Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus · NeuroscienceThe Social Circuit Lab
Yongsoo Kim · University Park, Pennsylvania
Research Focus
Dr. Yongsoo Kim's lab at Penn State University focuses on understanding how specific brain regions, particularly the ventral claustrum-dorsal endopiriform nucleus, influence social behavior and emotional processing. The lab investigates these mechanisms using advanced techniques in neuroscience and genetics, aiming to unravel the underlying biological pathways involved in neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. By studying the impact of certain genes on brain connectivity and functioning, the research seeks to inform future therapeutic strategies for various neurological conditions.
neuroanatomysocial behavioremotional processingneurodevelopmental disorderspsychiatric disordersmouse modelsgene expressionneural circuitsoptogeneticsCRISPR
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate the neuroanatomy and connectivity of the ventral claustrum-dorsal endopiriform nucleus in mice.
AIM 02Characterize the molecular properties of oxytocin receptor neurons in the vCLA-EPd.
AIM 03Examine the role of vCLA-EPd in regulating social behavior by manipulating neural activity.
AIM 04Assess the impact of neurodevelopmental disorder-related gene deletions on neural circuits.
AIM 05Identify biological pathways and behavioral changes associated with the loss of specific neurodevelopmental genes.
Skills the Lab Values
3D brain mappingsingle-cell RNA sequencingelectrophysiologyfluorescence microscopybehavioral trackingCRISPR gene editinganimal handlingdata analysistranscriptome analysisMRI imaging
Output against the department
Publications183top 41% of dept.276th of 671
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations5.0kbottom 37% of dept.426th of 671
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.