Veronica A. Alvarez

The paper shows that visual stimuli evoke dopamine in the dorsomedial striatum via cholinergic-dependent mechanisms, driven by frontal cortices rather than sensory cortices.

The paper identifies a thalamostriatal circuit mechanism by which internally constructed outcomes, like safety, acquire motivational value through synaptic plasticity in mice.

This study shows early life adversity increases striatal dopamine D1 receptor density and promotes social alcohol drinking in mice, especially males, with receptor downregulation after alcohol exposure negating these differences.

This study investigates how D2 autoreceptors influence vulnerability to cocaine use disorder by using cell-type-specific genetic manipulations in mice.

This study shows that Scn4b modulates Huntington's disease severity by affecting gene expression and neuronal function in mouse models.

This study shows that low striatal D2 receptor density in male mice predisposes to obesity-like traits through early dopaminergic dysfunction, which is later compensated by brain insulin hypersensitivity.

The paper shows that slow hippocampus-to-entorhinal plasticity underlies gradual grid cell map formation and fragmentation in novel environments through longitudinal imaging and modeling.

The paper identifies enhancer-AAV tools for specific neuronal subtypes and validates them across species.

This study shows that LRRK2 in D1R-expressing striatal neurons reduces alcohol drinking by modulating D1R signaling and resilience to heavy drinking.

This study investigates the role of M5 receptors in dopamine transmission and exploratory behavior in male and female mice, finding sex-specific impairments in exploration and habituation.

This study identifies the cAMP-Fyn signaling pathway in dorsomedial striatum direct pathway neurons as a driver of excessive alcohol consumption in mice.

The paper identifies cholinergic interneurons as a novel CRF target in the striatum that remains unaffected by repeated stress.