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Sung Han

@hanlab.bsky.social
187 followers 126 following 9 posts

Associate professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. Studying neuropeptidergic circuits that mediate emotional & physiological homeostasis.

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Sung Han @hanlab.bsky.social · 09/07/2025
New paper out in @pnas.org Thalamic CGRP neurons form a spinothalamic pain pathway relaying pain signal to the amygdala & insular, but not sensory cortex to encode the affective dimension of pain. Huge congrats to first author Sukjae Kang & coauthors. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
pnas.org
Thalamic CGRP neurons define a spinothalamic pathway for affective pain | PNAS
Pain is both a sensory and emotional experience caused by various harmful stimuli. While numerous studies have explored peripheral and central pain...
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Reposted by Sung Han
Chen Ran @chenran.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
Lots of recent papers discuss the nucleus of the solitary tract in interoception. In this review, we take a sensory processing perspective on how interoceptive signals are encoded in the NTS: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
Interoceptive processing in the nucleus of the solitary tract
The interoceptive nervous system continuously monitors the status of visceral organs to synthesize internal perceptions and regulate behavioral and ph…
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Reposted by Sung Han
Alex Kwan @alexkwan.bsky.social · 02/04/2025
Our latest study identifies a specific cell type and receptor essential for psilocybin’s long-lasting neural and behavioral effects 🍄🔬🧠🧪 Led by Ling-Xiao Shao and @ItsClaraLiao Funded by @NIH @NIMHgov 📄 Read in @nature.com - www.nature.com/articles/s41... 1/12
nature.com
Psilocybin’s lasting action requires pyramidal cell types and 5-HT2A receptors - Nature
A pyramidal cell type and the 5-HT2A receptor in the medial frontal cortex have essential roles in psilocybin’s long-term drug action.
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⚡️GREG_CORDER⚡️ @flybottleescape.bsky.social · 04/01/2025
1/ 🧠 Excited to share our new preprint: Convergent state-control of endogenous opioid analgesia We uncover how cognitive + contextual factors—like injury, fear, and placebo—modulate pain through dynamic opioid signaling in the periaqueductal gray (PAG) biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
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Nature Portfolio @natureportfolio.nature.com · 06/12/2024
A study in Nature Neuroscience identifies a prefrontal–pontomedullary pathway that slows breathing and reduces anxiety in mice. The findings explain a circuit basis for top-down control of breathing, which can influence emotional states. 🔒 go.nature.com/3CUtPy3
This is figure 1, which shows the identification of a cortical-to-brainstem slow breathing circuit.
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Sung Han @hanlab.bsky.social · 23/11/2024
Some glutamatergic synapses show decreased release probability (Pr) at high firing rates due to vesicle depletion or VGCC feedback inhibition. In contrast, neuromodulator vesicles exhibit increased Pr, enabling frequency-dependent encoding of distinct information via transmitter switching.
biorxiv.org
Encoding opposing valences through frequency-dependent transmitter switching in single peptidergic neurons
Peptidergic neurons often co-express fast transmitters and neuropeptides in separate vesicles with distinct release properties. However, the release dynamics of each transmitter in various contexts ha...
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Sung Han @hanlab.bsky.social · 20/11/2024
Excited to share my first post here! Our new paper reveals a top-down breathing circuit that slows breathing to ease anxiety & fear. A step forward in understanding how brain-breathing interactions shape emotion. Published in Nature Neuroscience—grateful to my team! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Amy Cao
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Reposted by Sung Han
Abha Karki Rajbhandari, PhD @brainbodylab.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
An empirical finding providing a glimpse into why meditation or breathing practices could work for reducing negative affect! An amazing paper by Sung Han’s team at Salk Institute🧘‍♀️🧘‍♂️👏🏽https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-024-01799-w
nature.com
A top-down slow breathing circuit that alleviates negative affect in mice - Nature Neuroscience
Jhang et al. identify a prefrontal–pontomedullary pathway that slows breathing and reduces anxiety in mice, where the pontine reticular nucleus converts excitatory prefrontal inputs into inhibitory si...
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