Korea Brain Research Institute
Brain Development Imaging Laboratory
Mapping how the child brain develops — and what unfolds differently in autism and ADHD — through multimodal neuroimaging, genetics, and digital biomarkers.
About
The Brain Development Imaging Laboratory (BDIL) at the Korea Brain Research Institute studies how the human brain develops through childhood and adolescence, and how that development diverges in neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism spectrum disorder and ADHD.
We combine MRI, fMRI, fNIRS, and EEG with genetic and epigenetic analysis, and maintain a longitudinal pediatric imaging cohort. Our work runs from mechanism to application — digital biomarkers, software as a medical device, and digital therapeutics for children and their families.
KBRI
Institution
MRI · fNIRS · EEG
Multimodal Approach
Research
Imaging Genetics
Linking genotype, methylation, and brain structure and function in children — using whole genome sequencing and genotyping from saliva samples to explain individual differences in brain development.
Multimodal Neuroimaging
Integrating MRI, fMRI, fNIRS, and EEG to trace developmental trajectories of behavior and brain across childhood and adolescence, with clinical application in mind.
Digital Biomarkers & Therapeutics
Building gamified assessment and digital therapeutic content for developmental disorders, and identifying biomarkers from multimodal biosignals for screening and differential diagnosis.
Public Engagement
Brain science classrooms for children and neuroscience storybooks, bringing what we learn in the lab back to families, schools, and the wider community.
Members
Principal Investigator
Min-Young Jung, Ph.D.
Dr. Jung earned his Ph.D. in child development from Osaka University, Japan, then worked as a research fellow in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School (MGH) and as an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Fukui Hospital, Japan. He has directed the Brain Development Imaging Laboratory at KBRI since 2021. His main research themes are brain development and developmental disorders, gene–behavior–environment interactions and their influence on the brain, and the development and validation of digital therapeutics.
Researchers
Harim Jeong, Ph.D.
Designs digital health technology for mental health around user experience, and validates intervention effects with brain-based measures. Ph.D. in Interaction Science. Works on the neural effects of digital interventions using fMRI, clinical applicability of UX-based mental health systems, and the link between muscular and brain development.
Enkhmurun Chibaatar, MD, Ph.D.
A neuropsychiatrist whose research centers on depression. Ph.D. in Psychiatry from UOEH, Japan, where she studied triple network connectivity alterations, structural brain changes, and peripheral biomarkers in patients with depression. She works toward less invasive therapeutic approaches than current antidepressant treatment.
Natasha Y. S. Kawata, Ph.D.
Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Tohoku University, Japan. Studies how environmental experience shapes brain development, behavior, and mental health, combining multimodal neuroimaging with behavioral approaches to examine vulnerability, adaptation, and resilience — including caregiver mental health and intergenerational pathways.
HeeYoung Seon, Ph.D.
Ph.D. in Human Factors Engineering (Biomedical Engineering) from UNIST, where she studied the computational and neural mechanisms of social and risky decision-making using task-based fMRI, hierarchical Bayesian modeling, and EEG — including how social norms shape risk-taking and craving.
Hyeji Lee, Ph.D.
Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Edinburgh, studying the neural mechanisms of cognitive control development across childhood and adolescence. Uses EEG, fNIRS, and mixed-effects modeling to track how control is engaged and released during learning, and how it relates to adolescent risk-taking.
Haechan Jeong, M.A.
M.A. in cognitive neuroscience from Chungnam National University, where he studied visual attention with functional data analysis of fMRI BOLD signals. At BDIL he examines parent–child brain development using large-scale resting-state fMRI, functional connectivity and gradient measures, and VR/Unity intervention platforms for children.
Graduate Students
Ji-Hyeong Ro, M.S.
MS–PhD Course
Completed a master’s thesis on mindfulness. Researches how smart media addiction and depression affect children’s brains, working primarily in R.
JeongBeom Han
MS Course
Graduated in computer software engineering and works on intervention research for Parkinson’s disease, aiming to develop and clinically validate AI-based remote digital rehabilitation. Codes mainly in Python and C.
DongYeol Lee
MS–PhD Course
Combines software development, cybersecurity, and brain science to build AI-based digital therapeutics that capture everyday patient signs a short clinic visit would miss. Works in Java, C/C++, Python, and shell scripting.
Juwon Lee
Intern
M.S. in Brain Sciences from DGIST, where he developed hiPSC-based brain assembloid models to study sensory integration differences in autism. Now integrates genomic, neuroimaging, and sensory-behavioral data to link biology with individual differences in sensory experience.
Student Researchers
Yeonjin Choi, M.A.
B.A. and M.A. in Sociology from Yonsei University, now a master’s student in Bio and Brain Engineering at KAIST. Studies the neural basis of social interaction — how nonverbal cues such as facial expressions are processed and how they shape social adaptation and emotion regulation.
Ye-eun Lee
Psychology at Chung-Ang University. Has studied how infants learn words through media, and now uses fNIRS, EEG, and fMRI to examine children’s cognitive and emotional change in social contexts. Interests: developmental neuroscience, social cognition, emotional development.
Yejin Yu
Undergraduate in Biomedical Engineering at Kyungpook National University, supporting research projects and behavioral experiments at BDIL. Interests: ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, and treatment for neural hearing loss.
Publications
Lee S, Cheong Y, Ro J, Choi Y, Jung M.
Korean Child Emotional Face Database: Development, Validation, and Application in Emotional Processing Research.
Scientific Reports, 2026. Link
Cheong Y, Lee S, Ro J, Bae J, Jung M.
Stressed-out parenting brain: Effects of parenting stress, depression and anxiety on caregivers’ brain structure and function.
Journal of Affective Disorders, 2026. Link
Jeong H, Cheong Y, Ro J, Cha J, Choi J, Jung M.
Cognitive Load Across Interaction Formats in Digital Attention Assessment for Children: Within-Subject Neuroimaging and Behavioral Comparison Study.
JMIR Serious Games, 2026. Link
Lee S, Park E, Cheong Y, Ro J, Lee S, Kim J, Lee H, Jung M.
Feasibility and Preliminary Signal of Cerebellar Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation for Static Balance in Cerebellar Ataxia: A Pilot Study.
Frontiers in Neurology, 2026. Link
Cheong Y, Bae J, Ro J, Lee S, Kosaka H, Jung M.
Dissecting the heterogeneity of autism spectrum disorder with sensory behavior, brain, and epigenetic factors.
Translational Psychiatry, 2025. Link
News
- 이수민 학생 석사과정 수료식
2년 반 동안 함께해 온 이수민 학생의 수료식이 있었습니다.석사과정 동안 SCI 논문 1편을 주저자로 발표하며 멋지게 석사 생활을 마무리했습니다.그동안 정말 고생 많았고, 앞으로의 길에도 좋은 일만 가득하길 응원합니다. - 뜨거웠던 여름, 인턴 4인의 수료식
여름방학 동안 수고 많았던 인턴 학생들의 수료식이 있었습니다.김예린(연세대), 김가은(이화여대), 김가희(한양대), 박준상(한양대) 학생, 짧지 않은 기간 동안 성실히 함께해 주어 고맙습니다. 앞으로의 앞날을 응원합니다. - 정용전 박사님의 새로운 시작을 응원합니다
BDIL 초창기부터 함께해 온 정용전 박사님께서 이화여자대학교로 자리를 옮기셨습니다.그동안 연구실에 큰 힘이 되어 주셔서 진심으로 감사드리며, 새로운 곳에서의 더 멋진 활약을 기대하겠습니다. - 대한뇌기능매핑학회 춘계학술대회 개최 (한국뇌연구원)
한국뇌연구원에서 대한뇌기능매핑학회 춘계학술대회가 열렸습니다. 국내 뇌영상 연구자들이 한자리에 모여 최신 연구 성과를 공유하는 뜻깊은 자리였습니다.
Join Us
We are looking for people who are curious about how the developing brain works, and who want to turn that curiosity into tools that help children and their families. Backgrounds in neuroscience, psychology, engineering, or related fields are all welcome; programming experience (MATLAB, Python, R) is an advantage.
Open positions are listed on the Position page. To apply, send your CV and a brief statement of research interests to minyoung@kbri.re.kr.
Brain Development Imaging Laboratory, Korea Brain Research Institute
61 Cheomdan-ro, Dong-gu, Daegu, South Korea
Tel. 053-980-8126 · minyoung@kbri.re.kr