College of Veterinary Medicine
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Heeun Jang

Ph.D.
Heeun Jang

Assistant Professor
Biomedical Sciences
hjang@iastate.edu
515-294-8516
2060 Patterson
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Dr. Jang's Neural Circuits Aging Lab

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Education & Certifications

  • Ph.D, Neural Circuits and Behavior, 2011, The Rockefeller University
  • B.S., Life Science, 2004, Pohang University of Science and Technology

Teaching

  • BMS 7334 Biomedical Sciences II 
  • BMS 5380 Principles of Physiology

Research Focus & Interests

My research focuses on how aging alters brain function by reshaping the neural circuits that control essential physiological processes and behaviors, particularly thirst and fluid homeostasis. I investigate how age-related changes in sensory processing, motivational state, and neuroendocrine signaling disrupt the brain’s ability to maintain internal balance, contributing to dehydration, frailty, and declining health in older organisms. To address these questions, I use complementary model systems: the soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and mice, by selecting each based on the specific biological question and the strengths of the model. My lab combines molecular genetics, in vivo neural activity recording, calcium imaging, and quantitative behavioral analysis across these models to identify conserved neural circuit mechanisms of aging. By linking circuit-level dysfunction to whole-body physiological decline, my work aims to uncover fundamental principles of brain-body communication during aging and to identify potential targets for promoting resilience and healthy aging.

Honors & Awards

  • Sep 2024                     Best Scientific Talk Award, VITAL Research Symposium
  • Apr 2024                      Leading Edge Fellow
  • Feb 2024                     AGE Early Career Scholar Award, American Aging Association
  • Jun 2022 – Mar 2025 Paul F. Glenn Center Project Postdoctoral Fellow, Buck Institute for Research on Aging
  • Feb 2020 – Mar 2022 F32 Ruth L. Kirschstein-NRSA Postdoctoral Fellowship, National Institute of Health
  • Mar 2019 – Jan 2020 T32 Ruth L. Kirschstein-NRSA Postdoctoral Fellowship, National Institute of Health
  • Aug 2018                    Training Fellowship, Summer Workshop on the Dynamic Brain (SWDB), Allen Institute for Brain Science

Selected Publications

  • Jang, H., Behne Sharma., A., Dan, U., Wong, J.H., Knight, Z.A. Garrison, J.L. (2024) Dysregulation of the fluid homeostasis system by aging. bioRxiv doi.org/10.1101/2024.09.26.61527
  • Ly, T., Oh, J.A., Sivakumar, N., Shehata, S., La Santa Medina, N., Huang, H., Liu, Z., Fang, W., Barnes, C., Dundar, N., Jarvie, B., Ravi, A., Barnhill, O.K., Li, C., Lee, G.R., Choi, J., Jang, H., Knight, Z.A. (2023) Sequential appetite suppression by oral and visceral feedback to the brainstem. Nature 624, 130–137. doi: 10.1038/s41586-023-06758-2, PMID: 37993711
  • Chen, Y., Jang, H., Spratt, P.W.E., Kosar S., Taylor. D.E., Essner, R.A., Bai, L., Leib, D.E., Kuo, T.-W., Lin, Y.-C., Patel, M., Subkhangulova, A., Kato, S., Feinberg, E.H., Bender, K.J., Knight, Z.A., Garrison, J.L. (2020) Soma-Targeted Imaging of Neural Circuits by Ribosome Tethering. Neuron 107(3);454-469. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.05.005, PMID:32574560 [Commentary] Nature Methods, 2020 Aug;17(8):761.
  • Iqbal, A., Dong, P., Kim, C., Jang, H. (2019) Decoding Neural Responses in Mouse Visual Cortex through a Deep Neural Network. International Joint Conference on Neural Networks. Budapest, Hungary, IEEE. doi:10.48550/arXiv.1911.05479
  • Jang, H., Levy, S., Flavell, S.W., Mende, F., Latham, R., Zimmer M., Bargmann, C.I. (2017) Dissection of neuronal gap junction circuits that regulate social behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 114(7):E1263-e1272. doi:10.1073/pnas.1621274114, PMID:28143932
  • [Book Chapter] Jang, H., Bargmann, C.I. “Acute Behavioral Responses to Pheromones in C. elegans (Adult Behaviors: Attraction, Repulsion).” Pheromone Signaling: Methods and Protocols edited by Dr. Kazushige Touhara. Humana Press, Elsivier (2013) doi:10.1007/978-1-62703-619-1_21, PMID:24014370
  • Jang, H.*, Kim, K*., Neal, S.J., Macosko, E.Z., Kim, D., Butcher, R.A., Zeiger, D.M., Bargmann, C.I., Sengupta, P. (2012) Neuromodulatory state and sex specify alternative behaviors through antagonistic synaptic pathways in C. elegans. Neuron 75(4):585-592 (*Equal contribution) doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2012.06.034, PMID:22920251 [Commentary] Current Biology, 22(22):R953-956
  • McGrath, P.T., Rockman, M.V., Zimmer, M., Jang, H., Macosko, E.Z., Kruglyak, L., Bargmann, C.I. (2009) Quantitative mapping of a digenic behavioral trait implicates globin variation in C. elegans sensory behaviors. Neuron 61(5):692-9 (Featured Article) doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2009.02.012, PMID:19285466 [Commentary] Current Biology, 19(10):R407-409