McGovern DJ, Phillips A, Ly A, Prevost ED, Ward L, Siletti K, Kim YS, Fenno LE, Ramakrishnan C, Deisseroth K, Ford CP, Root DH. (2024). Salience signaling and stimulus scaling of ventral tegmental area glutamate neuron subtypes. BioRXiV
Prevost ED, Phillips A, Lauridsen K, Ensero G, Rubinstein B, Alas D, McGovern DJ, Ly A, Banks M, McNulty CJ, Kim YS, Fenno LE, Ramakrishnan CH, Deisseroth K, Root DH. (2024). Monosynaptic inputs to ventral tegmental area glutamate and GABA co-transmitting neurons. JNeurosci, in press BioRXiV
Ly A, Barker A, Prevost ED, McGovern DJ, Kilpatrick Z, Root DH. (2023). BNST GABA neurons are necessary for changes in foraging behavior following an innate threat. European Journal of Neuroscience 58(7):3630-3649 Pubmed
McGovern DJ, Polter AM, Ly, A, Prevost ED, McNulty CJ, Root DH. (2023). Ventral Tegmental Area Glutamate Neurons establish a mu-opioid receptor gated circuit to mesolimbic dopamine neurons and regulate prescription opioid-seeking behavior. Neuropsychopharmacology 48:1889–1900. Pubmed
Research Highlight from Drs. Carl Lupica and Alex Hoffman
McGovern DJ, Ly, A, Ecton KL, Huynh DT, Prevost ED, Gonzalez SC, McNulty CJ, Rau AR, Hentges ST, Daigle TD, Tasic B, Baratta MV*, Root DH*. (2022). Ventral tegmental area glutamate neurons mediate nonassociative consequences of stress. In press, Molecular Psychiatry. Online publication ahead of print.
*Co-correspondence
Press: EurekAlert and CU Boulder Today
Lauridsen K*, Ly A*, Prevost ED, McNulty C, McGovern DJ, Tay JW, Dragavon J, Root DH. (2022). A Semi-Automated Workflow for Brain Slice Histology Alignment, Registration, and Cell Quantification (SHARCQ). eNeuro 9(2):1-13. Link
*Co-first authors
McGovern DJ, Polter AM, Root DH. (2021). Neurochemical signaling of reward and aversion by ventral tegmental area glutamate neurons. JNeurosci 41(25):5471-5486. Pubmed.
Root DH, Barker DJ, Estrin DJ, Miranda J, Liu B, Zhang S, Wang HL, Vautier F, Ramakrishnan C, Kim Y, Fenno L, Deisseroth K, Morales M. (2020). Distinct signaling by VTA glutamate, GABA, and combinatorial glutamate-GABA neurons in motivated behavior. Cell Reports, 32(9):108094 Pubmed
McGovern DJ, Root DH. (2019). Ventral pallidum: a promising target for addiction intervention. Neuropsychopharmacology, 44:2151-2152. Pubmed
Phillips AG, McGovern DJ, Lee S, Ro K, Huynh DT, Elvig SK, Fegan KN, Root DH. (2019) Oral prescription opioid-seeking behavior in male and female mice. Addiction Biology e12828. Pubmed
Root DH, Zhang S, Barker DJ, Miranda-Barrientos J, Liu B, Wang H-L, Morales M. (2018b). Selective brain distribution and distinctive synaptic architecture of dual glutamatergic-GABAergic neurons. Cell Reports, 23(12):3465-3479 Pubmed
Root DH, Estrin DJ, Morales M. (2018a). Aversion or salience signaling by ventral tegmental area glutamate neurons. iScience, 2:51-62 Pubmed
Barker DJ, Miranda-Barrientos J, Zhang S, Root DH, Wang HL, Liu B, Calipari ES, Morales M. (2017). Lateral Preoptic Control of the Lateral Habenula through Convergent Glutamate and GABA Transmission. Cell Reports, 21(7): 1757-1769 Pubmed
· NIDA “Featured” Paper – April 2018
Zahm DS & Root DH. (2017). Review of the cytology and connections of the lateral habenula, an avatar of adaptive behaving. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, 162:3-21. Pubmed
Root DH, Wang HL, Liu B, Barker DJ, Mod L, Szocsics P, Silva AC, Magloczky Z, Morales M. (2016). Glutamate neurons are intermixed with midbrain dopamine neurons in nonhuman primates and humans. Scientific Reports, 6:30615. Pubmed
· NIDA “Featured” Paper – December 2016
Barker DJ, Root DH, Zhang S, Morales M. (2016). Multiplexed Neurochemical Signaling in the Ventral Tegmental Area : Glutamatergic, GABAergic, and Dopaminergic Partnerships. Journal of Chemical Neuroanatomy, 73:33-42. Pubmed
· NIDA “Reviews to Read” – July 2016
Barker DJ, Striano BM, Coffey KC, Root DH, Pawlak AP, Kim OA, Kulik J, Fabbricatore AT, West MO. (2015). Sensitivity to self-administered cocaine within the lateral preoptic-rostral lateral hypothalamic continuum. Brain Structure & Function, 220(3):1841-1854. Pubmed
Root DH, Zaborszky L, Melendez RI, Napier TC. (2015b). The ventral pallidum: Subregion-specific functional anatomy and roles in motivated behaviors. Progress in Neurobiology, 130:29-70. Pubmed
Root DH, Hoffman AF, Good CH, Zhang S, Gigante ED, Lupica CR, Morales M. (2015a). Norepinephrine activates dopamine D4 receptors in the rat lateral habenula. Journal of Neuroscience, 35(8):3460-3469. Pubmed
· NIDA “Featured” Paper – August 2015
Root DH, Mejias-Aponte CA, Zhang S, Wang HL, Hoffman AF, Lupica CR, Morales M. (2014b). Single mesohabenular axons release both glutamate and GABA. Nature Neuroscience 17(11):1429-1622. Pubmed
· NIDA “Hot” Paper – November 2014
· Nature Neuroscience Featured Paper
· Research Highlight, Yates D (2014) Nature Neuroscience Reviews 15:700-701
· News and Views, Uchida N (2014) Nature Neuroscience 17:1432-1434
Root DH, Mejias-Aponte CA, Qi J, Morales M. (2014a). Role of glutamatergic projections from ventral tegmental area to lateral habenula in aversive conditioning. Journal of Neuroscience, 34(42):13906-13910. Pubmed
Striano BM, Barker DJ, Pawlak AP, Root DH, Fabbricatore AT, Coffey KC, Stamos JP, West MO. (2014). Olfactory tubercle neurons exhibit slow-phasic firing patterns during cocaine self-administration. Synapse, 68(7):321-323. Pubmed
Morales M & Root DH. (2014). Glutamate neurons within the midbrain dopamine regions. Neuroscience 282:60-68. Pubmed
Root DH. (2013b). The ventromedial ventral pallidum subregion is necessary for outcome-specific Pavlovian-Instrumental Transfer. Journal of Neuroscience, 33(48):18707-18709. Pubmed
Barker DJ, Simmons SJ, Servilio LC, Bercovicz D, Ma S, Root DH, Pawlak AP, West MO. (2014). Ultrasonic Vocalizations: evidence for an affective opponent process during cocaine self-administration. Psychopharmacology, 231(5):909-918. Pubmed
· Featured in The Daily Record, The Examiner, RutgersNews
Coffey KR, Diamond A, Barker DJ, Ma S, Root DH, West MO. (2014). A Procedure for Implanting Organized Arrays of Microwires for Single-Unit Recordings in Awake, Behaving Animals, Journal of Visualized Experiments, 84:e51004. Pubmed
Barker DJ, Bercovicz D, Servilio LC, Simmons SJ, Ma S, Root DH, Pawlak AP, West MO. (2014). Rat Ultrasonic Vocalizations Demonstrate that the Motivation to Contextually Reinstate Drug-Seeking Behavior does not Necessarily Involve a Hedonic Response. Addiction Biology, 19(5):781-790. Pubmed
Ma S, Pawlak AP, Cho J, Root DH, Barker DJ, West MO. (2013). Amphetamine’s dose-dependent effects on dorsolateral striatum sensorimotor neuron firing. Behavioural Brain Research, 244:152-161. Pubmed
Coffey KR, Barker DJ, Ma S, Root DH, Martinez L, Horvitz JC, West MO (2013). Effects of Varying Reinforcement Probability on Pavlovian Approach Behavior and Ultrasonic Vocalizations in Rats. Behavioural Brain Research, 237:256-262. Pubmed
Root DH, Ma S, Barker DJ, Megehee L, Striano BM, Ralston CM, Fabbricatore AT, West MO. (2013a). Differential roles of ventral pallidum subregions during cocaine self-administration behaviors. J Comp Neurol, 521(3):558-588. Pubmed
Root DH, Fabbricatore AT, Pawlak AP, Barker DJ, Ma S, West MO. (2012). Slow phasic and tonic activity of ventral pallidal neurons during cocaine self-administration. Synapse, 66(2):106-127. Pubmed
McGinty VB, Hayden BY, Heilbronner ST, Dumont EC, Graves SM, Mirrione MM, du Hoffman J, Sartor GC, Espana RA, Millan EZ, Difeliceantonio AG, Marchant NJ, Napier, TC, Root DH, Borgland SL, Treadway MT, Floresco SB, McGinty JF, Haber S. (2011). The Reward Circuit: Emerging, Reemerging, and Forgotten Brain Areas: Notes from the 2010 Motivational and Neural Networks Conference. Behavioural Brain Research, 225(1):348-357. Pubmed
Root DH, Barker DJ, Ma S, Coffee KR, West MO. (2011). Evidence for skilled cocaine self-administration in rats. Psychopharmacology, 217(1):91-100. Pubmed
Barker DJ, Root DH, Ma S, Jha S, Megehee L, Pawlak AP, West MO. (2010). Dose dependent differences in short ultrasonic vocalizations emitted by rats during cocaine self-administration. Psychopharmacology, 211:435-442. Pubmed
Root DH, Tang CC, Ma S, Pawlak AP, West MO. (2010b). Absence of cue-evoked firing in rat dorsolateral striatum neurons. Behavioural Brain Research, 211(1):23-32. Pubmed
Root DH, Fabbricatore AT, Ma S, Barker DJ, West MO. (2010a). Rapid phasic activity of ventral pallidal neurons during cocaine self-administration. Synapse, 64(9):704-713. Pubmed
· Faculty of 1000 Biology Comment, 23 Apr 2010
Tang CC, Root DH, Duke DC, Zhu Y, Teixeria K, Ma S, Barker DJ, West MO. (2009). Decreased firing of striatal neurons related to licking during acquisition and overtraining of a licking task. Journal of Neuroscience, 29(44):13952-13961. Pubmed
Root DH, Fabbricatore AT, Barker DJ, Ma S, Pawlak AP, West MO. (2009b). Evidence for habitual and goal-directed behavior following devaluation of cocaine: a multifaceted interpretation of relapse. PLoS One, 4(9):e7170. Pubmed
Root DH, Barker DJ, Ma S. (2009a). Duality of salience in dopamine neurons. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106(12):E84. Pubmed
Silvestri AJ & Root DH. (2008). Effects of REM Deprivation and an NMDA Agonist on the Extinction of Conditioned Fear. Physiology & Behavior, 93:274-281. Pubmed