Dongju Seo, PhD
Cards
Appointments
Titles
Director, Laboratory for Healthy Minds; Director of Clinical Neuroimaging, Yale Stress Center
Contact Info
Appointments
Titles
Director, Laboratory for Healthy Minds; Director of Clinical Neuroimaging, Yale Stress Center
Contact Info
Appointments
Titles
Director, Laboratory for Healthy Minds; Director of Clinical Neuroimaging, Yale Stress Center
Contact Info
About
Titles
Associate Professor of Psychiatry
Director, Laboratory for Healthy Minds; Director of Clinical Neuroimaging, Yale Stress CenterBiography
Dr. Seo received a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Campus in 2008. She is interested in conducting interdisciplinary research to understand the etiology of stress-related clinical disorders and facilitate the development of effective treatment strategies for stress-related diseases.
Appointments
Psychiatry
Associate Professor on TermPrimary
Other Departments & Organizations
Education & Training
- Postdoctoral Training
- Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine (2011)
- Clinical Psychology Internship
- Hazelden Addiction Treatment Center (2008)
- PhD
- University of Minnesota Twin Cities (2008)
Research
Overview
Laboratory for Healthy Minds (LHM)
https://medicine.yale.edu/lab/lhm/
The LHM (director: Dongju Seo, PhD) is a clinical neuroimaging laboratory for translational research of stress and addiction. Its mission is to understand the neurobiological mechanisms of and develop effective treatment for stress and addiction related disorders. To bridge the gap between neuroscience and clinical research, LHM conducts interdisciplinary research using novel approaches such as simultaneous collection of fMRI and peripheral measures including the autonomic nervous system (electrocardiogram (ECG)) and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. LHM has two sections of laboratory facilities located at large research centers: (1) clinical research section located at Yale Stress Center and (2) neuroimaging section located at Yale Magnetic Resonance Research Center. In addition to multimodal imaging, LHM utilizes intensive longitudinal methods including daily monitoring via smartphone technology to collect daily stress and addiction-related behaviors in a real-life setting.
Ongoing studies at LHM focus on the following four areas.
1) Brain & Heart
"Multimodal neuroimaging of stress, arousal, and alcoholism risk"
The goal of this project is to identify and develop neural makers of alcoholism risk and associated stress and autonomic nervous system dysregulation to predict future alcohol intake in heavy social drinkers. This project involves a multimodal neuroimaging technique combining functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electrocardiogram (ECG).
2) Brain & Hormone
"Dynamic neurobiological responses in alcoholism and early adversity"
This project examines neurobiological mechanisms of comorbid alcoholism and early adversity and their prospective prediction of alcohol relapse using multimodal neuroimaging that combines fMRI and HPA axis measures. The study utilizes a novel task involving exposure to stress, alcohol, and neutral cues in separate blocks, which allows simultaneous fMRI and stress hormone monitoring. After the MRI scan, participants are engaged in 8-week outpatient treatment and then prospectively followed for 90 days. We utilizes face-to-face follow-up interviews in conjunction with daily monitoring of stress and alcohol use through a smartphone app.
3) Stress, Mood, and Addiction
This study aims to understand the neurobiology of comorbidity between depression and alcohol misuse using fMRI and HPA axis measures. The project examines brain and hormone responses to stress and alcohol cues and functional connectivity patterns that may contribute to mood and reward dysregulation in individuals with comorbid depression and alcohol misuse.
4) Technology-Assisted Prevention
The LHM develops a technology-assisted prevention program for stress and addiction related illnesses (e.g., alcohol misuse) using a smartphone app. This project aims to develop an innovative prevention program involving computer and smartphone-app based intervention. Using the technology-assisted prevention program, the project is intended to reach out young adults and those who reside in various community settings to prevent addiction.
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Publications Timeline
Rajita Sinha, PhD
Todd Constable, PhD
Lisa Parikh, MD
Ania Jastreboff, MD, PhD
Gretchen Hermes, MD, PhD
Janice Jin Hwang, MD
Publications
2024
Low‐calorie diet‐induced weight loss is associated with altered brain connectivity and food desire in obesity
Hoang H, Lacadie C, Hwang J, Lam K, Elshafie A, Rosenberg S, Watt C, Sinha R, Constable R, Savoye M, Seo D, Belfort‐DeAguiar R. Low‐calorie diet‐induced weight loss is associated with altered brain connectivity and food desire in obesity. Obesity 2024, 32: 1362-1372. PMID: 38831482, PMCID: PMC11211061, DOI: 10.1002/oby.24046.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsFunctional magnetic resonance imagingIntrinsic connectivity distributionDiet-induced weight lossBrain connectivityAssociated with altered brain connectivityLow-calorie dietEating behavior changesShort-term low-calorie dietRight hippocampusTemporal cortexBrain networksWeight lossBrain clustersEffects of diet-induced weight lossGroup differencesFood desireGlucose levelsDiagnosis of type 2 diabetesBehavioral changesMagnetic resonance imagingType 2 diabetesBrainLeptin levelsFood intakeResonance imagingBrain correlates and functional connectivity linking stress, autonomic dysregulation, and alcohol motivation
Seo D, Martins J, Sinha R. Brain correlates and functional connectivity linking stress, autonomic dysregulation, and alcohol motivation. Neurobiology Of Stress 2024, 31: 100645. PMID: 38933283, PMCID: PMC11201348, DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2024.100645.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAutonomic nervous system disruptionAlcohol use disorderFunctional magnetic resonance imagingHigh-risk drinkingSocial drinkersFunctional connectivityLow-risk drinkingAlcohol motivationAutonomic arousalDevelopment of alcohol use disordersNeural correlates of stressNon-dependent social drinkersWhole-brain correlation analysesResponse to stress exposureAlcohol taste testFrontal-striatal regionsStress-induced cravingVentromedial prefrontal cortexBehaviors associated with stressAnterior cingulate cortexDecreased functional connectivityExposure to stressAutonomic nervous systemAlcohol intakeHazardous alcohol useNeural Correlates of Stress and Alcohol Cue-Induced Alcohol Craving and of Future Heavy Drinking: Evidence of Sex Differences
Radoman M, Fogelman N, Lacadie C, Seo D, Sinha R. Neural Correlates of Stress and Alcohol Cue-Induced Alcohol Craving and of Future Heavy Drinking: Evidence of Sex Differences. American Journal Of Psychiatry 2024, 181: 412-422. PMID: 38706332, PMCID: PMC11117176, DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.20230849.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsAlcohol use disorderPercentage of heavy drinking daysNeural correlates of stressCue-induced cravingHeavy drinking daysAlcohol cravingSex differencesCorrelates of stressDrinking daysAlcohol cue-induced cravingCue-induced alcohol cravingBed nucleus of the stria terminalisSubgenual anterior cingulate cortexAssessment of alcohol cravingHeavy drinkingAlcohol cue reactivityAssociated with poor treatment outcomesCue-induced responsesNeutral cue exposureAssociated with hypoactivationTreatment-seeking adultsHeavy drinking outcomesEvidence of sex differencesVoxel-based regression analysisAnterior cingulate cortex
2020
1994-P: Task-Oriented Connectivity Analysis of Disease-Dependent Effects of Diet
WATT C, STANLEY T, LACADIE C, LAM K, SAVOYE M, SINHA R, CONSTABLE T, SEO D, HWANG J, BELFORT-DEAGUIAR R. 1994-P: Task-Oriented Connectivity Analysis of Disease-Dependent Effects of Diet. Diabetes 2020, 69 DOI: 10.2337/db20-1994-p.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMedial hippocampusFunctional MRIFunctional connectivityFood cue taskLow-calorie dietNational InstituteBrain functional connectivityLevel-dependent responsesModulation of emotionSignificant diet effectAnterior amygdalaInferior ponsObese subjectsKidney diseaseGlucose metabolismNeuronal controlMetabolic diseasesNeuronal adaptionBrain regionsBrain connectivityWeight lossDisease statesDiet effectsDietHippocampus
2019
Differential resting state connectivity responses to glycemic state in type 1 diabetes
Parikh L, Seo D, Lacadie C, Belfort-DeAguiar R, Groskreutz D, Hamza M, Dai F, Scheinost D, Sinha R, Constable R, Sherwin R, Hwang J. Differential resting state connectivity responses to glycemic state in type 1 diabetes. The Journal Of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 2019 DOI: 10.1210/jcem/dgz004.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsConceptsType 1 diabetesState functional connectivityHealthy controlsDefault mode networkFunctional connectivityImpact of T1DMHealthy control volunteersAcademic medical centerAngular gyrus connectivityState connectivity patternsFunctional connectivity analysisHyperinsulinemic euglycemicHypoglycemic unawarenessHypoglycemia unawarenessHypoglycemic clampHypoglycemia awarenessFunctional outcomeControl volunteersMild hypoglycemiaGlycemic stateObservational studyMedical CenterT1DMHypoglycemiaNeurocognitive consequences275-LB: Connectome Predictive Modeling May Identify Brain Connectivity Signatures to Help Predict Who Will Benefit from Low-Calorie Diet
GROSKREUTZ D, LAM W, LACADIE C, ELSHAFIE A, HWANG J, SEO D, SAVOYE M, SINHA R, CONSTABLE T, SHERWIN R, BELFORT-DEAGUIAR R. 275-LB: Connectome Predictive Modeling May Identify Brain Connectivity Signatures to Help Predict Who Will Benefit from Low-Calorie Diet. Diabetes 2019, 68 DOI: 10.2337/db19-275-lb.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsLow-calorie dietCalorie dietWeight lossBrain connectivity matricesEffective weight loss strategyFunctional MRIConnectivity signaturesBrain connectivityWeight loss strategiesReduced calorie dietWeight loss successNon-food imagesMannKind CorporationOB subjectsT2DM subjectsBMI changeLoss strategiesBrain-behavior relationshipsBrain connectivity dataEuglycemiaHyperglycemiaFood picturesDietNational InstituteBOLD activity
2018
Short-Term Weight Loss Undermines Brain Regulation of Food Consumption
LAM W, SEO D, LACADIE C, SCHMIDT C, ROSENBERG S, HOANG H, HWANG J, CONSTABLE T, SAVOYE M, SINHA R, SHERWIN R, BELFORT-DEAGUIAR R. Short-Term Weight Loss Undermines Brain Regulation of Food Consumption. Diabetes 2018, 67 DOI: 10.2337/db18-1802-p.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsWeight lossTest mealBrain regulationAd libitum test mealShort-term weight lossFunctional MRIBrain activityWeight loss maintenanceTotal calorie intakePost-prandial hyperglycemiaFood consumptionHigh-calorie food picturesMannKind CorporationSuppress appetiteCalorie dietOB subjectsLoss maintenanceObese individualsHyperglycemic clampRegeneron PharmaceuticalsAppetite controlFood intakeCalorie intakeGlaxoSmithKline plcHyperglycemiaHypoglycemia Unawareness in T1DM Is Associated with Altered Brain Default Mode Network Connectivity
GROSKREUTZ D, HWANG J, SEO D, LACADIE C, PARIKH L, BELFORT-DEAGUIAR R, SCHEINOST D, SINHA R, CONSTABLE T, SHERWIN R. Hypoglycemia Unawareness in T1DM Is Associated with Altered Brain Default Mode Network Connectivity. Diabetes 2018, 67 DOI: 10.2337/db18-11-lb.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsDefault mode networkHypoglycemia awarenessDMN connectivityAvoidance of hypoglycemiaDefault mode network connectivityHypoglycemia symptom scoresMode network connectivityBrain connectivity patternsBOLD-fMRI scanningMannKind CorporationT1DM individualsHypoglycemia unawarenessHypoglycemic clampSymptom scoresRegeneron PharmaceuticalsGlaxoSmithKline plcPlasma cortisolState connectivityMode networkFMRI scanningHypoglycemiaElicit changesBrainFunctional networksConnectivity patternsHyperinsulinemia Invokes Greater Brain Perfusion in Reward and Motivation Regions in Obesity
GROSKREUTZ D, SINHA R, LACADIE C, LAM W, HAMZA M, SCHMIDT C, SEO D, HWANG J, BELFORT-DEAGUIAR R, LEVENTHAL J, ROSENBERG S, PARIKH L, CONSTABLE T, SHERWIN R, JASTREBOFF A. Hyperinsulinemia Invokes Greater Brain Perfusion in Reward and Motivation Regions in Obesity. Diabetes 2018, 67 DOI: 10.2337/db18-365-or.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsCerebral blood flowElevated insulin levelsInsulin levelsFunctional magnetic resonance imagingLean humansObese humansHour oral glucose tolerance testOral glucose tolerance testSetting of hyperinsulinemiaGlucose tolerance testEuglycemic hyperinsulinemic clampEffect of hyperinsulinemiaAnterior cingulate cortexMagnetic resonance imagingWhole-brain analysisFood-seeking behaviorMiddle temporal gyrusMannKind CorporationCBF responseCNS effectsSatiety factorTolerance testBrain perfusionOB groupLN group98. Effects of Childhood Maltreatment on Neural and Biobehavioral Biomarkers of Relapse and Recovery in Substance Use Disorders
Sinha R, Seo D, Lacadie C, Constable T, Hermes G. 98. Effects of Childhood Maltreatment on Neural and Biobehavioral Biomarkers of Relapse and Recovery in Substance Use Disorders. Biological Psychiatry 2018, 83: s40. DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2018.02.116.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitations
Clinical Trials
Current Trials
Neurobiological Responses in Alcoholism and Early Trauma
HIC ID2000024809RolePrincipal InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date06/30/2024Recruiting ParticipantsGenderBothAge21 years - 55 years
Links & Media
Media
News
- April 17, 2023
Seo & Belfort De Aguiar, and Yogev & Tomita Honored With 2023 Kavli Innovative Research Awards
- April 20, 2022Source: Today
Pandemic Stress and Loneliness are Making Addiction More Common: When to Get Help
- May 28, 2020
Yale Researchers Find Where Stress Lives
- July 26, 2017
Junior faculty, trainees honored with New Investigator Awards at ASCP meeting