Functional Brain Mapping Lab

Introduction

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a very powerful non-invasive tool to visualize brain morphology, physiology, function and connectivity. However, MRI originates from water protons, thus its biological source is not straightforward. Especially, widely-used blood oxygenation-level dependent (BOLD) fMRI relies on the presumably close relationship between neural activity and hemodynamic responses. Therefore, it is crucial to understand underlying basis of fMRI for proper quantification and determining ultimate limits. Also MRI can image entire brain repeatedly from anesthetized to awake animals, and its readout can be combined with diverse manipulations such as sensory, electrical, chemical and optogenetic stimulation, and pharmacological interventions for answering system-level neural circuits. To obtain multimodal functional neuroimaging data, animal MRI facility (9.4 T and 15.2 T Bruker) is accompanied with a neurophysiology laboratory with electrophysiology, intrinsic optical imager, laser Doppler flowmeter, etc. Our research lab consisting of MR scientists and system neuroscientists focuses on three inter-related research themes; a) the development of physiological and functional MRI techniques, b) the investigation of biophysical and physiological sources of MRI signals (functional MRI, perfusion, diffusion, chemical exchange MRI), and c) the application of neuroimaging techniques to systems neuroscience research. 

Selected Recent Publications

1. Jin T, Wang P, Zong XP & Kim SG, “MR imaging of the Amide-Proton Transfer effect and the pH-insensitive Nuclear Overhauser Effect at 9.4 T”, Magnetic Resonance in Medicine 69: 760-770, 2013.

2. Vazquez AV, Fukuda M, Crowley JC & Kim SG, “Neural and hemodynamic responses elicited by forelimb and photo-stimulation in  Channelrhodopsin-2 mice: Insights into the hemodynamic point-spread function”, Cerebral Cortex 24(11): 2908-2919, 2014.

3. Jin T, Mehrens H, Hendrich KS & Kim SG, “Mapping brain glucose uptake with chemical exchange-sensitive spin-lock magnetic resonance imaging”, Journal of Cerebral Blood and Metabolism 34(8): 1402-1410, 2014.

4. Iordanova B, Vazquez AL, Poplawsky AJ, Fukuda M, and Kim SG, “Neural and hemodynamic responses to optogenetic and sensory stimulation in the rat somatosensory cortex”,  Journal of Cerebral Blood and Metabolism 35(6): 922-932, 2015.

5. Poplawsky AJ, Fukuda M, Murphy M & Kim SG, “Layer-specific fMRI responses to excitatory and inhibitory neuronal activities in the olfactory bulb”, J of Neurosci 35(46): 15263-15275, 2015.

Introduction

Dr. Lau earned his doctoral degree from Oxford University, and was a professor at Columbia University and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). In 2021 he joined as the team leader of the RIKEN Center for Brain Science in Japan.

In his academic book ‘In Conscious We Trust’, published in 2022, Dr. Lau presented an original theory of consciousness perception through empirical research and theoretical cooperation. In recent years, studies such as the interpretation of whether machines such as artificial intelligence (AI) can be conscious like humans (‘17, Science) and the presentation of computational methodologies to evaluate metacognitive abilities have attracted attention. Based on these achievements, he won major awards in psychological science, including the William James Award in 2005 and the Janet Taylor Spence Award in 2012.

Dr. Lau joined IBS in September 2024, and set a goal to find fundamental reasons why the way humans experience the world is different from other animals. Specifically, to reveal why the development of the prefrontal cortex, one of the unknown regions of the brain, is particularly noticeable in humans compared to other animals and how its function contributes to perception, he plans to study a combination of non-invasive experimental methods that are safe for humans and advanced technologies that can be used in animal models such as rodents.

Selected Recent Publication

Cocoan lab (Computational Cognitive Affective Neuroscience Laboratory)

Introduction

The mission of our lab is to understand pain and emotions in the perspective of Computational, Cognitive, and Affective Neuroscience. We also aim to develop clinically useful neuroimaging models and tools that can be used and shared across different research groups and clinical settings.

Our main research tools include functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), psychophysiology measures (skin conductance, pupilometry, electrocardiogram, respiration), electroencephalogram (EEG), and other behavioral measures such as face recording camera, eye-tracker, etc. Most importantly, we use computational tools to model and understand our affective, cognitive, and behavioral responses.

Selected Recent Publication

Introduction

I joined the School of Medicine, SungKyunKwan University as a Professor since Nov 2024. I received my D.Phil. (Sociology) in 2008 from the University of Oxford. Then I worked as a post-doc on the Understanding Autism Project at Columbia University in New York before joining the Sociology Department at UCLA in 2012 as a faculty member. 

My research has been focused on the intersections between social network analysis and social epidemiology. My major test cases are the diffusion of health conditions that people don't typically associate with network processes. I ask questions such as: under what circumstances suicides can have a large rippling effect? What are the roles of knowledge diffusion in the rising prevalence of autism? Using these cases, I demonstrate how paying attention to social networks can help us understand puzzling epidemiological patterns that cannot be readily explained by shifts in biological risks. 

Currently, I have been exploring the utility of tools from network science in other domains such as neuroscience. I am applying networks and other methods to fruit fly connectome data and human brain imaging data.

My work has appeared in Journal of Neuroscience, Trends in Cognitive Sciences, American Journal of Sociology, Demography, Social Forces, International Journal of Epidemiology, Health and Space, and other journals. My research has been supported by grants from the National Institute of Health. I'm the lead author of the paper that received the Eliot Freidson Outstanding Publication Award in 2011. 

Selected Recent Publication

1. Liu KY, Lau H (2022) Subjective experiences as nodes within mental disorder networks. Trends in Cognitive Sciences 26 (12) 1040-1042

2. Liu, K. Y., Teitler, J. O., Rajananda, S., Chegwin, V., Bearman, P. S., Hegyi, T., & Reichman, N. E. (2022). "Elective Deliveries and the Risk of Autism.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine

3. Taschereau-Dumouchel, V., Liu, Ka Y., Lau, H. (2018). Unconscious psychological treatments for physiological survival circuits. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences 24: 62-68 

4. McCurdy, LY, Maniscalco, B, Metcalfe, J, Liu, Ka Y, de Lange, FP, Lau, H (2013). Anatomical coupling between distinct metacognitive systems for memory and visual perception. The Journal of Neuroscience 33(5): 1897-1906.

5. Liu Ka Y, King M, Bearman P (2010) Social influence and the autism epidemic. American Journal of Sociology 115(5): 1387–1434

6. Liu, Ka Y, Chen, E, Cheung A, Yip PSF (2009) Psychiatric history modifies the gender ratio of suicide rates. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 44(2):130-4