Kim, Sung-Yon

Kim, Sung-Yon is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Seoul National University. His research focuses on understanding how the brain processes and integrates sensory information to generate behavioral responses, with an emphasis on innate survival behaviors such as ingestion, thermoregulation, and aggression. His work employs advanced techniques like optogenetics, chemogenetics, and single-cell RNA-seq to investigate neural circuits and their dysregulation in metabolic and affective disorders. Kim has contributed to numerous high-impact publications and is affiliated with the Neural Circuit Lab at Seoul National University.

Sung-Yon Kim's research focuses on the neurobiology of homeostasis, body-brain communication, innate behavior, motivation and emotion, and integrative physiology. Their work explores how neural circuits mediate emotional valence, motivated behaviors, and physiological responses to internal and external stimuli. Key studies include the role of the amygdala in anxiety regulation, dopamine's influence on depression-related behaviors, and the neural mechanisms underlying ingestive and digestive processes. Kim also investigates brain circuits for homeostatic and non-homeostatic appetites and behavioral thermoregulation. Their research employs advanced techniques such as optogenetics, microfluidic devices, and proteomic imaging to study complex biological systems.