Robert Hill
Associate Professor
Appointments
Associate Professor of Biological Sciences
Integrative Neuroscience at Dartmouth Graduate Program, Molecular and Cellular Biology Graduate Program
Area of Expertise
Neurobiology,
Developmental Biology
Biography
We study the multicellular interactions between neurons and glia in the brain with a primary focus on the development, plasticity, and regeneration of myelinating oligodendrocytes. Techniques include high-resolution optical imaging in combination with molecular labels, genetic manipulation, and sensors of cellular physiology.
Education
B.S. Trinity College
Ph. D. University of Connecticut
Postdoctoral Fellow, Yale School of Medicine
Publications
Kamen Y, Chapman TW, Piedra ET, Ciolkowski ME, Hill RA. Transient upregulation of procaspase-3 during oligodendrocyte fate decisions. The Journal of Neuroscience. (2025) Jan 21:e2066242025. PMID: 39837665.
Bame X and Hill RA. Mitochondrial network reorganization and transient expansion during oligodendrocyte generation Nature Communications. (2024) doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-51016-2 PMID: 39143079
Olveda GE, Barasa MN, and Hill RA. Microglial phagocytosis of single dying oligodendrocytes is mediated by CX3CR1 but not MERTK. Cell Reports. (2024) doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114385 PMID: 38935500
Chapman TW, Kamen Y, Piedra ET, and Hill RA. Oligodendrocyte maturation alters the cell death mechanisms that cause demyelination. The Journal of Neuroscience (2024) doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1794-23.2024 PMID: 38395617
Chapman TW, Olveda GE, Bame Xh, Pereira E, and Hill RA. Oligodendrocyte death initiates synchronous remyelination to restore cortical myelin patterns in mice. Nature Neuroscience (2023) doi: 10.1038/s41593-023-01271-1 PMID: 36928635, highlighted by Dartmouth News
Chapman TW and Hill RA. Myelin plasticity in adulthood and aging. Neuroscience Letters. (2020) 134645. PMID: 31765728
Hill RA#, Li AM, and Grutzendler J# Lifelong cortical myelin plasticity and age-related degeneration in the live mammalian brain. Nature Neuroscience. (2018) 21 (5), 683-695 PMID: 29556031, highlighted by Neuron, Nature Reviews Neuroscience and Yale News. #co-corresponding author
Hill RA, Damisah EC, Chen F, Kwan AC, and Grutzendler J. Targeted two-photon chemical apoptotic ablation of defined cell types in vivo. Nature Communications. (2017) 8,15837 PMID: 28621306.
Damisah EC*, Hill RA*, Tong L, Murray KN, and Grutzendler J. A fluoro-Nissl dye identifies pericytes as distinct vascular mural cells during in vivo brain imaging. Nature Neuroscience. (2017) 20(7), 1023-1032. PMID: 28504673, highlighted by Alzforum *co-first author
Hill RA*, Tong L*, Yuan P*, Murikinati S, Gupta S, and Grutzendler J. Regional blood flow in the normal and ischemic brain is controlled by arteriolar smooth muscle cell contractility and not by capillary pericytes. Neuron. (2015) 87(1), 95-110. PMID: 26119027, highlighted by Neuron, Alzforum, and ScienceNews. *co-first author
Hill RA and Grutzendler J. In vivo imaging of oligodendrocytes with sulforhodamine 101. Nature Methods. (2014) 11(11), 1082-1083. PMID: 25357236
Hill RA#, Patel KD, Goncalves CM, Grutzendler J, and Nishiyama A# Modulation of oligodendrocyte generation during a critical temporal window after NG2 cell division. Nature Neuroscience. (2014) 17(11), 1518-1527. PMID: 25262495, Faculty of 1000 recommended, #co-corresponding author
Schain AJ, Hill RA, and Grutzendler J. Label-free in vivo imaging of myelinated axons in health and disease with spectral confocal reflectance microscopy. Nature Medicine. (2014) 20(4), 443-449. PMID: 24681598, Faculty of 1000 recommended, highlighted by Nature Methods and Yale News
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