MIN JAE KIM
Hi! My name is Min Jae. I am a research trainee with a strong interest in neuromodulation and systems neuroscience. Following my passion during my undergraduate studies, I recently received a degree in Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering and Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University in 2022.
My goal is to bridge neurology and biomedical engineering disciplines to develop more accurate, personalized neuromodulation platforms for patients with various neurological disorders. Working with patients with movement disorders and epilepsy inspired me to innovate current standards of neuromodulatory therapies.
I am currently working as a research assistant at the Brigham and Women's Hospital from June 2022 studying the effect of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) on brain connectivity and function, and hope to build on these skills as an aspiring physician-scientist!
Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions about my work!
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
HOW CAN WE USE BRAIN CIRCUITRY TO PROVIDE SYMPTOM-SPECIFIC THERAPIES USING DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION (DBS)?
DBS provides excellent therapeutic benefits for advanced movement and psychiatric disorders. However, a more nuanced effect of DBS on specific symptoms within a single disease remains unclear. For example, DBS can improve rigidity but worsen tremors in one patient, and worsen rigidity and improve tremors in another patient.
In order to understand the patient-to-patient variability and symptom-specific responses, I am interested to understand how activation of specific brain circuitries from DBS is associated with specific symptoms. Using lesion-mapping techniques using fMRI and DTI-based fiber tracks, I have worked to identify local & global brain circuitry linked to a function, and how activation of this circuit ultimately is presented as changes in specific symptoms.
HOW CAN WE MAKE “SMARTER” PERSONALIZED DBS SYSTEM?
The current standard of DBS is limited to delivering a high-frequency rectangular pulse to the anatomical target. Without any feedback from the concurrent neurophysiology of patients during stimulation, it lacks specificity and may result in suboptimal clinical outcomes.
My interest is to develop a "smarter", adaptive DBS paradigm that utilizes the pathological neurophysiology of each patient as a biomarker for suppression. Specifically, I am interested in understanding the effect of different stimulation strategies on neurophysiological markers in movement disorders.
After identifying these biomarkers associated with the disease state, adaptive DBS can directly target these biomarkers so that they can be normalized as seen in healthy individuals. This approach can provide a more personalized stimulation regimen specific to each patient and maximize clinical outcomes.
HOW CAN WE IMPROVE SURGICAL OUTCOMES AFTER MINIMALLY-INVASIVE EPILEPSY SURGERY?
Laser-Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LiTT) is a minimally invasive procedure for drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy. While it provides significantly less neurocognitive side effects compared to its invasive predecessor, the surgical outcome after LiTT is highly variable.
Currently, there are no universally accepted preoperative/intraoperative predictors for surgical outcomes. While invasive brain recording may provide better insight into the location of epileptogenic zones ideal for ablation, its invasiveness is deterring to patients. Thus, it is important to identify a noninvasive, preoperative biomarker that can "pinpoint" locations for surgeons to selectively target, and maximize surgical outcomes.
My interest is in studying preoperative, radiographic markers that can reflect potential epileptogenic sites for surgical targeting. A better understanding of ablation targets within the mesial temporal lobe can help optimize trajectory planning and ablation.
