Sanghun Lee

Assistant Professor Biomedical Sciences

E102 AZ

(970) 491-1390

About Sanghun

I study how inhibitory circuits in hippocampal and thalamocortical networks regulate neural activity by examining the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms of these circuits in normal and pathological conditions. My current research is primarily focused on hippocampal interneurons, not only because they critically regulate hippocampal network activity (e.g., gamma oscillations) and excitability, but also because abnormal interneuron activity in the brain may be mechanistically connected to spontaneous seizures and cognitive deficits in epilepsy. Unravelling hippocampal interneurons requires a deep understanding of the neural circuits in which they are embedded at multiple levels of organization, including distinct cell types, local circuits, and long-range circuits. Through the study of precisely defined components of these neuronal circuits, I currently determine intrinsic, synaptic, and circuit mechanisms underlying spontaneous seizures and impaired hippocampal network activity in temporal lobe epilepsy. I employ an interdisciplinary approach that includes in vitro and in vivo electrophysiological, optogenetic, imaging, anatomical, molecular, and pharmacological techniques, as well as behavioral tests, using the mouse as a model and human brain organoids.

Education

Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2005M.S., Inha University, Incheon, South Korea, 1999B.S., Inha University, Incheon, South Korea, 1997

Publications

Lee S.H.,* Földy C., and Soltesz I. (2010). Distinct endocannabinoid control of GABA release at perisomatic and dendritic synapses in the hippocampus. Journal of Neuroscience 30: 7993-8000. *Corresponding author. Lee S.H.,*, # Marchionni I.,# Bezaire M., Varga C., Danielson N., Lovett-Barron M., Losonczy A., and Soltesz, I. (2014). Parvalbumin-positive basket cells differentiate among hippocampal pyramidal cells. Neuron 82: 1129-1244. *Corresponding author. #Co-first author. Lee S.H.,# Ledri M.,# Tóth B.,# Marchionni I., Henstridge C. M., Dudok B., Kenesei K., Barna L., Szabó S.I., Renkecz T., Oberoi M., Watanabe M., Limoli C.L., Horvai G., Soltesz I., and Katona I. (2015). Multiple forms of endocannabinoid and endovanilloid signaling regulate the tonic control of GABA release. Journal of Neuroscience 35: 10039-10057. #Co-first author. Kang Y.J., Lewis H.S., Young M.W., Govindaiah G., Greenfield L.J. Jr., Garcia-Rill E., and Lee S.H.* (2018). Cell type-specific intrinsic perithreshold oscillations in hippocampal GABAergic interneurons. Neuroscience 376: 80-93. *Corresponding author.Kang Y.J., Clement E.M., Park I.H., Greenfield L.J. Jr, Smith B.N., and Lee S.H.* (2021). Vulnerability of cholecystokinin expressing GABAergic interneurons in the unilateral intrahippocampal kainate mouse model of temporal lobe epilepsy. Experimental Neurology 342:113724. *Corresponding author.