Hey-Kyoung Lee, PhD

Primary Academic Title

Professor of Neuroscience

Background

Centers and Institutes

• Basic Biomedical Sciences, Institute for
• The Zanvyl Krieger Mind/Brain Institute

Videos

• Simulated Blindness Can Help Hearing Loss

Recent News Articles and Media Coverage

• Seeing Less Helps the Brain Hear More, NPR (February 5, 2014)

  Temporary Blindness Might Boost Hearing, Study Suggests, USA Today (February 6, 2014)

Research Interests

Cellular/molecular mechanisms of synaptic plasticity underlying memory formation and cross-modal plasticity

Lab Website

Hey-Kyoung Lee Lab

• The Hey-Kyoung Lee Lab is interested in exploring the cellular and molecular changes that happen at synapses to allow memory storage. We use various techniques, including electrophysiological recording, biochemical and molecular analysis, and imaging, to understand the cellular and molecular changes that happen during synaptic plasticity. Currently, we are examining the molecular and cellular mechanisms of global homeostatic synaptic plasticity using sensory cortices as model systems. In particular, we found that loss of vision elicits global changes in excitatory synaptic transmission in the primary visual cortex. Vision loss also triggers specific synaptic changes in other primary sensory cortices, which we postulate underlies sensory compensation in the blind. One of our main research goals is to understand the mechanisms underlying such cross-modal synaptic plasticity. We are also interested in elucidating the events that occur in diseased brains. In collaboration with other researchers, we are analyzing various mouse models of Alzheimer's disease, especially focusing on the possible alterations in synaptic plasticity mechanisms.

Research Summary

Dr. Lee and her lab are exploring the cellular and molecular changes that happen at synapses to allow memory storage.

Combining various techniques such as electrophysiological recording, biochemical/molecular analysis, and imaging, Dr. Lee is aiming to understand the cellular and molecular changes that happen during synaptic plasticity. By using sensory cortices as model systems, Dr. Lee and her lab have found that loss of vision elicits global changes in excitatory synaptic transmission in the primary visual cortex, which is mainly due to regulation of postsynaptic AMPA type glutamate receptors. Vision loss also triggers specific synaptic changes in other primary sensory cortices, which Dr. Lee believes underlies sensory compensation in the blind. Elucidating the mechanisms underlying such cross-modal synaptic plasticity is a main research focus of the Lee lab.

In addition to understanding the basic mechanisms of how experience alters the brain, the Lee lab is also interested in elucidating the events that occur in diseased brains. In collaboration with Dr. Philip Wong at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Dr. Hyang-Sook Hoe at Georgetown University, Dr. Lee and her team are analyzing various mouse models of Alzheimer's disease, focusing in on the possible alterations in synaptic plasticity mechanisms.

Selected Publications

• Huang S, Rozas C, Trevino M, Contreras J, Yang S, Song L, Yoshioka T, Lee H-K, and Kirkwood A. “Associative Hebbian synaptic plasticity in primate visual cortex.” Journal of Neuroscience. 2014 May 28;34 (22): 7575-7579. 2014.

• Petrus E and Lee H-K. “BACE1 is necessary for experience-dependent homeostatic synaptic plasticity in visual cortex.” Neural Plasticity 2014: 128631.

• Petrus E*, Isaiah A*, Jones AP, Li D, Wang H, Lee H-K, and Kanold PO. “Cross-modal induction of thalamocortical potentiation leads to enhanced information processing in the auditory cortex.” Neuron. 2014 Feb 5;81: 664-673.

• Wang H, Megill A, Wong PC, Kirkwood A, and Lee H-K. “Postsynaptic target specific synaptic dysfunctions in the CA3 area of BACE1 knockout mice.” PLoS One. 2014 Mar 17;9 (30): e92279.

• Whitt JL*, Petrus E*, and Lee H-K. “Experience-dependent homeostatic synaptic plasticity in neocortex.” Neuropharmacology 2014 Mar;78: 45-54. 2014.

Honors

• Junior Faculty Award, University of Maryland, 1/1/10
• Nominee, Yonsei 100 Women Leaders, 1/1/06
• Fellow, The Sloan Research Fellowship, 1/1/04

Graduate Program Affiliations

• Neuroscience Graduate Program

  The Program in Cell, Molecular, Developmental Biology, and Biophysics (CMBD Program)