disorder Authors: Yang, Hyun-Ho; Han, Kyu-Man; Kang, You Bin; Shin, Daun; Tae, Woo Suk; Han, Mi-Ryung; Ham, Byung Joo Abstract: Background DNA methylation influences gene-environment interactions and brain development in bipolar disorder (BD). We aimed to identify BD-associated epigenetic loci and examine their associations with brain structural variation.Methods We conducted an epigenome-wide association study (BD group, n = 90; healthy controls group, n = 161) to identify BD-associated DNA methylation loci, and we additionally performed copy number alteration and functional enrichment analyses. The correlations between epigenetic loci and cortical thickness (CT) were assessed using Pearson's partial correlation analysis, and the co-methylation effect of the epigenetic loci identified in the neuroimaging-epigenetic analysis was investigated.Findings A total of 156 differentially methylated positions (DMPs) and 7 differentially methylated regions were identified, and the genes associated with them were observed to be enriched in biological processes related to muscle hypertrophy and neuronal activity. Significant correlations between the methylation levels of 13 DMPs associated with three genes (miR886, PLEC1, and ICAM5) and the CT of the right postcentral gyrus and inferior frontal gyrus were identified. Specifically, 10 DMPs associated with the CpG island in the upstream region of the miR886 gene showed negative correlations with the right postcentral gyrus CT, implicating miR886-associated CpG-island methylation in regional cortical thinning.Conclusion Epigenetic changes might play an important role in brain structural changes in BD. These multimodal findings nominate miR886-related methylation as a candidate molecular correlate of cortical thinning and warrant replication and mechanistic follow-up in larger, state-diverse cohorts.

2026-03-01T00:00:00Z Jung, Minjee Kim, Kyoung Jin Kim, Kyeong Jin Tae, Woo-Suk Ham, Byung-Joo Kim, Sin Gon Han, Kyu-Man https://scholarworks.korea.ac.kr/kumedicine/handle/2021.sw.kumedicine/79321 2026-02-25T01:30:13Z 2026-02-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Resting-State Functional Connectivity Changes Associated With Post-Traumatic Stress and Anxiety Symptoms in North Korean Refugees Authors: Jung, Minjee; Kim, Kyoung Jin; Kim, Kyeong Jin; Tae, Woo-Suk; Ham, Byung-Joo; Kim, Sin Gon; Han, Kyu-Man Abstract: Objective North Korean refugees (NKRs) face substantial mental health challenges related to trauma during escape and resettlement, yet neurobiological research in this population is scarce. We examined resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) differences between NKRs and South Korean healthy controls (SKCs) and explored associations between psychiatric symptoms and functional connectivity (FC). Methods Twenty-eight NKRs and 28 matched SKCs underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging and were assessed for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety. Seed-to-voxel FC analysis was performed using the CONN toolbox with previously reported depression-and anxiety-related brain regions as seeds. Results Among the 28 NKRs, 22 had psychiatric diagnoses, including major depressive disorder and PTSD, and 18 had trauma exposure. NKRs showed significant RSFC alterations, such as lower FC between the right amygdala and visual cortex and between the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and postcentral gyrus, and higher FC between the left ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the bilateral putamen and between the right dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and insula. The FC between the right amygdala and visual cortex was negatively correlated with PTSD symptom severity (r=-0.427, p=0.030), and the FC between the right ventral striatum and left cerebellum was negatively correlated with trait anxiety scores (r=-0.416, p=0.035) among the NKRs. Conclusion Our study revealed distinct RSFC changes in NKRs compared with SKCs. These may implicate disturbances in emotional processing, cognitive control over somatosensory processing, reward processing, and heightened anxiety-related attention and adaptive stress responses among NKRs. Psychiatry Investig 2026;23(2):258-269

2026-02-01T00:00:00Z Tae, Woo-Suk Ham, Byung-Joo Pyun, Sung-Bom Kim, Byung-Jo https://scholarworks.korea.ac.kr/kumedicine/handle/2021.sw.kumedicine/78025 2025-09-08T07:44:35Z 2025-07-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Current Clinical Applications of Structural MRI in Neurological Disorders Authors: Tae, Woo-Suk; Ham, Byung-Joo; Pyun, Sung-Bom; Kim, Byung-Jo Abstract: Structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) plays a pivotal role in the evaluation of neurological disorders by providing high-resolution anatomical information. Recent advances in quantitative postprocessing techniques have expanded the utility of sMRI beyond visual assessments by enabling the detection of subtle morphological changes associated with various neurological and psychiatric conditions. This review summarizes current clinical applications of sMRI-based analysis, including brain volumetry, shape analysis, voxel-based morphometry (VBM), surface-based morphometry, source-based morphometry, and voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping (VLSM). Volumetric and shape-based analyses allow for assessments of region-specific atrophy and subregional morphological alterations, while VBM and surface-based morphometry provide complementary insights into tissue volumes and the architecture of the cortical surface. Source-based morphometry reveals network-level patterns of structural covariance, and VLSM directly correlates lesion locations with functional outcomes, particularly in stroke. It has been demonstrated that these methodologies are clinically relevant in conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and major depressive disorder. By quantifying structural brain alterations that are not readily detectable using conventional imaging methods, these tools improve diagnostic accuracy, support prognostication, and facilitate monitoring of treatment effects. This review highlights the growing integration of sMRI postprocessing techniques into clinical neurology.

2025-07-01T00:00:00Z Shin, Daun Kang, Youbin Kim, Aram Tae, Woo Suk Han, Mi-Ryung Han, Kyu-Man Ham, Byung-Joo https://scholarworks.korea.ac.kr/kumedicine/handle/2021.sw.kumedicine/78026 2025-09-08T07:44:42Z 2025-07-01T00:00:00Z

Title: The Effect of Forkhead Box O1 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms on Cortical Thickness and White Matter Integrity in High Suicide Risk Patients ( vol 21 , pg 1238 , 2024) Authors: Shin, Daun; Kang, Youbin; Kim, Aram; Tae, Woo Suk; Han, Mi-Ryung; Han, Kyu-Man; Ham, Byung-Joo

2025-07-01T00:00:00Z