Research Interest, Education & Publications

photo of Seungwoo Kang, PhD

Seungwoo Kang, PhD

  • Assistant Professor
  • Pharmacology & Toxicology

706-721-0906

Research & Education Building, CB 3526

Office phone icon: 706-721-0906
Lab phone icon: 706-721-9104

 

Members of the Lab

Aubrey Bennett

  • Graduate Student

Hyunjung Kim

  • Research Associate

RESEARCH INTEREST

Our lab focuses on the neurobiological mechanisms underlying addiction and its comorbidities. Specially, our research seeks to characterize the local tripartite synapses and long-range circuits in the brain that underlie adaptive and maladaptive behaviors driven by positive and negative reinforcement during the transition from substance use to dependence. To expand our understanding of the cell type-, circuit-, context-, and age-dependent neuropharmacological basis in a variety of related pathologies, our research applies multi-layered combination of biochemical, electrophysiological, and behavioral assays with new approaches such as a real-time behavior-synchronized brain recording and computational analysis. Based on those findings, our long-term goal is to identify brain-wide signatures to predict the risk of related diseases.


EDUCATION & POST-DOCTORAL TRAINING

2021                Research Associate/Research Scientist        Mayo Clinic, MN

2017                Postdoctoral Fellow                                        Rutgers University, NJ

2014                PhD in Pharmacology and Toxicology         University of California, Irvine, CA

2008                MS in Neurobiology                                       Korea University, Seoul, South Korea

2005                BS in Life Sciences                                         Korea University, Seoul, South Korea


ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS

2022-Present  Assistant Professor, The Graduate School

2021-Present  Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Augusta University Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA

2018-2021       Assistant Professor of Pharmacology, Department of Molecular Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine & Science


EDITORIAL BOARDS/GRANT REVIEW PANELS

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) - Medical Research Council (MRC)

Frontiers in Physiology Editorial Board

Pathophysiological Basis of Mental Disorders and Addiction (PMDA) Study Section, NIH, Ad hoc


HONORS

2021                American College of Neuropsychopharmacology Travel Award

2019                NIH Mentored Research Scientist Career Development Award

2018                Japan Neuroscience Society Travel Award

2017                Research Society on Alcoholism Travel Award

2016                Society for Neuroscience Professional Development Award

2016                Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences OVCR Travel Award


SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

Baker M, Kang S, Hong S, Song M, Yang M, Peyton L, Essa H, Lee SW, Choi DS. External globus pallidus input to the dorsal striatum regulates habitual seeking behavior in male mice. Nature Communications. Accepted, 2023.

Kang S, Hong SI, Kang S, Song M, Yang MA, Essa H, Baker M, Lee J, Bruce RA, Lee SW, Choi DS. Astrocyte activities in the external globus pallidus regulate action-selection strategies in reward-seeking behaviors. Science Advances. 2023 Jun 16;9(24):eadh9239.

Kang S, Choi DS. Astrocyte adenosine signaling and neural mechanisms of goal-directed and habitual reward-seeking behaviors. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2021 Jan;46(1):227-228.

Kang S, Hong SI, Lee J, Peyton L, Baker M, Choi S, Kim H, Chang SY, Choi DS. Activation of Astrocytes in the Dorsomedial Striatum Facilitates Transition From Habitual to Goal-Directed Reward-Seeking Behavior. Biol Psychiatry. 2020 Nov 15;88(10):797-808.

Hong SI, Kang S, Chen JF, Choi DS. Indirect Medium Spiny Neurons in the Dorsomedial Striatum Regulate Ethanol-Containing Conditioned Reward Seeking. J Neurosci. 2019 Sep 4;39(36):7206-7217.

Kang S, Li J, Zuo W, Chen P, Gregor D, Fu R, Han X, Bekker A, Ye JH. Downregulation of M-channels in lateral habenula mediates hyperalgesia during alcohol withdrawal in rats. Sci Rep. 2019 Feb 25;9(1):2714.

Kang S, Li J, Bekker A, Ye JH. Rescue of glutamate transport in the lateral habenula alleviates depression- and anxiety-like behaviors in ethanol-withdrawn rats. Neuropharmacology. 2018 Feb;129:47-56.

Kang S, Li J, Zuo W, Fu R, Gregor D, Krnjevic K, Bekker A, Ye JH. Ethanol Withdrawal Drives Anxiety-Related Behaviors by Reducing M-type Potassium Channel Activity in the Lateral Habenula. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2017 Aug;42(9):1813-1824.

Kay HY, Greene DL, Kang S, Kosenko A, Hoshi N. M-current preservation contributes to anticonvulsant effects of valproic acid. J Clin Invest. 2015 Oct 1;125(10):3904-14.

Kang S, Xu M, Cooper EC, Hoshi N. Channel-anchored protein kinase CK2 and protein phosphatase 1 reciprocally regulate KCNQ2-containing M-channels via phosphorylation of calmodulin. J Biol Chem. 2014 Apr 18;289(16):11536-11544.

Kosenko A, Kang S, Smith IM, Greene DL, Langeberg LK, Scott JD, Hoshi N. Coordinated signal integration at the M-type potassium channel upon muscarinic stimulation. EMBO J. 2012 May 29;31(14):3147-56.

Kang S, Kim HJ, Kim HJ, Shin SK, Choi SH, Lee MS, Shin KH. Effects of reboxetine and citalopram pretreatment on changes in cocaine and amphetamine regulated transcript (CART) expression in rat brain induced by the forced swimming test. Eur J Pharmacol. 2010 Nov 25;647(1-3):110-6.

 

Complete List of Published Work in MyBibliography