Shelly B. Flagel

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.

Chronic semaglutide treatment attenuates cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking and cocaine-induced stereotypy in male and female rats

This study shows that chronic semaglutide treatment reduces cue- and cocaine-induced reinstatement of cocaine-seeking in male and female rats.

Pavlovian conditioned approach with different reward magnitudes reveals opposing effects of acute and chronic semaglutide treatment

This study compares acute and chronic semaglutide effects on conditioned approach behavior in rats, finding chronic treatment increases sign-tracking while acute treatment decreases it, suggesting different impacts on reward-motivated behavior.

Chemogenetic Inhibition of Lateral Hypothalamus Inputs to the Paraventricular Thalamus Reduces Goal-Tracking in a Behaviorally Flexible Subgroup of Male Rats

The paper inhibits the LH-PVT pathway in rats and finds it reduces goal-tracking behavior, particularly in intermediate responders.

Differential acquisition of cocaine and heroin self-administration in a rat model of internalizing versus externalizing temperament

This study compares how cocaine and heroin self-administration is acquired in rats with internalizing vs. externalizing temperament, finding drug-specific and sex-dependent differences.

Chronic semaglutide treatment enhances the incentive motivational value of a small food reward and associated cue in male and female rats

This study shows chronic semaglutide increases motivation for food rewards and cues but reduces overall food consumption in rats.

Novel insights into the genetic architecture and mechanisms of host/microbiome interactions from a multi-cohort analysis of outbred laboratory rats

The paper identifies host genetic effects on microbiome composition in rats and finds evidence of indirect genetic effects contributing to missing heritability.

RatXcan: A framework for cross-species integration of genome-wide association and gene expression data

RatXcan extends transcriptome-wide association studies to rats, enabling cross-species integration of GWAS and gene expression data to identify shared genetic mechanisms of complex traits.

Genomic Loci Influencing Cue-Reactivity in Heterogeneous Stock Rats

This study identifies genomic loci associated with cue-reactivity in rats, linking them to incentive salience and drug abuse-related traits.

The effect of corticosterone on the acquisition of Pavlovian conditioned approach behavior is dependent on sex and vendor

This study examines how corticosterone affects sign- and goal-tracking behaviors in male and female rats from different vendors, finding sex- and vendor-dependent effects on acquisition but not expression.

Inhibition of dopamine neurons prevents incentive value encoding of a reward cue:With revelations from deep phenotyping

The paper shows that inhibiting VTA dopamine neurons during reward cue presentation prevents sign-tracking behavior, confirming dopamine's role in encoding incentive value.

Exponential increase in QTL detection with increased sample size.

The paper simulates GWAS in rats to show that larger sample sizes lead to an exponential increase in the number of significant loci detected.

Genome-Wide Association Study in a Rat Model of Temperament Identifies Multiple Loci for Exploratory Locomotion and Anxiety-Like Traits

This study identifies genetic loci associated with exploratory locomotion and anxiety-like traits in a selectively bred rat model using a genome-wide association approach.

Bioenergetic-Related Gene Expression in the Hippocampus Predicts Internalizing vs. Externalizing Behavior in a F2 Cross of Selectively-Bred Rats

The paper identifies gene expression patterns in the hippocampus of rats that predict internalizing and externalizing behaviors, linking them to genetic variation and biological processes.

Cocaine during adolescence differentially impacts psychomotor sensitization and epigenetic profiles in adult male rats with divergent affective phenotypes

This study shows adolescent cocaine exposure affects psychomotor sensitization and epigenetic profiles differently in genetically distinct rat strains, linking these changes to addiction vulnerability.

Genetic characterization of outbred Sprague Dawley rats and utility for genome-wide association studies

The paper genotypes over 4,000 Sprague Dawley rats to characterize genetic diversity and performs GWAS on Pavlovian conditioned approach behavior, identifying 46 significant loci.

The propensity to sign-track is associated with externalizing behaviour and distinct patterns of reward-related brain activation in youth

The paper links sign-tracking behavior in youth to externalizing behaviors and specific reward-related brain activation patterns.

Inhibition of a cortico-thalamic circuit attenuates cue-induced reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior in relapse prone male rats

The paper shows that inhibiting the PrL-PVT pathway reduces cue-induced relapse in ST rats but not GT rats, highlighting individual differences in relapse vulnerability.

Genome wide association study in 3,173 outbred rats identifies multiple loci for body weight, adiposity, and fasting glucose

The lateral hypothalamus and orexinergic transmission in the paraventricular thalamus promote the attribution of incentive salience to reward-associated cues

This study investigates the role of the lateral hypothalamus and orexinergic signaling in the paraventricular thalamus in attributing incentive salience to reward cues using Pavlovian conditioned approach behavior in rats.

The Paraventricular Thalamus is a Critical Mediator of Top-down Control of Cue-motivated Behavior in Rats

This study shows that the PrL-PVT pathway modulates incentive value attribution to reward-cues in rats, with distinct effects in sign-trackers and goal-trackers.