Published

Mitigating the impact of adolescence isolation on the development of social anxiety: A potential role for oxytocin. Johnston MP and Wanat MJ. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience (2022). doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2022.1038236.

Critical periods when dopamine controls behavioral responding during Pavlovian learning. Lefner MJ, Stelly CE, Fonzi KM, Zurita H, Wanat MJ. Psychopharmacology (2022) 239: 2985-2996.

Sex differences in behavioral responding and dopamine release during Pavlovian learning. Lefner MJ, Dejeux MI, Wanat MJ. eNeuro (2022). doi:10.1523/eneuro.0050-22.2022.

Delays to reward delivery enhance the preference for an initially less desirable option: role for the basolateral amygdala and retrosplenial cortex. Lefner MJ, Magnon AP, Gutierrez JM, Lopez MR, Wanat MJ. Journal of Neuroscience (2021) 41: 7461-7478.

Dopamine release and its control over early Pavlovian learning differs between the NAc core and medial NAc shell. Stelly CE, Girven KS, Lefner MJ, Fonzi KM, Wanat MJ. Neuropsychopharmacology (2021) 46: 1780-1787.

Cocaine experience abolishes the motivation suppressing effect of CRF in the ventral midbrain.
Oliva I, Donate MM, Lefner MJ, Wanat MJ. Addiction Biology (2021) 16: e12837.

Nesfatin-1 puts the breaks on reward-based feeding. Lefner MJ and Wanat MJ. Neuropsychopharmacology (2020) 45: 1591-1592.

Acute stress enhances associative learning leaning via dopamine signaling in the ventral lateral striatum. Stelly CE, Tritley SC, Rafati Y, Wanat MJ. Journal of Neuroscience (2020) 40: 4391-4400.

Pattern of dopamine signaling during aversive events predicts active avoidance learning.
Stelly CE, Haug GC, Fonzi KM, Garcia MA, Tritley SC, Magnon AP, Ramos MP, Wanat MJ. PNAS (2019) 116: 13641-13650.

Ventral tegmental area astrocytes orchestrate avoidance and approach behavior.
Gomez JA, Perkins JM, Beaudoin GM, Cook NB, Quraishi SA, Szoeke EA, Thangamani K, Tschumi CW, Wanat MJ, Maroof AM, Beckstead MJ, Rosenberg PA, Paladini CA. Nature Communications (2019) 10: 1455.

Operant costs modulate dopamine release to self-administered cocaine.
Oliva I, Wanat MJ. Journal of Neuroscience (2019) 39: 1249-60.

A basal ganglia circuit sufficient to guide birdsong learning.
Xiao L, Chattree G, Oscos FG, Cao M, Wanat MJ, Roberts TF. Neuron (2018) 98: 208-221.

Dopamine encodes retrospective temporal information in a context-independent manner.
Fonzi KM, Lefner MJ, Phillips PEM, Wanat MJ. Cell Reports (2017) 20: 1765-74.

Differentiation and characterization of dopaminergic neurons from baboon induced pluripotent stem cells.
Grow DA, Simmons DV, Gomez JA, Wanat MJ, McCarrey JR, Paladini CA, Navara CS. Stem Cells Translational Medicine (2016) 9: 1133-44.

Ventral tegmental area afferents and drug-dependent behaviors.
Oliva I and Wanat MJ. Frontiers in Psychiatry (2016). doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2016.00030.

Phasic dopamine transmission reflects initiation vigor and exerted effort in an action- and region-specific manner.
Ko D and Wanat MJ. Journal of Neuroscience (2016) 36: 2202-2211.

Cocaine increases dopaminergic neuron and motor activity via midbrain α1 adrenergic signaling.
Goertz RB, Wanat MJ, Gomez JA, Brown ZJ, Phillips PE, Paladini CA. Neuropsychopharmacology (2015) 40: 1151-1162.

Phasic dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens in response to pro-social 50 kHz ultrasonic vocalizations in rats.
Willuhn I, Tose A, Wanat MJ, Hart AS, Hollon NG, Phillips PE, Schwarting RK, Wohr M. Journal of Neuroscience (2014) 34: 10616-10623.

CRF acts in the midbrain to attenuate to attenuate accumbens dopamine release to rewards but not their predictors.
Wanat MJ, Bonci A, Phillips PE. Nature Neuroscience (2013) 16: 383-385.

Dopaminergic prediction errors persevere in the nucleus accumbens core during negative reinforcement.
Hollon NG, Soden ME, Wanat MJ. Journal of Neuroscience (2013) 33: 3253-3255.

Lack of GPR88 enhances medium spiny neuron activity and alters motor- and cue-dependent behaviors.
Quintana A, Sanz E, Want W, Storey GP, Guler AD, Wanat MJ, Roller BA, La Torre A, Amieux PS, McKnight GS, Bamford NS, Palmiter RD. Nature Neuroscience (2012) 15: 1547-1555.

Severe stress switches CRF action in the nucleus accumbens from appetitive to aversive.
Lemos JC, Wanat MJ, Smith JS, Reyes BA, Hollon NG, Van Bockstaele EJ, Chavkin C, Phillips PE. Nature (2012) 490: 402-406.

Attenuating GABA(A) receptor signaling in dopamine neurons selectively enhances reward learning and alters risk preference in mice.
Parker JG, Wanat MJ, Soden ME, Ahmad K, Zweifel LS, Bamford NS, Palmiter RD. Journal of Neuroscience (2011) 31: 17103-17112.

Balanced NMDA receptor activity in dopamine D1 receptor (D1R)- and D2R-expressing medium spiny neurons is required for amphetamine sensitization.
Beutler LR, Wanat MJ, Quintana A, Sanz E, Bamford NS, Zweifel LS, Palmiter RD. PNAS (2011) 108: 4206-421.

Transient neuronal inhibition reveals opposing roles of indirect and direct pathways in sensitization. Ferguson SM, Eskenazi D, Ishikawa M, Wanat MJ, Phillips PE, Dong Y, Roth BL, Neumaier JF. Nature Neuroscience (2011) 14: 22-24.

Dopamine signaling in the nucleus accumbens of animals self-administering drugs of abuse.
Willuhn I, Wanat MJ, Clark JJ, Phillips PE. Current Topics in Behavioral Neuroscience (2010) 3: 29-71.

Delays conferred by escalating costs modulate dopamine release to rewards but not their predictors.
Wanat MJ, Kuhnen CM, Phillips PE. Journal of Neuroscience (2010) 30: 12020-12027.

Chronic microsensors for longitudinal, subsecond dopamine detection in behaving animals.
Clark JJ, Sandberg SG, Wanat MJ, Gan JO, Horne EA, Hart AS, Akers CA, Parker JG, Willuhn I, Martinez V, Evans SB, Stella N, Phillips PE. Nature Methods (2010) 7: 126-129.

Phasic dopamine release in appetitive behaviors and drug addiction.
Wanat MJ, Willuhn I, Clark JJ, Phillips PE. Current Dug Abuse Reviews (2009) 2: 195-213.

Strain specific synaptic modifications on ventral tegmental area dopamine neurons after ethanol exposure.
Wanat MJ, Sparta DR, Hopf FW, Bowers MS, Melis M, Bonci A. Biological Psychiatry (2009) 65: 646-653.

Dose-dependent changes in the synaptic strength on dopamine neurons and locomotor activity after cocaine exposure.
Wanat MJ and Bonci A. Synapse (2008) 62: 790-795.

Corticotropin-releasing factor increases mouse ventral tegmental area dopamine neuron firing through a protein kinase C-dependent enhancement of Ih.
Wanat MJ, Hopf FW, Stuber GD, Phillips PE, Bonci A. Journal of Physiology (2008) 586: 2157-70.