Gyeong Hee Pyeon
Papers
2
Total Citations
15
H-Index
2
About
Gyeong Hee Pyeon is a rising neuroscientist whose research illuminates the neural and hormonal mechanisms underlying sex-specific defensive behaviors. Her work centers on two key areas: the modulation of fear responses across the estrous cycle in females, and the role of the parabrachial nucleus (PBN) in orchestrating active versus passive threat responses. In her highly cited 2023 study, Pyeon demonstrated that conditioned flight responses in female rats are estrous-cycle dependent, challenging traditional fear-conditioning models that have long focused on male subjects and freezing behavior. Her 2025 follow-up, already garnering significant attention, reveals that calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) neurons in the PBN function as a general alarm system capable of modulating both passive and active defensive behaviors under naturalistic threat. This work bridges a critical gap in understanding how the brain encodes threat intensity and context to produce flexible survival responses. With her papers accumulating citations rapidly, Pyeon is establishing herself as a leading voice in sex-specific neurobiology and defensive behavior research—a field with profound implications for understanding sex differences in trauma-related disorders.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 2