Steven F. Maier

68.6k total citations · 16 hit papers
524 papers, 53.0k citations indexed

About

Steven F. Maier is a scholar working on Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, Behavioral Neuroscience and Physiology. According to data from OpenAlex, Steven F. Maier has authored 524 papers receiving a total of 53.0k indexed citations (citations by other indexed papers that have themselves been cited), including 191 papers in Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, 184 papers in Behavioral Neuroscience and 183 papers in Physiology. Recurrent topics in Steven F. Maier's work include Stress Responses and Cortisol (184 papers), Pain Mechanisms and Treatments (152 papers) and Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms (115 papers). Steven F. Maier is often cited by papers focused on Stress Responses and Cortisol (184 papers), Pain Mechanisms and Treatments (152 papers) and Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms (115 papers). Steven F. Maier collaborates with scholars based in United States, Australia and Brazil. Steven F. Maier's co-authors include Linda R. Watkins, Martin E. P. Seligman, Matthew G. Frank, Erin D. Milligan, Monika Fleshner, Lisa E. Goehler, Mark R. Hutchinson, Ruth M. Barrientos, Michael V. Baratta and José Amat and has published in prestigious journals such as Science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and Journal of Neuroscience.

In The Last Decade

Steven F. Maier

519 papers receiving 50.9k citations

Hit Papers

5 papers align trajectories

What are hit papers?

Hit papers significantly outperform the citation benchmark for their cohort. A paper qualifies if it has ≥500 total citations, achieves ≥1.5× the top-1% citation threshold for papers in the same subfield and year (this is the minimum needed to enter the top 1%, not the average within it), or reaches the top citation threshold in at least one of its specific research topics.

Learned helplessness: Theory and evidence.

1976 1.7k citations Steven F. Maier, Martin E. P. Seligman profile →
Failure to escape traumatic shock.

1967 1.3k citations Martin E. P. Seligman, Steven F. Maier profile →
Glial activation: a driving force for pathological pain

2001 899 citations Linda R. Watkins, Erin D. Milligan et al. Trends in Neurosciences profile →
Cytokines for psychologists: Implications of bidirectional immune-to-brain communication for understanding behavior, mood, and cognition.

1998 879 citations Steven F. Maier, Linda R. Watkins profile →
Medial prefrontal cortex determines how stressor controllability affects behavior and dorsal raphe nucleus

2005 739 citations José Amat, Michael V. Baratta et al. profile →
Pathological pain and the neuroimmune interface

2014 698 citations Peter M. Grace, Mark R. Hutchinson et al. profile →
A review of diffusion tensor imaging studies in schizophrenia

2005 618 citations Steven F. Maier et al. profile →
Learned Helplessness: A Theory for the Age of Personal Control

1993 600 citations Steven F. Maier, Martin E. P. Seligman et al. profile →
Beyond Neurons: Evidence That Immune and Glial Cells Contribute to Pathological Pain States

2002 584 citations Linda R. Watkins, Steven F. Maier profile →
Minocycline attenuates mechanical allodynia and proinflammatory cytokine expression in rat models of pain facilitation

2005 580 citations Evan M. Sloane, Erin D. Milligan et al. Pain profile →
Spinal Glia and Proinflammatory Cytokines Mediate Mirror-Image Neuropathic Pain in Rats

2003 577 citations Erin D. Milligan, Marucia Chacur et al. Journal of Neuroscience profile →
GLIA: A novel drug discovery target for clinical pain

2003 570 citations Linda R. Watkins, Steven F. Maier profile →
Stressor controllability and learned helplessness: The roles of the dorsal raphe nucleus, serotonin, and corticotropin-releasing factor

2005 542 citations Steven F. Maier, Linda R. Watkins profile →
Immune activation: the role of pro-inflammatory cytokines in inflammation, illness responses and pathological pain states

1995 536 citations Linda R. Watkins, Steven F. Maier et al. Pain profile →
Dynamic microglial alterations underlie stress-induced depressive-like behavior and suppressed neurogenesis

2013 528 citations Matthew G. Frank, Michael V. Baratta et al. profile →
Learned helplessness at fifty: Insights from neuroscience.

2016 441 citations Steven F. Maier, Martin E. P. Seligman profile →

Peers — A (Enhanced Table)

Peers by citation overlap · career bar shows stage (early→late) cites · hero ref

Name	h						Papers	Cites
Steven F. Maier United States	125	16.0k	15.4k	14.7k	10.0k	7.7k	524	53.0k
Charles B. Nemeroff United States	137	5.6k 0.3×	15.9k 1.0×	24.5k 1.7×	2.9k 0.3×	14.7k 1.9×	974	77.0k
Eric J. Nestler United States	157	11.0k 0.7×	47.0k 3.0×	16.2k 1.1×	5.3k 0.5×	11.9k 1.5×	667	92.0k
Robert Dantzer United States	104	4.8k 0.3×	4.1k 0.3×	16.1k 1.1×	9.7k 1.0×	16.9k 2.2×	509	45.7k
George F. Koob United States	149	11.3k 0.7×	50.9k 3.3×	18.2k 1.2×	3.1k 0.3×	6.4k 0.8×	749	84.1k
David A. Lewis United States	111	3.3k 0.2×	22.9k 1.5×	3.9k 0.3×	3.2k 0.3×	6.8k 0.9×	565	46.0k
Michael Berk Australia	125	8.4k 0.5×	4.1k 0.3×	6.5k 0.4×	2.8k 0.3×	15.9k 2.1×	1.4k	68.2k
Dennis S. Charney United States	151	3.5k 0.2×	19.3k 1.2×	15.8k 1.1×	2.6k 0.3×	15.7k 2.0×	582	84.3k
John H. Krystal United States	133	3.4k 0.2×	20.5k 1.3×	6.5k 0.4×	2.7k 0.3×	11.8k 1.5×	651	60.2k
Brenda W.J.H. Penninx Netherlands	138	11.7k 0.7×	2.2k 0.1×	9.5k 0.6×	2.1k 0.2×	10.2k 1.3×	989	74.1k
Joseph E. LeDoux United States	123	2.8k 0.2×	29.5k 1.9×	18.2k 1.2×	4.5k 0.4×	2.1k 0.3×	399	70.9k

Countries citing papers authored by Steven F. Maier

Since Specialization

Citations

This map shows the geographic impact of Steven F. Maier's research. It shows the number of citations coming from papers published by authors working in each country. You can also color the map by specialization and compare the number of citations received by Steven F. Maier with the expected number of citations based on a country's size and research output (numbers larger than one mean the country cites Steven F. Maier more than expected).

Fields of papers citing papers by Steven F. Maier

Since Specialization

Physical SciencesHealth SciencesLife SciencesSocial Sciences

This network shows the impact of papers produced by Steven F. Maier. Nodes represent research fields, and links connect fields that are likely to share authors. Colored nodes show fields that tend to cite the papers produced by Steven F. Maier. The network helps show where Steven F. Maier may publish in the future.

Co-authorship network of co-authors of Steven F. Maier

This figure shows the co-authorship network connecting the top 25 collaborators of Steven F. Maier. A scholar is included among the top collaborators of Steven F. Maier based on the total number of citations received by their joint publications. Widths of edges represent the number of papers authors have co-authored together. Node borders signify the number of papers an author published with Steven F. Maier. Steven F. Maier is excluded from the visualization to improve readability, since they are connected to all nodes in the network.

All Works

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20 of 20 papers shown

Zambrano, Cristian A., Thomas Lee, James E. Hassell, et al.. (2025). Effects of Oral Administration of the Probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG on the Proteomic Profiles of Cerebrospinal Fluid and Immunoregulatory Signaling in the Hippocampus of Adult Male Rats. NeuroImmunoModulation. 32(1). 94–109.

Lacagnina, Michael J., Adriano Polican Ciena, Marucia Chacur, et al.. (2023). Voluntary wheel running prevents formation of membrane attack complexes and myelin degradation after peripheral nerve injury. Brain Behavior and Immunity. 115. 419–431. 3 indexed citations

Lacagnina, Michael J., et al.. (2022). Preconditioning by voluntary wheel running attenuates later neuropathic pain via nuclear factor E2–related factor 2 antioxidant signaling in rats. Pain. 163(10). 1939–1951. 16 indexed citations

Grace, Peter M., Erika L. Galer, Keith A. Strand, et al.. (2018). Repeated Morphine Prolongs Postoperative Pain in Male Rats. Anesthesia & Analgesia. 128(1). 161–167. 33 indexed citations

Gaudet, Andrew D., Laura K. Fonken, Monica T. Ayala, et al.. (2018). Spinal Cord Injury in Rats Disrupts the Circadian System. eNeuro. 5(6). ENEURO.0328–18.2018. 30 indexed citations

Gaudet, Andrew D., Laura K. Fonken, Monica T. Ayala, et al.. (2018). Spinal Cord Injury in Rats Dysregulates Diurnal Rhythms of Fecal Output and Liver Metabolic Indicators. Journal of Neurotrauma. 36(12). 1923–1934. 16 indexed citations

Grace, Peter M., Keith A. Strand, Erika L. Galer, et al.. (2016). Morphine paradoxically prolongs neuropathic pain in rats by amplifying spinal NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 113(24). E3441–50. 299 indexed citations

Dolzani, Samuel D, Michael V. Baratta, José Amat, et al.. (2016). Activation of a Habenulo–Raphe Circuit Is Critical for the Behavioral and Neurochemical Consequences of Uncontrollable Stress in the Male Rat. eNeuro. 3(5). ENEURO.0229–16.2016. 47 indexed citations

Clark, Peter, et al.. (2015). Running Reduces Uncontrollable Stress-Evoked Serotonin and Potentiates Stress-Evoked Dopamine Concentrations in the Rat Dorsal Striatum. PLoS ONE. 10(11). e0141898–e0141898. 41 indexed citations

10.

Forgeard, Marie, Emily A. P. Haigh, Aaron T. Beck, et al.. (2011). Beyond depression: Toward a process‐based approach to research, diagnosis, and treatment.. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice. 18(4). 275–299. 45 indexed citations

11.

Loram, Lisa C., Jacqueline A. Harrison, Evan M. Sloane, et al.. (2009). Enduring Reversal of Neuropathic Pain by a Single Intrathecal Injection of Adenosine 2A Receptor Agonists: A Novel Therapy for Neuropathic Pain. Journal of Neuroscience. 29(44). 14015–14025. 86 indexed citations

12.

Watkins, Linda R., Mark R. Hutchinson, Kenner C. Rice, & Steven F. Maier. (2009). The “Toll” of Opioid-Induced Glial Activation: Improving the Clinical Efficacy of Opioids by Targeting Glia. Trends in Pharmacological Sciences. 30(11). 581–591. 304 indexed citations

13.

Hutchinson, Mark R., Susannah S. Lewis, Benjamen D. Coats, et al.. (2008). Reduction of opioid withdrawal and potentiation of acute opioid analgesia by systemic AV411 (ibudilast). Brain Behavior and Immunity. 23(2). 240–250. 206 indexed citations

14.

Watkins, Linda R., Mark R. Hutchinson, Ian N. Johnston, & Steven F. Maier. (2005). Glia: novel counter-regulators of opioid analgesia. Trends in Neurosciences. 28(12). 661–669. 274 indexed citations

15.

O’Connor, Kevin, Abigail B. Ginsberg, Elena Maksimova, et al.. (2004). Stress-Induced Sensitization of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary Adrenal Axis Is Associated with Alterations of Hypothalamic and Pituitary Gene Expression. Neuroendocrinology. 80(4). 252–263. 38 indexed citations

16.

Bonaccorso, Stefania, Steven F. Maier, Herbert Y. Meltzer, & Michaël Maes. (2002). Behavioral changes in rats after acute, chronic and repeated administration of Interleukin-1beta: relevance for affective disorders. Journal of Affective Disorders. 77(2). 143–148. 20 indexed citations

17.

Fleshner, Monika, Terrence Deak, Kien T. Nguyen, Linda R. Watkins, & Steven F. Maier. (2001). Endogenous Glucocorticoids Play a Positive Regulatory Role in the Anti-Keyhole Limpet Hemocyanin In Vivo Antibody Response. The Journal of Immunology. 166(6). 3813–3819. 47 indexed citations

18.

Watkins, Linda R., Erin D. Milligan, & Steven F. Maier. (2001). Spinal cord glia: new players in pain. Pain. 93(3). 201–205. 301 indexed citations

19.

Watkins, Linda R., Steven F. Maier, & Lisa E. Goehler. (1995). Immune activation: the role of pro-inflammatory cytokines in inflammation, illness responses and pathological pain states. Pain. 63(3). 289–302. 536 indexed citations breakdown →

20.

Barnes, C. A., Michael J. Forster, Monika Fleshner, et al.. (1991). Exercise does not modify spatial memory, brain autoimmunity, or antibody response in aged F-344 rats. Neurobiology of Aging. 12(1). 47–53. 57 indexed citations

Rankless uses publication and citation data sourced from OpenAlex, an open and comprehensive bibliographic database. While OpenAlex provides broad and valuable coverage of the global research landscape, it—like all bibliographic datasets—has inherent limitations. These include incomplete records, variations in author disambiguation, differences in journal indexing, and delays in data updates. As a result, some metrics and network relationships displayed in Rankless may not fully capture the entirety of a scholar's output or impact.

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