UMCUniversity of Massachusetts Chan Medical School · Neuroscience
Dopaminergic Pathways and Stress Lab
Andrew R Tapper · Worcester, Massachusetts
Research Focus
Dr. Andrew R. Tapper's lab focuses on understanding how stress affects motivation for reward-seeking behaviors, particularly through the brain's dopaminergic pathways. By exploring specific neuronal circuits in the interpeduncular nucleus, the research aims to uncover how stress can influence reward-related behaviors, which may provide insights into the underlying mechanisms of neuropsychiatric disorders. The lab employs cutting-edge techniques to study these complex interactions in animal models, contributing to the development of potential new treatments.
stressmotivated behaviordopaminergic circuitsreward seekingneuropsychiatric disordersGABAergic neuronsHabenular pathwaysfiber photometryoptogenetics
Research Aims
3AIM 01Investigate how IPN GABAergic neurons respond to acute stressors and their role in reward behaviors.
AIM 02Determine the impact of specific IPN neuronal sub-populations on stress-induced reward seeking.
AIM 03Explore the afferent pathways to the IPN that mediate reward behavior following stress exposure.
Skills the Lab Values
fiber photometryoptogeneticsanimal behavior experimentscalcium signaling techniqueselectrophysiologyanimal modelsdata analysisneuroscience techniquesimmunohistochemistry
Output against the department
Publications78bottom 22% of dept.522nd of 671
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations5.2kbottom 38% of dept.418th of 671
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.