Youngsun Cho, MD, PhD
Assistant ProfessorDownloadHi-Res Photo
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Child Study Center
Fully Joint
Psychiatry
Fully Joint
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Assistant Professor
Biography
Dr. Youngsun T. Cho is an Assistant Professor in the Child Study Center and Department of Psychiatry at Yale University. She is a child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist. She holds an MD/PhD degree from the University of Rochester, and completed dissertation work on amygdala neuroanatomy and reward processing using fMRI. She completed psychiatry residency in the Neuroscience Research Training Program (NRTP) at Yale, and a child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at the Yale Child Study Center.
Her current research focuses on the development of cognitive and motivational brain circuits in adolescents with depression and adolescents with schizophrenia using fMRI, and pharmacologic neuroimaging to identify mechanisms of potential treatments. Her work is funded by the NIMH, and the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation.
Last Updated on January 04, 2025.
Appointments
Child Study Center
Assistant ProfessorFully JointPsychiatry
Assistant ProfessorFully Joint
Other Departments & Organizations
- Center for Brain & Mind Health
- Child Study Center
- Cho Lab
- Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit
- Division of Neurocognition, Neurocomputation & Neurogenetics
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program
- Janeway Society
- MR Core
- Neuroscience Research Training Program (NRTP)
- Neuroscience Track
- Psychiatry
- Yale Combined Program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences (BBS)
- Yale Medicine
- Yale New Haven Health System
Education & Training
- PhD
- Univ of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry (2013)
- MD
- Univ of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry (2013)
- MS
- University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry (2009)
- BS
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2005)
Research
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Overview
Medical Research Interests
Amygdala; Child Development; Cognition; Depression; Motivation; Neuroimaging; Schizophrenia
ORCID
0000-0001-8639-3869- View Lab Website
Cho Lab
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Frequent collaborators of Youngsun Cho's published research.
Zailyn Tamayo
Albert Powers, MD, PhD
Clara Fonteneau, PhD
Scott Woods, MD
Emily Farina, PhD
Godfrey Pearlson, MA, MBBS
Publications
2026
Using games to identify adolescents at risk for substance misuse—a proof-of-concept study
Aneni K, Chen C, Meyer J, Mavromichali C, Scaria E, Liu G, Cho Y, Fiellin L. Using games to identify adolescents at risk for substance misuse—a proof-of-concept study. Frontiers In Health Services 2026, 6: 1781703. PMID: 42148446, PMCID: PMC13176319, DOI: 10.3389/frhs.2026.1781703.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsF-1 scoreProof-of-concept studyDigital biomarkersSubstance use riskGame log dataClinical utilityIn-game dataMachine learning modelsEarly identificationSubstance usePaper-based formsRandomized Controlled TrialsEarly identification of adolescentsHigh-risk behaviorsLearning modelsIdentification of adolescentsIn-gameDigital gamesLifetime substance useStandardized screening toolLog dataClinical translationF-1GameplayLow-burden toolEstablishment of the Society for the Advancement of Neuroscience and Psychiatry in Residency Research Education (Synapse): An Organization to Promote Research Training in Residency
Ward H, Ajilore O, Cho Y, Cooper J, Dunlop B, Miller A, Philip N, Pruett B, Taylor S, Tyrka A, Vogel A, Goldsmith D. Establishment of the Society for the Advancement of Neuroscience and Psychiatry in Residency Research Education (Synapse): An Organization to Promote Research Training in Residency. Academic Psychiatry 2026, 1-5. PMID: 41781634, DOI: 10.1007/s40596-026-02312-0.Peer-Reviewed Reviews, Practice Guidelines, Standards, and Consensus StatementsAltmetric
2025
A translational neuroscience & computational evaluation of a D1R partial agonist for schizophrenia (TRANSCENDS): Rationale and study design of a brain-based clinical trial
Fonteneau C, Tamayo Z, Price A, Pan L, Afriyie-Agyemang Y, Agrawal S, Butler A, Cail C, Calkins M, Chakilam A, Forselius-Bielen K, Fram G, Frazier A, Gil R, Govil P, Gray D, Grinband J, Gur R, Haubold N, Heffernan Z, Heneks M, Kegeles L, Kohler C, Lin C, Lu J, Mayer M, Pham P, Perlman G, Rahmati M, Ranganathan M, Santamauro N, Schutte C, Selloni A, Van Snellenberg J, Surti T, Wolf D, Zharyy C, Group T, Abi-Dargham A, Gur R, Lieberman J, Kantrowitz J, Anticevic A, Cho Y, Krystal J. A translational neuroscience & computational evaluation of a D1R partial agonist for schizophrenia (TRANSCENDS): Rationale and study design of a brain-based clinical trial. Journal Of Psychiatric Research 2025, 194: 196-210. PMID: 41519104, PMCID: PMC13138834, DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2025.12.020.Peer-Reviewed Reviews, Practice Guidelines, Standards, and Consensus StatementsConceptsPartial agonistCognitive impairmentSpatial working memoryDouble-blind doseWorking memoryD1/D5 receptorsFunctional neuroimagingNeural mechanismsSchizophreniaTranslational neuroscienceCognitive paradigmNeural circuitsUntreated symptomsD1RDecades of researchFMRIClinical trialsMicro-circuitryNeuroscienceAgonistsImpairmentStudy designD1/D5Clinical dataNeuroimagingPrediction of antipsychotic medication inception in antipsychotic-naive youth at clinical high risk for psychosis
Mukhtar H, Zhou D, Farina E, Saxena A, Cahill J, Addington J, Bearden C, Cadenhead K, Cannon T, Cornblatt B, Keshwan M, Mathalon D, Perkins D, Stone W, Cho Y, Powers A, Walker E, Woods S. Prediction of antipsychotic medication inception in antipsychotic-naive youth at clinical high risk for psychosis. Psychological Medicine 2025, 55: e241. PMID: 40842369, PMCID: PMC12404330, DOI: 10.1017/s0033291725101372.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricConceptsClinical high riskCHR-PLifetime historyAugmentation of antidepressant treatmentComorbid major depressionAP useAntidepressant treatmentPositive symptomsMajor depressionAP medicationNAPLS-2Independent predictorsCHR-P.High riskBaseline clinical variablesPsychosisBaseline predictorsClinical variablesParticipantsBaseline characteristicsUnivariate analysisLogistic regression modelsObservational cohortMultivariate analysisAP initiationBaseline Clinical Characterization of Participants in the Accelerating Medicines Partnership Schizophrenia Program
Addington J, Liu L, Chu M, Jungert K, Penzel N, Pasternak O, Farina E, Carrion R, Corcoran C, Mittal V, Strauss G, Yung A, Alameda L, Arango C, Borders O, Bouix S, Breitborde N, Broome M, Cadenhead K, Castillo-Passi R, Chen E, Choi J, Coleman M, Conus P, Diaz-Caneja C, Ellman L, Poli P, Gaspar P, Gerber C, Glenthøj L, Horton L, Hui C, Kambeitz J, Kambeitz-Ilankovic L, Kapur T, Kelly S, Kerr M, Keshavan M, Kim M, Kim S, Koutsouleris N, Kwon J, Langbein K, Lewandowski K, Mamah D, Marcy P, Mathalon D, Mourgues C, Nordentoft M, Nunez A, Pearlson G, Perez J, Perkins D, Powers A, Rogers J, Sabb F, Schiffman J, Seitz-Holland J, Shah J, Silverstein S, Smesny S, Stone W, Thompson J, Upthegrove R, Verma S, Wang J, Wolf D, Zhang T, Addamo L, Buccilli K, Dwyer D, Todd S, Cho Y, Fontenau C, Tamayo Z, Bearden C, Kane J, McGorry P, Kahn R, Shenton M, Woods S, Barnaby A, Calkins M. Baseline Clinical Characterization of Participants in the Accelerating Medicines Partnership Schizophrenia Program. Schizophrenia Bulletin Open 2025, 6: sgaf012. PMID: 40861307, PMCID: PMC12377803, DOI: 10.1093/schizbullopen/sgaf012.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsClinical high riskCommunity controlsClinical high-risk individualsClinical high-risk participantsClinical high-risk criteriaClinical high-risk populationsPsychosis-Risk SyndromesClinical measuresNegative symptomsPositive symptomsPsychosis-riskPsychotic symptomsDSM-5Characterization of participantsSchizophrenia ProgramClinical variablesSuicidal ideationDiagnostic criteriaSubstance useSeverity ratingsComprehensive assessmentStructured interviewsPsychosisPreliminary natureAt-risk
2024
Individual differences in spatial working memory strategies differentially reflected in the engagement of control and default brain networks
Suljič N, Kraljič A, Rahmati M, Cho Y, Ozimič A, Murray J, Anticevic A, Repovš G. Individual differences in spatial working memory strategies differentially reflected in the engagement of control and default brain networks. Cerebral Cortex 2024, 34: bhae350. PMID: 39214852, PMCID: PMC11364466, DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae350.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsCategorical representationsWorking memoryBrain activityFunctional magnetic resonance imaging studySpatial working memory strategySpatial Working Memory taskFrontoparietal network activitySpatial working memoryWorking Memory TaskEngagement of controlAssociated with distinct patternsWorking memory strategiesMagnetic resonance imaging studiesNetwork activityMemory taskBrain systemsAttentional resourcesTask trialsBrain networksMemory strategiesStimulus informationStronger deactivationTiming of stimuliHealthy participantsSpatial representationThe Habenula and Our Drive for Food
Cho Y. The Habenula and Our Drive for Food. Biological Psychiatry 2024, 95: 912-913. PMID: 38692797, DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.03.006.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH KeywordsKetamine induces multiple individually distinct whole-brain functional connectivity signatures
Moujaes F, Ji J, Rahmati M, Burt J, Schleifer C, Adkinson B, Savic A, Santamauro N, Tamayo Z, Diehl C, Kolobaric A, Flynn M, Rieser N, Fonteneau C, Camarro T, Xu J, Cho Y, Repovs G, Fineberg S, Morgan P, Seifritz E, Vollenweider F, Krystal J, Murray J, Preller K, Anticevic A. Ketamine induces multiple individually distinct whole-brain functional connectivity signatures. ELife 2024, 13: e84173. PMID: 38629811, PMCID: PMC11023699, DOI: 10.7554/elife.84173.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsResponse to ketamineAcute ketamineBehavioral effectsQuantified resting-state functional connectivityEffects of acute ketamineSymptom variationResting-state functional connectivityTreatment-resistant depressionFunctional connectivity signaturesGlobal brain connectivitySingle-subject levelInter-individual variabilityPlacebo-controlled studyFunctional connectivityConnectivity signaturesBrain connectivityHealthy participantsSingle-blind placebo-controlled studyNeural variationsTreatment conditionsKetamineGene expression targetsPharmacological biomarkersPilot awardParvalbuminAccelerating Medicines Partnership® Schizophrenia (AMP® SCZ): Rationale and Study Design of the Largest Global Prospective Cohort Study of Clinical High Risk for Psychosis
Wannan C, Nelson B, Addington J, Allott K, Anticevic A, Arango C, Baker J, Bearden C, Billah T, Bouix S, Broome M, Buccilli K, Cadenhead K, Calkins M, Cannon T, Cecci G, Chen E, Cho K, Choi J, Clark S, Coleman M, Conus P, Corcoran C, Cornblatt B, Diaz-Caneja C, Dwyer D, Ebdrup B, Ellman L, Fusar-Poli P, Galindo L, Gaspar P, Gerber C, Glenthøj L, Glynn R, Harms M, Horton L, Kahn R, Kambeitz J, Kambeitz-Ilankovic L, Kane J, Kapur T, Keshavan M, Kim S, Koutsouleris N, Kubicki M, Kwon J, Langbein K, Lewandowski K, Light G, Mamah D, Marcy P, Mathalon D, McGorry P, Mittal V, Nordentoft M, Nunez A, Pasternak O, Pearlson G, Perez J, Perkins D, Powers A, Roalf D, Sabb F, Schiffman J, Shah J, Smesny S, Spark J, Stone W, Strauss G, Tamayo Z, Torous J, Upthegrove R, Vangel M, Verma S, Wang J, Rossum I, Wolf D, Wolff P, Wood S, Yung A, Agurto C, Alvarez-Jimenez M, Amminger P, Armando M, Asgari-Targhi A, Cahill J, Carrión R, Castro E, Cetin-Karayumak S, Chakravarty M, Cho Y, Cotter D, D’Alfonso S, Ennis M, Fadnavis S, Fonteneau C, Gao C, Gupta T, Gur R, Gur R, Hamilton H, Hoftman G, Jacobs G, Jarcho J, Ji J, Kohler C, Lalousis P, Lavoie S, Lepage M, Liebenthal E, Mervis J, Murty V, Nicholas S, Ning L, Penzel N, Poldrack R, Polosecki P, Pratt D, Rabin R, Eichi H, Rathi Y, Reichenberg A, Reinen J, Rogers J, Ruiz-Yu B, Scott I, Seitz-Holland J, Srihari V, Srivastava A, Thompson A, Turetsky B, Walsh B, Whitford T, Wigman J, Yao B, Yuen H, Ahmed U, Byun A, Chung Y, Do K, Hendricks L, Huynh K, Jeffries C, Lane E, Langholm C, Lin E, Mantua V, Santorelli G, Ruparel K, Zoupou E, Adasme T, Addamo L, Adery L, Ali M, Auther A, Aversa S, Baek S, Bates K, Bathery A, Bayer J, Beedham R, Bilgrami Z, Birch S, Bonoldi I, Borders O, Borgatti R, Brown L, Bruna A, Carrington H, Castillo-Passi R, Chen J, Cheng N, Ching A, Clifford C, Colton B, Contreras P, Corral S, Damiani S, Done M, Estradé A, Etuka B, Formica M, Furlan R, Geljic M, Germano C, Getachew R, Goncalves M, Haidar A, Hartmann J, Jo A, John O, Kerins S, Kerr M, Kesselring I, Kim H, Kim N, Kinney K, Krcmar M, Kotler E, Lafanechere M, Lee C, Llerena J, Markiewicz C, Matnejl P, Maturana A, Mavambu A, Mayol-Troncoso R, McDonnell A, McGowan A, McLaughlin D, McIlhenny R, McQueen B, Mebrahtu Y, Mensi M, Hui C, Suen Y, Wong S, Morrell N, Omar M, Partridge A, Phassouliotis C, Pichiecchio A, Politi P, Porter C, Provenzani U, Prunier N, Raj J, Ray S, Rayner V, Reyes M, Reynolds K, Rush S, Salinas C, Shetty J, Snowball C, Tod S, Turra-Fariña G, Valle D, Veale S, Whitson S, Wickham A, Youn S, Zamorano F, Zavaglia E, Zinberg J, Woods S, Shenton M. Accelerating Medicines Partnership® Schizophrenia (AMP® SCZ): Rationale and Study Design of the Largest Global Prospective Cohort Study of Clinical High Risk for Psychosis. Schizophrenia Bulletin 2024, 50: 496-512. PMID: 38451304, PMCID: PMC11059785, DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbae011.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricConceptsClinical high-risk individualsClinical high riskNational Institute of Mental HealthInstitute of Mental HealthAttenuated positive symptomsPersistent negative symptomsTransition to psychosisCHR statusHigh riskNegative symptomsPositive symptomsAnxiety symptomsPsychosocial functioningCognitive dataOutcomes of individualsDigital health technologiesDaily surveysPsychosisSCZPublic health needsMental healthNovel pharmacological interventionsSchizophreniaClinical outcomesHealth needs
Clinical Trials
Current Trials
Brain Network Changes Accompanying and Predicting Responses to Pharmacotherapy in OCD
IRB ID2000023688RoleSub InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date07/31/2024Recruiting ParticipantsGenderBothAge18 years - 65 yearsBiomarkers of Clinical Subtype and Treatment Response in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
IRB ID0803003626RoleSub InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date04/19/2025Recruiting ParticipantsGenderBothAge18 years - 70 years
News
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News
- February 07, 2025
2024-2025 YCSC Postdoctoral Scholar Travel Awardees Announced
- November 13, 2024
Woods, Cho Awarded $76M NIH Grant to Conduct Clinical Trials for Youth at Risk for Schizophrenia
- April 12, 2024
Spring 2024 postgraduate associate travel award recipients announced
- January 30, 2024
ASCI Recognizes Early-career Yale Faculty and Trainees
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