Associate Professor, Department of Neuroscience
Office: 1B-105, 1/F, Block 1, To Yuen Building
Phone: +852 3442-2356
Fax: +852 3442-0549
Email: sungchil.yang@cityu.edu.hk
Web:CityU Scholars
Dr Sungchil Yang achieved PhD in the department of molecular and integrative physiology, University of Illinois at Urbana & Champaign, studying a biophysical role of individual auditory neurons (from cochlear nucleus to auditory cortex) in auditory information processing under the supervision of Dr Albert S. Feng. Then, Dr Yang joined Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute of University of California at Berkeley as a postdoctoral fellow, studying mechanisms of an auditory phantom pain, tinnitus, with Dr Shaowen Bao. His research regarding the sensory system continued in Center for Integrative Neuroscience of University of California at San Francisco as a research associate, studying a role of axon initial segment of auditory neurons in information processing and a cellular basis of perceptual learning with Dr Kevin J. Bender and Christoph E. Schreiner, respectively. Then, he joined the Department of Neuroscience in City University of Hong Kong.
Research Interest A fundamental question in neuroscience is how a neuron processes innate and environmental cues in order to produce behaviorally relevant outputs. The several hypotheses how the inputs are stored, adapted, and learned have been proposed, yet their working models remain to be explored. For this, we study both the sensory system (for mechanistic understanding of sensory learning) and hippocampus (for cellular mechanisms of memory) with modern techniques such as in vivo multichannel recording, two-photon imaging, in vivo whole-cell recording, and various behavior tasks. This research will be eventually applied to alleviate information processing disorders embedded in brain diseases.
Research Key Words Brain Mapping; Synaptic Plasticity; Perceptual Learning; Phantom Pain; Psychiatry Disorders
Lab MembersRebecca So Jeong PAK, PhD student, rebecpak2-c@my.cityu.edu.hk
Giang Thi LUU, PhD student, tgluu2-c@my.cityu.edu.hk
Eric Hong Jian WONG, PhD student, ehjwong2-c@my.cityu.edu.hk
Minseok LEE, Research Assistant, minselee@cityu.edu.hk
Dajin CHO, undergraduate RA, lucycho2-c@my.cityu.edu.hk
Hye SONG, undergraduate RA, hyesong2-c@my.cityu.edu.hk
Position AvailabilityWe are looking for talented postgraduate students and research assistan . Interested candidates please send your CV to: sungchil.yang@cityu.edu.hk
Selected Publication (#corresponding author) In CityU Lee M, Lee S, Kim J, Lim J, Lee J, Masri S, Bao S, Yang S, Ahn JH, Yang S# (2021) Graphene-electrode array for brain-map remodeling of cortical surface. NPG Asia Mater (Oct 01) 13, 65 (2021).
doi.org/10.1038/s41427-021-00334-8. Choi G, Kang H, Chu W, Yang S and Yang S# (2021) Dynamics of longitudinal dentate gyrus axons associated with seizure. J Physiol (Mar 6) doi: 10.1113/JP281056.
Miyakawa A, Wang W, Cho SJ, Li D, Yang S#, Bao S# (2019) Tinnitus correlates with downregulation of cortical glutamate decarboxylase 65 expression but not auditory cortical map reorganization. J Neuroci (Dec 11), 39 (50) 9989-10001
Noh W, Pak S, Choi G, Yang S# and Yang S# (2019) Transient potassium channels: Therapeutic targets for brain disorders. Front. Cell. Neurosci (June 13). doi: 10.3389/fncel.2019.00265
Wang W, Zhang L, Zinsmaier AK, Patterson G, Leptich EJ, Shoemaker SL, Yatskievych TA, Gibboni R, Pace E, Luo H, Zhang J, Yang S, Bao S. (2019) Neuroinflammation mediates noise-induced synaptic imbalance and tinnitus in rodent models. PLOS Biology (June 18) 17(6):e3000307
Park SW, Kim J, Kang M, Lee W, Park BS, Kim H, Choi SY, Yang S#, Ahn JH#, Yang S# (2018) Epidural electrotherapy for epilepsy. Small (June 27) doi:10.1002/smll.201801732
Yang S, Chung J, Jin SH, Bao S#, Yang S# (2018) A circuit mechanism of time-to-space conversion for perception. Hearing Research (May 17) doi: 10.1016/j.heares.2018.05.008.
Sun D, Kang H, Tetteh H, Su J, Lee J, Park S, He J, Jo J, Yang S#, and Yang S# (2018) Long term potentiation, but not depression, in interlamellar hippocampus CA1. Scientific Reports (Mar 26) doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-23369-4
Tetteh H, Lee M, Lau CG, Yang S, and Yang S# (2017) Tinnitus: Prospects for pharmacological interventions with a seesaw model. The Neuroscientist (Oct 9) doi: 10.1177/1415
Yang S, Santos MD, Tang C, Kim JG, and Yang S# (2016) A postsynaptic role for short-term neuronal facilitation in dendritic spines. Front. Cell. Neurosci. (Sep 30) 10:224 doi: 10.3389/fncel.2016.00224
Yang S, Ben-shalom R, Ahn M, Liptak AT, van Rijn RM, Whistler JL and Bender KJ (2016) β-Arrestin-Dependent Dopaminergic Regulation of Calcium Channel Activity in the Axon Initial Segment. Cell Reports (Aug 9) 16, 1–9 doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2016.06.098
Yang S, Tang CM and Yang S (2015) The shaping of two distinct dendritic spikes by A-type voltage-gated K+ channels. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience (Dec 09) 9:469 doi: 10.3389/fncel.2015.00469
In the PastYang S*, Yang S*, Moreira T, Hoffman G, Garlson GC, Bender KJ, Alger BE, and Tang CM (2014) Inter-lamellar CA1 network in the hippocampus. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Sep 02) 111(35): 12919-12924. * Equal contribution
Yang S, Yang S, Park JS, Kirkwood A, and Bao S (2014) Impaired long-term potentiation in the developing auditory cortex of fmr1 knockout mice. PloS One (Aug 12) 9(8): e104691.
Yang S, Zhang LS, Gibboni R, Weiner BD, and Bao S (2014). Impaired development and competitive refinement of cortical frequency map in tumor necrosis factor-α deficient mice. Cerebral Cortex (Jul 01) 24(7): 1956-65.
Yang S#, and Bao S (2013). Homeostatic mechanism and treatment of tinnitus. Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience (Mar 01) 31(2):99-108.
Yang S, Su W, and Bao S (2012). Long-term, but not transient, hearing loss alters the morphology and increases the excitability of cortical pyramidal neurons. J Neurophysiol (Sep 15) 108:1567-1574.
Yang S#, Yang S, Cox CL, Llano DA, and Feng AS (2012). Cell’s intrinsic biophysical properties play a role in the systematic decrease in time-locking ability of central auditory neurons. Neuroscience (Apr 19) 208: 49-57.
Yang S, Weiner BD, Zhang LS, Cho SJ, and Bao S (2011). Homeostatic plasticity drives tinnitus perception in an animal model. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Sep 06) 108: 14974-14979.
Yang S#, Lin WY, and Feng AS (2009). Wide-ranging frequency preferences of auditory midbrain neurons: Roles of membrane time constant and synaptic properties. Eur J Neurosci (Jul 01) 30: 76-90.
Yang S#, and Feng AS (2007). Heterogeneous biophysical properties of frog dorsal medullary nucleus (Cochlear Nucleus) neurons. J Neurophysiol (Oct 01) 98: 1953-1964.
Yang S, Lee DS, Chung CH, Cheong MY, Lee CJ, and Jung MW (2004). Long-term synaptic plasticity in deep layer-originated associational projections to superficial layers of rat entorhinal cortex. Neuroscience (Jul 27) 127(4):805-12.
