Robert A. Phillips

This paper develops a 3D spatial genomics framework to reconstruct the molecular and cellular organization of the human nucleus accumbens across anatomical axes.

This study creates a spatiomolecular atlas of the human nucleus accumbens using spatial transcriptomics and single-nucleus RNA sequencing, revealing spatial gradients and conserved features across species.

This study identifies morphine-induced transcriptional changes in VTA glial cells and dopamine neurons, revealing glucocorticoid-mediated regulation of Fkbp5 in astrocytes.

The paper performs snRNA-seq on human lateral septum tissue to identify cell types and marker genes, finding conserved and species-specific expression patterns.

This study identifies Reelin as a marker of cocaine-activated neuronal ensembles in the rat nucleus accumbens and shows its role in cocaine reward and neuronal excitability.

The paper identifies a novel population of Oprm1-expressing neurons in the NAc marked by Chst9 expression, showing spatial and transcriptional distinctiveness across species.

This study investigates TrkB signaling in the lateral septum using RNA-seq, identifying gene expression changes linked to psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders.

The paper identifies a conserved enhancer upstream of Pdyn that is regulated by activity-dependent transcription factors and required for Pdyn expression in neurons.

The paper uses snRNA-seq to identify distinct D1-MSN subpopulations with differential transcriptional responses to cocaine in rats.

The paper generates a transcriptional atlas of the rat ventral tegmental area using snRNA-seq, identifying 16 cell types, including neurons co-expressing multiple neurotransmitter systems and associated with neuropsychiatric disorders.

This paper improves CRISPR/dCas9 interference for neuronal gene suppression by using a dual lentivirus system and dCas9-KRAB-MeCP2 construct, showing superior repression of the Bdnf gene in rat neurons.

This study identifies a dopamine-induced gene expression signature in the nucleus accumbens that drives cocaine-induced physiological and behavioral adaptations in rats.

This study shows blue light exposure alters gene expression in cultured neurons, but this effect is due to phototoxic interactions between light and culture media, not direct neuronal activation.