Research Statement

In the past few years, our primary research focus is the impacts of sleep deprivation on the adolescent brain, with special attention on the roles of microglia.

Our works reveal that sleep insufficiency affects microglial functions and disrupts critical developing processes in adolescent mice. Importantly, since elevated neuroinflammation was also demonstrated in the schizophrenia mouse model after SD, disturbed microglial homeostasis caused by curtailed sleep might play an important role in the failure of stress-coping responses and contribute to the development of neuropsychiatric illness.

Publication

* The impact factor is presented as the one in the year before publication.

2023

Tuan LH, Yeh JW, Lee LJH, Lee LJ. Sleep deprivation induces dopamine system maladaptation and escalated corticotrophin-releasing factor signaling in adolescent mice. Molecular Neurobiology. SCI. Impact factor: 5.686. Rank: 20.6 % in Neuroscience. Accepted (First author).

2022

Hsieh MY, Tuan LH, Chang HC, Wang YC, Gau SS, Lee LJ. Altered synaptic protein expression, aberrant spine morphology, and impaired spatial memory in Dlgap2 mutant mice, a genetic model of autism spectrum disorder. Cerebral Cortex. 2022 Sep 28;bhac379. SCI. Impact factor: 4.861. Rank: 34.9 % in Neuroscience (First co-author).
Lai CC, Baskaran R, Tsao CY, Tuan LH, Siow PF, Palani M, Liu CM, Hwu HG, Lee LJ. Chronic N-Acetylcysteine Treatment Prevents Amphetamine-Induced Hyperactivity in Heterozygous Disc1 Mutant Mice, a Putative Prodromal Schizophrenia Animal Model. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2022 Aug 20;23(16):9419. SCI. Impact factor: 6.208. Rank: 23.2 % in Biochemistry & molecular biology.

2021

Tuan LH, Tsao CY, Lee LJH, Lee LJ. Voluntary exercise ameliorates synaptic pruning deficits in sleep-deprived adolescent mice. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. 2021 Mar;93:96-110. SCI. Impact factor: 7.217. Rank: 10.0% in Psychiatry (First author).

2020

Tsao CY, Tuan LH, Lee LJH, Liu CM, Hwu HG, Lee LJ. Impaired response to sleep deprivation in heterozygous Disc1 mutant mice. World Journal of Biological Psychiatry. 2021 Apr 26;1-12. SCI. Impact factor: 4.132. Rank: 37.2% in Psychiatry.
Rathinasamy B, Lai CC, Li WY, Tuan LH, Wang CC, Lee L, Liu CM, Hwu HG, Lee LJ. Characterization of striatal phenotypes in heterozygous Disc1 mutant mice, a model of haploinsufficiency. Journal of Comparative Neurology. 2020 May;528(7):1157-1172. SCI. Impact factor: 3.215. Rank: 5.7% in Zoology.
Hsu WH, Hua KF, Tuan LH, Tsai YL, Chu LJ, Lee YC, Wong WT, Lee SL, Lai JH, Chu CL, Ho LJ, Chiu HW, Hsu YJ, Chen CH, Ka SM, Chen A. Compound K inhibits priming and mitochondria-associated activating signals of NLRP3 inflammasome in renal tubulointerstitial lesions. Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation. 2020 Jan 1;35(1):74-85. SCI. Impact factor: 5.992. Rank: 12.0% in Transplantation.

2019

Tuan LH, Lee LJ. Microglia-mediated synaptic pruning is impaired in sleep-deprived adolescent mice. Neurobiology of Disease. 2019 Oct;130:104517.SCI. Impact factor: 5.996. Rank: 19.8% in Neuroscience (First author).