Christina M. Ruiz

This study inhibits VP GABA neurons and finds it increases context-appropriate defensive responses to learned threat cues without affecting memory formation.

This study examines how adolescent THC exposure affects dopamine-dependent cognitive processes in adult rats, finding sex-dependent impacts on reward seeking and altered sensitivity to amphetamine effects.

This study compares two DREADD agonists, CNO and J60, on operant behavior in rats with VTA dopamine neuron inhibition, finding J60 has non-specific effects while CNO is more specific.

This study shows that ventral pallidum inhibition reduces cocaine reinstatement after voluntary abstinence, particularly in compulsive rats, suggesting its role in relapse.

The paper develops new DREADD agonists and a PET radiotracer for improved neuronal activity manipulation and noninvasive projection mapping in neurotheranostics.

The paper uses chemogenetic manipulation to explore the role of VTA dopamine neuron G-protein signaling in cocaine-related behaviors, revealing distinct effects based on signaling pathways and behavioral context.