David Dietz

Deep transcriptomic analysis of molecular mediators of complex traits in heterogeneous stock (HS) rats

This paper expands the RatGTEx resource with transcriptome-wide associations across 3,160 RNA-seq samples, identifying 7,473 gene-trait links and 144,876 QTLs for 22,599 genes.

Genomic SEM reveals shared genetic architecture and expands locus discovery for locomotor activity in heterogeneous stock rats

The paper uses Genomic SEM to identify loci underlying locomotor activity in rats, finding 31 loci compared to fewer from other methods.

Viral-mediated expression of Erk2 in the nucleus accumbens regulates responses to rewarding and aversive stimuli.

This study shows that manipulating ERK2 levels in the nucleus accumbens of rats alters behaviors related to reward and aversion, with overexpression increasing depression-like and cocaine sensitivity behaviors, and knockdown reducing them.

Histone H3 dopaminylation in ventral tegmental area underlies heroin-induced maladaptive plasticity

This study shows that H3Q5dop in VTA contributes to heroin-induced transcriptional plasticity and relapse vulnerability during abstinence.

Cocaine-induced neuron subtype mitochondrial dynamics through Egr3 transcriptional regulation

This study shows cocaine affects mitochondrial dynamics in neurons by regulating Egr3 transcription of mitochondrial-related genes, with distinct effects in D1-MSNs and D2-MSNs.