About Nick
Nick Spitzer
Nick got his start with his B.A. in biology from Harvard College, working in John Dowling’s lab, went to Harvard Medical School for several years, and then switched into the graduate program in Stephen Kuffler’s new Harvard Neurobiology Department for his Ph.D. After postdoctoral work at Harvard with Jack McMahan and University College London with Ricardo Miledi, he joined the faculty at UC San Diego where he’s now the Atkinson Family Distinguished Professor of Neurobiology. He has been chair of the Biology Department, the Neurobiology Section and chair of the Academic Senate, and has served as a member of the NIH NINDS Council, a Trustee of the Grass Foundation and councilor of the Society for Neuroscience. He was founding co-director of the Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind, stimulating interdisciplinary research, and founding editor-in-chief of BrainFacts.org, promoting public education about neuroscience.
Selected Publications
Articles
Li, H. and Spitzer, N.C. (2020) Exercise enhances motor skill learning by neurotransmitter switching in the adult midbrain. Nat Commun 11: 2195. PMID: 32366867
Hammond-Weinberger, D.R., Wang, Y., Glavis-Bloom, A. and Spitzer, N.C. (2020) Mechanism for neurotransmitter-receptor matching. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 17: 4368-4374. PMID: 32041885
Pritchard, R., Chen, H., Romoli, B., Spitzer, N.C. and Dulcis, D. (2020) Photoperiod-induced neurotransmitter plasticity declines with aging: an epigenetic regulation? J Comp Neurol 528: 199–210. PMID: 31343079
Meng, D., Li, H.Q., Deisseroth, K., Leutgeb, S. and Spitzer, N.C. (2018) Neuronal activity regulates neurotransmitter switching in the adult brain following light-induced stress. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 115: 5064-5071. PMID: 29686073
Dulcis, D., Lippi, G., Stark, C.J., Do, L.H., Berg, D.K. and Spitzer, N.C. (2017) Neurotransmitter switching regulated by miRNAs controls changes in social preference. Neuron 95: 1319-1333. PMID: 28867550
Aumann, T.D., Raabus, M., Tomas, D., Prijanto, A., Churilov, L., Spitzer, N.C. and Horne, M.K. (2016) Differences in number of midbrain dopamine neurons associated with summer and winter photoperiods in humans. PLoS One 11: e0158847. PMID: 27428306
Güemez-Gamboa, A. Xu, L., Meng, D. and Spitzer, N.C. (2014) Non-cell-autonomous mechanism of activity-dependent neurotransmitter switching. Neuron 82: 1004-1016. PMID: 24908484
Dulcis, D., Jamshidi, P., Leutgeb, S. and Spitzer, N.C. (2013) Neurotransmitter switching in the adult brain regulates behavior. Science 340: 449-453. PMID: 23620046
Plazas, P.V., Nicol, X. and Spitzer, N.C. (2013) Activity-dependent competition regulates motor neuron axon pathfinding via PlexinA3. Proc Nat Acad Sci USA 110: 1524-1529. PMID: 23302694
Nicol, X., Hong, K.P. and Spitzer, N.C. (2011) Spatial and temporal second messenger codes for growth cone turning. Proc Nat Acad Sci USA 108: 13776-13781. PMID: 21795610
Velázquez-Ulloa, N.A., Spitzer, N.C. and Dulcis, D. (2011) Context-dependent dopamine specification by calcium activity across the central nervous system. J Neurosci 31: 78-88. PMID: 21209192
Demarque, M. and Spitzer, N.C. (2010) Activity-dependent expression of Lmx1b regulates specification of serotonergic neurons modulating swimming behavior. Neuron 67: 321-334. PMID: 20670838
Marek, K.W., Kurtz, L.M. and Spitzer, N.C. (2010) cJun integrates calcium spike activity and tlx3 expression to regulate neurotransmitter specification. Nature Neurosci 13: 944-950. PMID: 20581840
Xiao, Q., Xu, L. and Spitzer, N.C. (2010) Muscle-dependent regulation of neurotransmitter specification and embryonic neuronal calcium spike activity. J Neurosci 30: 5792-5801. PMID: 20410131
Chang, L.W. and Spitzer, N.C. (2009) Spontaneous calcium spike activity in embryonic spinal neurons is regulated by developmental expression of the Na+, K+-ATPase β3 subunit. J Neurosci 29: 7877-7885. PMID: 19535599
Dulcis, D. and Spitzer, N.C. (2008) Illumination controls dopaminergic differentiation regulating behavior. Nature 456: 195-201. PMID: 19005547
Root, C.M., Velazquez-Ulloa, N.A., Monsalve, G.C., Minakova, E. and Spitzer, N.C. (2008). Embryonically expressed GABA and glutamate drive electrical activity regulating neurotransmitter specification. J Neurosci 28: 4777-4784. PMID: 18448654
Sann, S.B., Xu, L., Nishimune, H., Sanes, J.R. and Spitzer, N.C. (2008). Neurite outgrowth and in vivo sensory innervation mediated by a CaV2.2-laminin beta-2 stop signal. J Neurosci 28: 2366-2374. PMID: 18322083
Borodinsky, L.N. and Spitzer, N.C. (2007). Activity-dependent neurotransmitter-receptor matching at the neuromuscular junction. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 104: 335-340. PMID: 17190810
Conklin, M.W., Lin, M.S. and Spitzer, N.C. (2005). Local calcium transients contribute to disappearance of pFAK, focal complex removal and deadhesion of neuronal growth cones and fibroblasts. Dev Biol 287: 201-212. PMID: 16202989
Borodinsky, L.N., Root, C.M., Cronin, J.A., Sann, S.B., Gu, X. and Spitzer, N.C. (2004). Actiity-dependent homeostatic specification of transmitter expression in embryonic neurons. Nature 429: 523-530. PMID: 15175743
Gorbunova, Y.V. and Spitzer, N.C. (2002). Dynamic interactions of cAMP transients and spontaneous calcium spikes. Nature 418: 93-96. PMID: 12097913
Gomez, T.M., Robles, E., Poo, M. and Spitzer, N.C. (2001). Filipodial calcium transients promote substrate-dependent growth cone turning. Science 291: 1983-1987. PMID: 11239161
Reviews
Li, H., Pratelli, M., Godavarthi, S., Zambetti, S. and Spitzer, N.C. (2020) Decoding neurotransmitter switching: the road forward. J Neurosci 40: 4078-4089. PMID: 32434858
Spitzer, N.C. (2017) Neurotransmitter switching in the developing and adult brain. Annu Rev Neurosci 40: 1-19. PMID: 28301776
Spitzer, N.C. (2015) Neurotransmitter switching? No surprise. Neuron 86: 1131-1144. PMID: 26050033
Spitzer, N.C. (2012) Activity-dependent neurotransmitter respecification. Nature Reviews Neurosci 13: 94-106. PMID: 22251956
Dulcis, D. and Spitzer, N.C. (2012) Reserve pool neuron transmitter respecification: novel neuroplasticity. Dev Neurobiol 72: 465-474. PMID: 21595049
Demarque, M. and Spitzer, N.C. (2012) Neurotransmitter phenotype plasticity: an unexpected mechanism in the toolbox of network activity homeostasis. Dev Neurobiol 72: 22-32. PMID: 21557513
Spitzer, N.C. (2006). Electrical activity in early neuronal development. Nature 444: 707-712. PMID: 17151658