Research Overview

I have expertise in neuroimage analysis using structural and diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and I have been focused on development and analysis of quantitative neuroimaging features of normal and abnormal brain development. I have developed methodologies for quantifying and investigating early cortical structural development, and for examining white matter connectivity patterns based on individual’s cortical gyral patterns. My long-term goal is to provide a novel and unique imaging biomarker for genetic brain disorders, and develop my career as a pioneer in a translational research filed of the developmental neuroimaging. To that end, I have been studying various developmental brain disorders using my original MRI analysis techniques and showing the potential to really diagnose developmental problems in multiple disorders (polymicrogyria, developmental dyslexia, tuberous sclerosis complex, and TUBB3 syndromes). 

 

Publications

  1. Impact of high maternal body mass index on fetal cerebral cortical and cerebellar volumes. J Perinat Med. 2025 Jan 06. View Abstract
  2. Noncoding variants and sulcal patterns in congenital heart disease: Machine learning to predict functional impact. iScience. 2025 Feb 21; 28(2):111707. View Abstract
  3. Dynamic changes in subplate and cortical plate microstructure at the onset of cortical folding in vivo. bioRxiv. 2024 Jun 28. View Abstract
  4. Meta-regression of sulcal patterns, clinical and environmental factors on neurodevelopmental outcomes in participants with multiple CHD types. Cereb Cortex. 2024 06 04; 34(6). View Abstract
  5. Automatic cortical surface parcellation in the fetal brain using attention-gated spherical U-net. Front Neurosci. 2024; 18:1410936. View Abstract
  6. The role of cortical structural variance in deep learning-based prediction of fetal brain age. Front Neurosci. 2024; 18:1411334. View Abstract
  7. Publisher Correction to: Morphological Features of Language Regions in Individuals with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex. J Autism Dev Disord. 2024 Mar; 54(3):1232. View Abstract
  8. A Prospective Multi-Institutional Study Comparing the Brain Development in the Third Trimester between Opioid-Exposed and Nonexposed Fetuses Using Advanced Fetal MR Imaging Techniques. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2024 02 07; 45(2):218-223. View Abstract
  9. Association between placental oxygen transport and fetal brain cortical development: a study in monochorionic diamniotic twins. Cereb Cortex. 2024 01 14; 34(1). View Abstract
  10. Association of genetic and sulcal traits with executive function in congenital heart disease. Ann Clin Transl Neurol. 2024 02; 11(2):278-290. View Abstract
  11. Maternal pre-pregnancy obesity affects the uncinate fasciculus white matter tract in preterm infants. Front Pediatr. 2023; 11:1225960. View Abstract
  12. Morphological Features of Language Regions in Individuals with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex. J Autism Dev Disord. 2024 Aug; 54(8):3155-3175. View Abstract
  13. Comprehensive quantitative analyses of fetal magnetic resonance imaging in isolated cerebral ventriculomegaly. Neuroimage Clin. 2023; 37:103357. View Abstract
  14. Loss of non-motor kinesin KIF26A causes congenital brain malformations via dysregulated neuronal migration and axonal growth as well as apoptosis. Dev Cell. 2022 10 24; 57(20):2381-2396.e13. View Abstract
  15. Quantification of sulcal emergence timing and its variability in early fetal life: Hemispheric asymmetry and sex difference. Neuroimage. 2022 11; 263:119629. View Abstract
  16. Regional brain development in fetuses with Dandy-Walker malformation: A volumetric fetal brain magnetic resonance imaging study. PLoS One. 2022; 17(2):e0263535. View Abstract
  17. Optimal Method for Fetal Brain Age Prediction Using Multiplanar Slices From Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Front Neurosci. 2021; 15:714252. View Abstract
  18. Abnormal Right-Hemispheric Sulcal Patterns Correlate with Executive Function in Adolescents with Tetralogy of Fallot. Cereb Cortex. 2021 08 26; 31(10):4670-4680. View Abstract
  19. Association between Quantitative MR Markers of Cortical Evolving Organization and Gene Expression during Human Prenatal Brain Development. Cereb Cortex. 2021 07 05; 31(8):3610-3621. View Abstract
  20. Abnormal Left-Hemispheric Sulcal Patterns in Adults With Simple Congenital Heart Defects Repaired in Childhood. J Am Heart Assoc. 2021 04 06; 10(7):e018580. View Abstract
  21. Intergenerational Transmission of Cortical Sulcal Patterns from Mothers to their Children. Cereb Cortex. 2021 03 05; 31(4):1888-1897. View Abstract
  22. Regional Alterations in Cortical Sulcal Depth in Living Fetuses with Down Syndrome. Cereb Cortex. 2021 01 05; 31(2):757-767. View Abstract
  23. Fetal Cortical Plate Segmentation Using Fully Convolutional Networks With Multiple Plane Aggregation. Front Neurosci. 2020; 14:591683. View Abstract
  24. Cortical sulci in the human fetal brain and development / The Neuroscience of Development. 2020. View Abstract
  25. Advanced fetal MRI / Handbook of Pediatric brain imaging: Methods, Modalities and Applications. 2020. View Abstract
  26. An Atypical Sulcal Pattern in Children with Disorders of the Corpus Callosum and Its Relation to Behavioral Outcomes. Cereb Cortex. 2020 07 30; 30(9):4790-4799. View Abstract
  27. Temporal Patterns of Emergence and Spatial Distribution of Sulcal Pits During Fetal Life. Cereb Cortex. 2020 06 01; 30(7):4257-4268. View Abstract
  28. Abnormal Left-Hemispheric Sulcal Patterns Correlate with Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Subjects with Single Ventricular Congenital Heart Disease. Cereb Cortex. 2020 03 21; 30(2):476-487. View Abstract
  29. Quantitative MRI Analyses of Regional Brain Growth in Living Fetuses with Down Syndrome. Cereb Cortex. 2020 01 10; 30(1):382-390. View Abstract
  30. Longitudinal structural connectomic and rich-club analysis in adolescent mTBI reveals persistent, distributed brain alterations acutely through to one year post-injury. Sci Rep. 2019 12 11; 9(1):18833. View Abstract
  31. Early-Emerging Sulcal Patterns Are Atypical in Fetuses with Congenital Heart Disease. Cereb Cortex. 2019 07 22; 29(8):3605-3616. View Abstract
  32. Altered White Matter Organization in the TUBB3 E410K Syndrome. Cereb Cortex. 2019 07 22; 29(8):3561-3576. View Abstract
  33. Altered structural brain connectivity involving the dorsal and ventral language pathways in 16p11.2 deletion syndrome. Brain Imaging Behav. 2019 Apr; 13(2):430-445. View Abstract
  34. Altered White Matter Connectivity Associated with Intergyral Brain Disorganization in Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy. Neuroscience. 2019 02 10; 399:146-160. View Abstract
  35. Automatic labeling of cortical sulci for the human fetal brain based on spatio-temporal information of gyrification. Neuroimage. 2019 03; 188:473-482. View Abstract
  36. Disorganized Patterns of Sulcal Position in Fetal Brains with Agenesis of Corpus Callosum. Cereb Cortex. 2018 09 01; 28(9):3192-3203. View Abstract
  37. Sodium Channel SCN3A (NaV1.3) Regulation of Human Cerebral Cortical Folding and Oral Motor Development. Neuron. 2018 09 05; 99(5):905-913.e7. View Abstract
  38. Aspm knockout ferret reveals an evolutionary mechanism governing cerebral cortical size. Nature. 2018 04; 556(7701):370-375. View Abstract
  39. Sulcal pits and patterns in developing human brains. Neuroimage. 2019 01 15; 185:881-890. View Abstract
  40. Total MRI Small Vessel Disease Burden Correlates with Cognitive Performance, Cortical Atrophy, and Network Measures in a Memory Clinic Population. J Alzheimers Dis. 2018; 63(4):1485-1497. View Abstract
  41. Vascular Effects on Depressive Symptoms in Cognitive Impairment. J Alzheimers Dis. 2018; 65(2):597-605. View Abstract
  42. Can cerebellar and brainstem apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values predict neuromotor outcome in term neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) treated with hypothermia? PLoS One. 2017; 12(7):e0178510. View Abstract
  43. Quantitative Folding Pattern Analysis of Early Primary Sulci in Human Fetuses with Brain Abnormalities. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2017 Jul; 38(7):1449-1455. View Abstract
  44. Higher Physical Activity Is Associated with Increased Attentional Network Connectivity in the Healthy Elderly. Front Aging Neurosci. 2016; 8:198. View Abstract
  45. Early- vs late-onset subcortical vascular cognitive impairment. Neurology. 2016 Feb 09; 86(6):527-34. View Abstract
  46. Clinical effect of white matter network disruption related to amyloid and small vessel disease. Neurology. 2015 Jul 07; 85(1):63-70. View Abstract
  47. Development of PET/MRI with insertable PET for simultaneous PET and MR imaging of human brain. Med Phys. 2015 May; 42(5):2354-63. View Abstract
  48. Structural brain changes after traditional and robot-assisted multi-domain cognitive training in community-dwelling healthy elderly. PLoS One. 2015; 10(4):e0123251. View Abstract
  49. Altered Structural Brain Networks in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex. Cereb Cortex. 2016 May; 26(5):2046-58. View Abstract
  50. Atypical Sulcal Pattern in Children with Developmental Dyslexia and At-Risk Kindergarteners. Cereb Cortex. 2016 Mar; 26(3):1138-1148. View Abstract
  51. Effects of amyloid and small vessel disease on white matter network disruption. J Alzheimers Dis. 2015; 44(3):963-75. View Abstract
  52. Higher C-peptide levels are associated with regional cortical thinning in 1093 cognitively normal subjects. Eur J Neurol. 2014 Oct; 21(10):1318-23, e80-1. View Abstract
  53. Evolutionarily dynamic alternative splicing of GPR56 regulates regional cerebral cortical patterning. Science. 2014 Feb 14; 343(6172):764-8. View Abstract
  54. Altered white matter connectivity and network organization in polymicrogyria revealed by individual gyral topology-based analysis. Neuroimage. 2014 Feb 01; 86:182-93. View Abstract
  55. Prediction for human intelligence using morphometric characteristics of cortical surface: partial least square analysis. Neuroscience. 2013 Aug 29; 246:351-61. View Abstract
  56. Automated sulcal depth measurement on cortical surface reflecting geometrical properties of sulci. PLoS One. 2013; 8(2):e55977. View Abstract
  57. Longitudinal changes of cortical thickness in early- versus late-onset Alzheimer's disease. Neurobiol Aging. 2013 Jul; 34(7):1921.e9-1921.e15. View Abstract
  58. Reliable identification of deep sulcal pits: the effects of scan session, scanner, and surface extraction tool. PLoS One. 2013; 8(1):e53678. View Abstract
  59. Effect of kidney dysfunction on cortical thinning in patients with probable Alzheimer's disease dementia. J Alzheimers Dis. 2013; 33(4):961-8. View Abstract
  60. Quantification and discrimination of abnormal sulcal patterns in polymicrogyria. Cereb Cortex. 2013 Dec; 23(12):3007-15. View Abstract
  61. Cardiovascular risk factors cause cortical thinning in cognitively impaired patients: relationships among cardiovascular risk factors, white matter hyperintensities, and cortical atrophy. Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord. 2012 Apr-Jun; 26(2):106-12. View Abstract
  62. Topography of cortical thinning areas associated with hippocampal atrophy (HA) in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2012 Mar-Apr; 54(2):e122-9. View Abstract
  63. The cortical neuroanatomy of neuropsychological deficits in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease: a surface-based morphometric analysis. Neuropsychologia. 2011 Dec; 49(14):3931-45. View Abstract
  64. Cortical thinning in verbal, visual, and both memory-predominant mild cognitive impairment. Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord. 2011 Jul-Sep; 25(3):242-9. View Abstract
  65. A multi-resolution scheme for distortion-minimizing mapping between human subcortical structures based on geodesic construction on Riemannian manifolds. Neuroimage. 2011 Aug 15; 57(4):1376-92. View Abstract
  66. Quantitative comparison and analysis of sulcal patterns using sulcal graph matching: a twin study. Neuroimage. 2011 Aug 01; 57(3):1077-86. View Abstract
  67. Cortical thinning related to periventricular and deep white matter hyperintensities. Neurobiol Aging. 2012 Jul; 33(7):1156-67. View Abstract
  68. The relationship between the presence of sulcal pits and intelligence in human brains. Neuroimage. 2011 Apr 15; 55(4):1490-6. View Abstract
  69. Spectral-based automatic labeling and refining of human cortical sulcal curves using expert-provided examples. Neuroimage. 2010 Aug 01; 52(1):142-57. View Abstract
  70. Automatic extraction of sulcal lines on cortical surfaces based on anisotropic geodesic distance. Neuroimage. 2010 Jan 01; 49(1):293-302. View Abstract
  71. Spatial distribution of deep sulcal landmarks and hemispherical asymmetry on the cortical surface. Cereb Cortex. 2010 Mar; 20(3):602-11. View Abstract
  72. Effects of demographic factors on cortical thickness in Alzheimer's disease. Neurobiol Aging. 2011 Feb; 32(2):200-9. View Abstract
  73. Cortical thinning in vascular mild cognitive impairment and vascular dementia of subcortical type. J Neuroimaging. 2010 Jan; 20(1):37-45. View Abstract
  74. Sulcal morphology changes and their relationship with cortical thickness and gyral white matter volume in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. Neuroimage. 2008 Oct 15; 43(1):103-13. View Abstract
  75. Human cortical anatomical networks assessed by structural MRI. Brain Imaging and Behavior. 2008; 2:289-299. View Abstract
  76. Variations in cortical thickness with dementia severity in Alzheimer's disease. Neurosci Lett. 2008 May 09; 436(2):227-31. View Abstract
  77. Brain size and cortical structure in the adult human brain. Cereb Cortex. 2008 Sep; 18(9):2181-91. View Abstract
  78. Cortical thickness in single- versus multiple-domain amnestic mild cognitive impairment. Neuroimage. 2007 Jun; 36(2):289-97. View Abstract
  79. Pattern classification using principal components of cortical thickness and its discriminative pattern in schizophrenia. Neuroimage. 2007 Feb 15; 34(4):1405-15. View Abstract
  80. Fractal dimension in human cortical surface: multiple regression analysis with cortical thickness, sulcal depth, and folding area. Hum Brain Mapp. 2006 Dec; 27(12):994-1003. View Abstract
  81. Gender difference analysis of cortical thickness in healthy young adults with surface-based methods. Neuroimage. 2006 May 15; 31(1):31-8. View Abstract

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