2026 Regina M. Carelli: Neuroscience Researcher – H-Index, Publications & Awards

Discipline name	D-Index	World Ranking	Current World Ranking	National Ranking	Current National Ranking	Publications	Citations
Neuroscience	67	2896	2647	1342	1207	130	15174

Discipline name

D-Index

World Ranking

Current World Ranking

National Ranking

Current National Ranking

Publications

Citations

Neuroscience

2896

2647

1342

1207

130

15174

Overview

Regina M. Carelli is affiliated with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the United States. Their research primarily focuses on neuroscience, with a specialization in cellular and molecular neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience, molecular biology, neurology, and biomedical engineering.

Their work covers several main topics within the neuroscientific field, including:

Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
Neural dynamics and brain function
Receptor Mechanisms and Signaling
Memory and Neural Mechanisms
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Studies
Neuroscience and Neural Engineering

Carelli has published extensively across various venues, especially contributing to UNC Libraries. The most frequent journals where their research appears include:

UNC Libraries
Journal of Neuroscience
Drug and Alcohol Dependence
Biological Psychiatry
Neuropsychopharmacology

Several recent papers exemplify the scope and range of Carelli's research interests:

"Activation of Infralimbic to Nucleus Accumbens Shell Pathway Suppresses Conditioned Aversion in Male But Not Female Rats," 2020, Journal of Neuroscience
"Noninvasive Brain Stimulation Rescues Cocaine-Induced Prefrontal Hypoactivity and Restores Flexible Behavior," 2021, Biological Psychiatry
"Alpha-tACS effect on inhibitory control and feasibility of administration in community outpatient substance use treatment," 2020, Drug and Alcohol Dependence
"A sex-dependent role for the prelimbic cortex in impulsive action both before and following early cocaine abstinence," 2021, Neuropsychopharmacology
"Prelimbic cortex and nucleus accumbens core resting state signaling dynamics as a biomarker for cocaine seeking behaviors," 2023, Addiction Neuroscience

Frequent collaborators in their research include:

R. Mark Wightman
Michael P. Saddoris
Robert Wheeler
Jeremy J. Day
Elizabeth A. West

Best Publications

Subsecond dopamine release promotes cocaine seeking

Paul E. M. Phillips;Garret D. Stuber;Michael L. A. V. Heien;R. Mark Wightman

1359
Citations
Dopamine Operates as a Subsecond Modulator of Food Seeking

Mitchell F. Roitman;Garret D. Stuber;Paul E. M. Phillips;R. Mark Wightman

853
Citations
Associative learning mediates dynamic shifts in dopamine signaling in the nucleus accumbens

Jeremy J Day;Mitchell F Roitman;R Mark Wightman;Regina M Carelli

831
Citations
Nucleus accumbens neurons are innately tuned for rewarding and aversive taste stimuli, encode their predictors, and are linked to motor output.

Mitchell F. Roitman;Robert A. Wheeler;Regina M. Carelli

564
Citations
Cocaine but Not Natural Reward Self-Administration nor Passive Cocaine Infusion Produces Persistent LTP in the VTA

Billy T. Chen;M. Scott Bowers;Miquel Martin;F. Woodward Hopf

421
Citations
Evidence that separate neural circuits in the nucleus accumbens encode cocaine versus "natural" (water and food) reward.

Regina M. Carelli;Stephanie G. Ijames;Alison J. Crumling

397
Citations
Real-time chemical responses in the nucleus accumbens differentiate rewarding and aversive stimuli

Mitchell F Roitman;Robert A Wheeler;R Mark Wightman;Regina M Carelli

384
Citations
The Nucleus Accumbens and Pavlovian Reward Learning

Jeremy J. Day;Regina M. Carelli

292
Citations
Synaptic Overflow of Dopamine in the Nucleus Accumbens Arises from Neuronal Activity in the Ventral Tegmental Area

Leslie A. Sombers;Manna Beyene;Regina M. Carelli;R. Mark Wightman

269
Citations
Preferential Enhancement of Dopamine Transmission within the Nucleus Accumbens Shell by Cocaine Is Attributable to a Direct Increase in Phasic Dopamine Release Events

Brandon J. Aragona;Nathan A. Cleaveland;Garret D. Stuber;Jeremy J. Day

264
Citations
Rapid dopamine signaling in the nucleus accumbens during contingent and noncontingent cocaine administration.

Garret D Stuber;Mitchell F Roitman;Paul E M Phillips;Regina M Carelli

262
Citations
Coordinated Accumbal Dopamine Release and Neural Activity Drive Goal-Directed Behavior

Joseph F. Cheer;Brandon J. Aragona;Michael L.A.V. Heien;Andrew T. Seipel

250
Citations
Differential Dopamine Release Dynamics in the Nucleus Accumbens Core and Shell Reveal Complementary Signals for Error Prediction and Incentive Motivation

Michael P. Saddoris;Fabio Cacciapaglia;R Mark Mark Wightman;Regina M Carelli

236
Citations
A comparison of nucleus accumbens neuronal firing patterns during cocaine self-administration and water reinforcement in rats

RM Carelli;SA Deadwyler

235
Citations
Representation of the body by single neurons in the dorsolateral striatum of the awake, unrestrained rat.

Regina M. Carelli;Mark O. West

233
Citations
A region in the dorsolateral striatum of the rat exhibiting single-unit correlations with specific locomotor limb movements.

M. O. West;R. M. Carelli;M. Pomerantz;S. M. Cohen

231
Citations
Nucleus accumbens cell firing during goal-directed behaviors for cocaine vs. 'natural' reinforcement.

Regina M Carelli

228
Citations
Phasic Nucleus Accumbens Dopamine Release Encodes Effort- and Delay-Related Costs

Jeremy J. Day;Joshua L. Jones;R. Mark Wightman;Regina M. Carelli

217
Citations
Dopamine release is heterogeneous within microenvironments of the rat nucleus accumbens

R. Mark Wightman;Michael L A V Heien;Kate M. Wassum;Leslie A. Sombers

209
Citations
Behavioral and Electrophysiological Indices of Negative Affect Predict Cocaine Self-Administration

Robert A. Wheeler;Robert C. Twining;Joshua L. Jones;Jennifer M. Slater

197
Citations
Cocaine-Associated Stimuli Increase Cocaine Seeking and Activate Accumbens Core Neurons after Abstinence

Jonathan A. Hollander;Regina M. Carelli

193
Citations