Biography

Research Focus
Multimodal neuroimaging, cognitive and computational neuroscience research on human behaviors, & neural mechanisms underlying neuropsychiatric disorders (schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder, and affective mental disorders)

Research Summary
My laboratory (Cerebral-Computing Lab) focuses on understanding the brain mechanisms of cognitive and emotional processes, as well as mental disorders. Using multimodal-neuroimaging, psychophysiological, and computational methods, we investigate how normal and abnormal brain processes give rise to complex behaviors in six research programs.

Cognitive Neuroscience of Schizophrenia: We use experimental cognitive task paradigms, high-density electroencephalography (EEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG), and structural/functional MRIs to identify the neural substrates of dysfunctional top-down and bottom-up cognitive processes in people with psychotic disorders.

Brain Mechanisms of Interoception and Mental Disorders: This line of research focuses on interoception, the sense of internal state of body, the mechanisms of the central nervous system (CNS) processing signals from the peripheral nervous system (PNS), and the influence of CNS-PNS interactions on cognitive/emotional processes and symptoms of psychotic and affective mental disorders (e.g., hallucination, anhedonia, hyper-arousal).

Neuroinformatics­­—Computational Neuroscience of Brain Network Dynamics: Using systems-level functional brain measures (fMRI, EEG/MEG), and computational techniques including machine learning, we analyze brain network dynamics—such as integration, segregation, and state switching—to understand how these dynamic processes relate to normal and abnormal behaviors, including attention, cognitive control, arousal, mental states, perceptual distortions, and.  

Brain Mechanisms of Meditation: As a cognitive neuroscientist and active meditation practitioner, I investigate how meditation and mind-body interventions induce positive changes in brain states and traits. We use EEG and computational methods to explore these mechanisms.

Psychometrics for Experimental Psychopathology Studies: My research addresses a key challenge in studying neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders—the lack of reliable cognitive and neural measurements. Using Monte-Carlo simulations, we assess psychometric properties of cognitive tasks and develop a novel cognitive ability measure with superior psychometric properties. This approach overcomes limitations of both classical test theory and item response theory in experimental psychopathology research using only performance accuracy measures. 

Non-Invasive Neural Modulation: Lastly, we are conducting a systematic investigation of the effects of non-invasive neural modulation on behaviors and neural processes using transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS), which are known to improve epilepsy symptoms, emotional disturbances, and cognitive functions. We aim to develop optimized neural modulation protocols for enhancing cognitive and emotional functions and treating symptoms of affective mental disorders (depression and anxiety-spectrum disorders).

Current Research Projects

• The Claustrum, Brain Network Dynamics, Cognitive Deficits, & Psychosis
• Cardiac Interoceptive Brain Functions & Cognitive Processes
• Computational Modeling of Brain Network State Switching

Research and Professional Experience
Postdoctoral Fellow/Research Associate, Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, MN, USA

Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, MN, USA

Selected Publications
Kang, SS, Bodenheimer, J., Morris, K. & Butler, T. A comprehensive and reliable protocol for manual segmentation of the human claustrum using high-resolution MRI. Brain Str Func. (in press).

Wiese AD, Lim SL, Filion DL, Kang SS. Intolerance of uncertainty and neural measures of anticipation and reactivity for affective stimuli. Int J Psychophysiol. 2023 Jan;183:138-147. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2022.11.010. Epub 2022 Nov 21. PubMed PMID: 36423712.

Kang SS, Sponheim SR, Lim KO. Interoception Underlies Therapeutic Effects of Mindfulness Meditation for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Biol Psychiatry CNNI. 2022 Aug;7(8):793- 804. doi: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2021.10.005. Epub 2021 Oct 21. PubMed PMID: 34688923.

Albishri AA, Shah SJH, Kang SS, Lee Y. AM-UNet: automated mini 3D end-to-end U-net based network for brain claustrum segmentation. Multimed Tools Appl. 2022;81(25):36171-36194. doi: 10.1007/s11042-021-11568-7. Epub 2022 Jan 8. PubMed PMID: 35035265; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8742670.

Longenecker JM, Pokorny VJ, Kang SS, Olman CA, Sponheim SR. Self- reported perceptual aberrations in psychosis map to event-related potentials and semantic appraisals of objects. J Abnorm Psychol. 2021 Oct;130(7):785-796. doi: 10.1037/abn0000697. PubMed PMID: 34780232.

Marquardt CA, Pokorny VJ, Kang SS, Cuthbert BN, Sponheim SR. Posttraumatic stress symptom dimensions and brain responses to startling auditory stimuli in combat veterans. J Abnorm Psychol. 2021 Jul;130(5):455-467. doi: 10.1037/abn0000552. PubMed PMID: 34472883.

Kang SS. Addressing measurement issues in electroencephalography studies of meditations as alternative interventions of posttraumatic stress disorder. Psychol Trauma. 2020 Feb;12(2):116-120. doi: 10.1037/tra0000519. Epub 2019 Oct 3. PubMed PMID: 31580136.

Van Voorhis AC, Kent JS, Kang SS, Goghari VM, MacDonald AW 3rd, Sponheim SR. Abnormal neural functions associated with motor inhibition deficits in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Hum Brain Mapp. 2019 Dec 15;40(18):5397-5411. doi: 10.1002/hbm.24780. Epub 2019 Aug 30. PubMed PMID: 31471938; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6864893.

Kang SS, MacDonald AW, Sponheim SR. Dysfunctional Neural Processes Underlying Context Processing Deficits in Schizophrenia. Biol Psychiatry CNNI. 2019 Jul;4(7):644-654. doi: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2019.03.012. Epub 2019 Apr 10. PubMed PMID: 31147272; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6612435.

Kang SS, Erbes CR, Lamberty GJ, Thuras P, Sponheim SR, Polusny MA, Moran AC, Van Voorhis AC, Lim KO. Transcendental meditation for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Psychol Trauma. 2018 Nov;10(6):675-680. doi: 10.1037/tra0000346. Epub 2018 Jul 19. PubMed PMID: 30024219.

Kang SS, MacDonald AW 3rd, Chafee MV, Im CH, Bernat EM, Davenport ND, Sponheim SR. Abnormal cortical neural synchrony during working memory in schizophrenia. Clin Neurophysiol. 2018 Jan;129(1):210-221. doi: 10.1016/j.clinph.2017.10.024. Epub 2017 Nov 6. PubMed PMID: 29197736; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5745038.

Boutros NN, Kang SS, Gustafson KM, Thomas Z, Sagduyu K, Pearson J, Bowyer SM. A magnetoencephalography investigation of coherence source imaging in panic disorder. Neuroreport. 2017 Sep 6;28(13):833-837. doi: 10.1097/WNR.0000000000000839. PubMed PMID: 28658047.

Kang SS, Sponheim SR. Abnormal Claustral–Cortical Functional Brain Networks in People With Schizophrenia During Perception and Resting: Brain Network Dynamics Underlying Psychotic Symptoms. Schizophrenia Bulletin. 2017; 43(suppl_1):S28-S29. doi: 10.1093/schbul/sbx021.074.

Kang SS, Lano TJ, Sponheim SR. Distortions in EEG interregional phase synchrony by spherical spline interpolation: causes and remedies. Neuropsychiatric Electrophysiology. 2015; 1(1). doi: 10.1186/s40810-015-0009-5.

Kang SS, Sponheim SR, Chafee MV, MacDonald AW 3rd. Disrupted functional connectivity for controlled visual processing as a basis for impaired spatial working memory in schizophrenia. Neuropsychologia. 2011 Aug;49(10):2836-47. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2011.06.009. Epub 2011 Jun 16. PubMed PMID: 21703287; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3156358.

Kang SS, Dionisio DP, Sponheim SR. Abnormal mechanisms of antisaccade generation in schizophrenia patients and unaffected biological relatives of schizophrenia patients. Psychophysiology. 2011 Mar;48(3):350-61. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2010.01074.x. PubMed PMID: 20636287; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2994980.

Sponheim SR, McGuire KA, Kang SS, Davenport ND, Aviyente S, Bernat EM, Lim KO. Evidence of disrupted functional connectivity in the brain after combat-related blast injury. Neuroimage. 2011 Jan;54 Suppl 1:S21-9. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.09.007. Epub 2010 Sep 17. PubMed PMID: 20851190.

Kang SS, MacDonald AW 3rd. Limitations of true score variance to measure discriminating power: psychometric simulation study. J Abnorm Psychol. 2010 May;119(2):300-6. doi: 10.1037/a0018400. PubMed PMID: 20455603; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2869469.

Additional Publications and Links of Interest

• Lab Home Page: https://cerebral-computing.com/