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Associate Professor Beulah Leitch

Contact Details

Phone
64 3 479 7618
Email
beulah.leitch@otago.ac.nz

University Links

Position
Associate Professor and Director Neuroscience Programme
Department
Department of Anatomy
Qualifications
BSc(Hons) PhD
Research summary
Cellular and molecular neuroscience; neurological disorders
Memberships
  • 2010–present – The Royal Society of New Zealand (MRSNZ)
  • 2007–present – The International Brain Research Organization (IBRO)
  • 1995–present – The Society for Neuroscience USA (SFN)
  • 2007–present – The Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS)
  • 2008–present – The British Neuroscience Association (BNA)
  • 2008–present – The Australian Neuroscience Society (ANS)
  • 2007–present – The Brain Health Research Centre University of Otago (BHRC)
  • 2009–present – The Society for Neuroscience, SFN Otago Chapter

Research

Associate Professor Leitch's research interests are in cellular and molecular neuroscience and focus on the structural and functional development of neurons and their synapses; also changes occurring at synapses during aging and in various brain disorders. Her group is particularly interested in changes that occur at synapses in relation to their synaptic proteins and receptors, as a result of genetic mutations, and how this relates to brain functional abnormalities and diseases, including epilepsy, schizophrenia, autism and ataxia.

A recent focus of the Leitch lab has been into the detection of newly synthesized proteins at synapses and in dendritic locations using high-resolution EM-immunogold techniques. This project is in collaboration with Professor Schuman's Lab, at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research (MPI-BR), Frankfurt, Germany. The project is based on the novel FUNCAT-PLA and Puro-PLA techniques recently developed in the Schuman laboratory for labelling newly synthesised proteins in cultured neurons. This research will lay the groundwork for studying whether defects in local protein synthesis contributes to synaptic dysfunction underlying various brain disorders such as Alzheimer's disease.

Publications

Hassan, M., Grattan, D. R., & Leitch, B. (2023). Developmental inhibitory changes in the primary somatosensory cortex of the stargazer mouse model of absence epilepsy. Biomolecules, 13, 186. doi: 10.3390/biom13010186

Hassan, M., Adotevi, N. K., & Leitch, B. (2022). Altered GABAA receptor expression in the primary somatosensory cortex of a mouse model of genetic absence epilepsy. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23, 15685. doi: 10.3390/ijms232415685

Leitch, B. (2022). The impact of glutamatergic synapse dysfunction in the corticothalamocortical network on absence seizure generation [Review]. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, 15, 836255. doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.836255

Panthi, S., Lyons, N. M. A., & Leitch, B. (2021). Impact of dysfunctional feed-forward inhibition on glutamate decarboxylase isoforms and γ-aminobutyric acid transporters. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 22(14), 7740. doi: 10.3390/ijms22147740

Panthi, S., & Leitch, B. (2021). Chemogenetic activation of feed-forward inhibitory Parvalbumin-expressing interneurons in the cortico-thalamocortical network during absence seizures. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, 15, 688905. doi: 10.3389/fncel.2021.688905

Lee, K., Goodman, L., Fourie, C., Schenk, S., Leitch, B., & Montgomery, J. M. (2016). AMPA receptors as therapeutic targets for neurological disorders. In R. Donev (Ed.), Advances in Protein Chemistry & Structural Biology (Vol. 103). (pp. 203-261). Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/bs.apcsb.2015.10.004

Chapter in Book - Research

Leitch, B., & Pitman, R. M. (2009). Neuromodulation of mechanosensory input to the insect CNS. In A. Kamkin & I. Kiseleva (Eds.), Mechanosensitivity of the nervous system (Vol. 2). (pp. 145-170). Amsterdam: Springer.

Chapter in Book - Research

Hassan, M., Grattan, D. R., & Leitch, B. (2023). Developmental inhibitory changes in the primary somatosensory cortex of the stargazer mouse model of absence epilepsy. Biomolecules, 13, 186. doi: 10.3390/biom13010186

Journal - Research Article

Hassan, M., Adotevi, N. K., & Leitch, B. (2022). Altered GABAA receptor expression in the primary somatosensory cortex of a mouse model of genetic absence epilepsy. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23, 15685. doi: 10.3390/ijms232415685

Journal - Research Article

Leitch, B. (2022). The impact of glutamatergic synapse dysfunction in the corticothalamocortical network on absence seizure generation [Review]. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, 15, 836255. doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.836255

Journal - Research Article

Adotevi, N., Su, A., Peiris, D., Hassan, M., & Leitch, B. (2021). Altered neurotransmitter expression in the corticothalamocortical network of an absence epilepsy model with impaired feedforward inhibition. Neuroscience, 467, 73-80. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2021.05.024

Journal - Research Article

Panthi, S., & Leitch, B. (2021). Chemogenetic activation of feed-forward inhibitory Parvalbumin-expressing interneurons in the cortico-thalamocortical network during absence seizures. Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, 15, 688905. doi: 10.3389/fncel.2021.688905

Journal - Research Article

Panthi, S., Lyons, N. M. A., & Leitch, B. (2021). Impact of dysfunctional feed-forward inhibition on glutamate decarboxylase isoforms and γ-aminobutyric acid transporters. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 22(14), 7740. doi: 10.3390/ijms22147740

Journal - Research Article

Adotevi, N. K., & Leitch, B. (2019). Cortical expression of AMPA receptors during postnatal development in a genetic model of absence epilepsy. International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience, 73, 19-25. doi: 10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2018.12.006

Journal - Research Article

Hafner, A.-S., Donlin-Asp, P. G., Leitch, B., Herzog, E., & Schuman, E. M. (2019). Local protein synthesis is a ubiquitous feature of neuronal pre- and postsynaptic compartments. Science, 364(6441), eaau3644. doi: 10.1126/science.aau3644

Journal - Research Article

Panthi, S., & Leitch, B. (2019). The impact of silencing feed-forward parvalbumin-expressing inhibitory interneurons in the cortico-thalamocortical network on seizure generation and behaviour. Neurobiology of Disease, 132, 104610. doi: 10.1016/j.nbd.2019.104610

Journal - Research Article

Adotevi, N. K., & Leitch, B. (2017). Synaptic changes in AMPA receptor subunit expression in cortical parvalbumin interneurons in the stargazer model of absence epilepsy. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, 10, 434. doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2017.00434

Journal - Research Article

Barad, Z., Grattan, D. R., & Leitch, B. (2017). NMDA receptor expression in the thalamus of the stargazer model of absence epilepsy. Scientific Reports, 7, 42926. doi: 10.1038/srep42926

Journal - Research Article

Best, H. L., Neverman, N. J., Wicky, H. E., Mitchell, N. L., Leitch, B., & Hughes, S. M. (2017). Characterisation of early changes in ovine CLN5 and CLN6 Batten disease neural cultures for the rapid screening of therapeutics. Neurobiology of Disease, 100, 62-74. doi: 10.1016/j.nbd.2017.01.001

Journal - Research Article

Seo, S., & Leitch, B. (2017). Postnatal expression of thalamic GABAA receptor subunits in the stargazer mouse model of absence epilepsy. NeuroReport, 28(18), 1255-1260. doi: 10.1097/wnr.0000000000000909

Journal - Research Article

Adotevi, N. K., & Leitch, B. (2016). Alterations in AMPA receptor subunit expression in cortical inhibitory interneurons in the epileptic stargazer mutant mouse. Neuroscience, 339, 124-138. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.09.052

Journal - Research Article

Jing, Y., Liu, P., & Leitch, B. (2016). Region-specific changes in presynaptic agmatine and glutamate levels in the aged rat brain. Neuroscience, 312, 10-18. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2015.11.002

Journal - Research Article

Seo, S., & Leitch, B. (2015). Synaptic changes in GABAA receptor expression in the thalamus of the Stargazer mouse model of absence epilepsy. Neuroscience, 306, 28-38. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2015.08.021

Journal - Research Article

Seo, S., & Leitch, B. (2014). Altered thalamic GABAA -receptor subunit expression in the stargazer mouse model of absence epilepsy. Epilepsia, 55(2), 224-232. doi: 10.1111/epi.12500

Journal - Research Article

Trotman, M., Barad, Z., Guévremont, D., Williams, J., & Leitch, B. (2014). Changes in the GRIP 1&2 scaffolding proteins in the cerebellum of the ataxic stargazer mouse. Brain Research, 1546, 53-62. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2013.12.027

Journal - Research Article

Barad, Z., Shevtsova, O., Arbuthnott, G. W., & Leitch, B. (2012). Selective loss of AMPA receptors at corticothalamic synapses in the epileptic stargazer mouse. Neuroscience, 217, 19-31. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2012.05.011

Journal - Research Article

Shevtsova, O., & Leitch, B. (2012). Selective loss of AMPA receptor subunits at inhibitory neuron synapses in the cerebellum of the ataxic stargazer mouse. Brain Research, 1427, 54-64. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2011.10.022

Journal - Research Article

Leitch, B., Shevtsova, O., Reusck, K., Bergin, D. H., & Liu, P. (2011). Spatial learning-induced increase in agmatine levels at hippocampal CA1 synapses. Synapse, 65(2), 146-153. doi: 10.1002/syn.20828

Journal - Research Article

Seo, S., Liu, P., & Leitch, B. (2011). Spatial learning-induced accumulation of agmatine and glutamate at hippocampal CA1 synaptic terminals. Neuroscience, 129, 28-36. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2011.07.007

Journal - Research Article

Leitch, B., Shevtsova, O., & Kerr, J. R. (2009). Selective reduction in synaptic proteins involved in vesicle docking and signalling at synapses in the ataxic mutant mouse Stargazer. Journal of Comparative Neurology, 512(1), 52-73. doi: 10.1002/cne.21890

Journal - Research Article

Leitch, B., Shevtsova, O., Guévremont, D., & Williams, J. (2009). Loss of calcium channels in the cerebellum of the ataxic and epileptic stargazer mutant mouse. Brain Research, 1279, 156-167. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2009.04.051

Journal - Research Article

Leitch, B., Szostek, A., Lin, R., & Shevtsova, O. (2009). Subcellular distribution of L-type calcium channel subtypes in rat hippocampal neurons. Neuroscience, 164(2), 641-657. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2009.08.006

Journal - Research Article

Richardson, C. A., & Leitch, B. (2007). Identification of the neurotransmitters involved in modulation of transmitter release from the central terminals of the locust wing hinge stretch receptor. Journal of Comparative Neurology, 502, 794-809. doi: 10.1002/cne.21323

Journal - Research Article

Richardson, C. A., & Leitch, B. (2005). Phenotype of cerebellar glutamatergic neurons is altered in stargazer mutant mice lacking brain-derived neurotrophic factor mRNA expressions. Journal of Comparative Neurology, 481, 145-159. doi: 10.1002/cne.20386

Journal - Research Article

Leitch, B., Judge, S., & Pitman, R. M. (2003). Octopaminergic modulation of synaptic transmission between an identified sensory afferent and flight motoneuron in the locust. Journal of Comparative Neurology, 462, 55-70. doi: 10.1002/cne.10698

Journal - Research Article

Richardson, C. A., & Leitch, B. (2002). Cerebellar Golgi, Purkinje, and basket cells have reduced γ-aminobutyric acid immunoreactivity in stargazer mutant mice. Journal of Comparative Neurology, 453, 85-99. doi: 10.1002/cne.10406

Journal - Research Article

Down, R. E., Ford, L., Woodhouse, S. D., Raemaekers, R. J. M., Leitch, B., Gatehouse, J. A., & Gatehouse, A. M. R. (2000). Snowdrop lectin (GNA) has no acute toxic effects on a beneficial insect predator, the 2-spot ladybird (Adalia bipunctata L.). Journal of Insect Physiology, 46, 379-391. doi: 10.1016/s0022-1910(99)00121-3

Journal - Research Article

Judge, S., & Leitch, B. (1999). GABA immunoreactivity in processes presynaptic to the locust wing stretch receptor neuron. Journal of Comparative Neurology, 407(1), 103-114.

Journal - Research Article

Judge, S., & Leitch, B. (1999). Modulation of transmitter release from the locust forewing stretch receptor neuron by GABAergic interneurons activated via muscarinic receptors. Journal of Neurobiology, 40(3), 420-431.

Journal - Research Article

Laurent, G., Wehr, M., MacLeod, K., Stopfer, M., Leitch, B., & Davidowitz, H. (1996). Dynamic encoding of odors with oscillating neuronal assemblies in the locust brain. Biological Bulletin, 191(1), 70-75. doi: 10.2307/1543064

Journal - Research Article

Leitch, B., & Laurent, G. (1996). GABAergic synapses in the antennal lobe and mushroom body of the locust olfactory system. Journal of Comparative Neurology, 372(4), 487-514. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1096-9861(19960902)372:4<487::AID-CNE1>3.0.CO;2-0

Journal - Research Article

Leitch, B., & Pitman, R. M. (1995). Modulation of transmitter release from the terminals of the locust wing stretch receptor neuron by muscarinic antagonists. Journal of Neurobiology, 28(4), 455-464. doi: 10.1002/neu.480280406

Journal - Research Article

Leitch, B., Shepherd, D., & Laurent, G. (1995). Morphogenesis of the branching pattern of a group of spiking local interneurons in relation to the organization of embryonic sensory neuropils in locust. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 349, 433-447. doi: 10.1098/rstb.1995.0128

Journal - Research Article

Watkins, B. L., Leitch, B., Burrows, M., & Knowles, B. H. (1995). Localization of a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor-like antigen in the thoracic nervous system of embryonic locusts, Schistocerca gregaria. Journal of Comparative Neurology, 351(1), 134-144. doi: 10.1002/cne.903510112

Journal - Research Article

Leitch, B., & Laurent, G. (1993). Distribution of GABAergic synaptic terminals on the dendrites of locust spiking local interneurones. Journal of Comparative Neurology, 337(3), 461-470. doi: 10.1002/cne.903370309

Journal - Research Article

Leitch, B., Watkins, B. L., & Burrows, M. (1993). Distribution of acetylcholine receptors in the central nervous system of adult locusts. Journal of Comparative Neurology, 334(1), 47-58. doi: 10.1002/cne.903340104

Journal - Research Article

Watson, A. H., Burrows, M., & Leitch, B. (1993). GABA-immunoreactivity in processes presynaptic to the terminals of afferents from a locust leg proprioceptor. Journal of Neurocytology, 22(7), 547-557. doi: 10.1007/BF01189042

Journal - Research Article

Leitch, B. (1992). Ultrastructure of electrical synapses: Review. Electron Microscopy Reviews, 5(2), 311-339. doi: 10.1016/0892-0354(92)90014-h

Journal - Research Article

Leitch, B., Heitler, W. J., Pitman, R. M., & Cobb, J. L. (1992). Two classes of vesicles are present and change in relative proportion during post-embryonic development of rectifying electrical synapses in the crayfish. Journal of Comparative Neurology, 321(2), 267-276. doi: 10.1002/cne.903210207

Journal - Research Article

Leitch, B., Laurent, G., & Shepherd, D. (1992). Embryonic development of synapses on spiking local interneurones in locust. Journal of Comparative Neurology, 324(2), 213-236. doi: 10.1002/cne.903240206

Journal - Research Article

Leitch, B., Pitman, R. M., Heitler, W. J., & Cobb, J. L. (1992). Structural and functional post-embryonic development of a non-rectifying electrical synapse in the crayfish. Journal of Neurocytology, 21(2), 120-128. doi: 10.1007/BF01189010

Journal - Research Article

Heitler, W. J., Pitman, R. M., Cobb, J. L., & Leitch, B. (1991). Postembryonic development of rectifying electrical synapses in crayfish: Physiology. Journal of Neurocytology, 20(2), 109-123. doi: 10.1007/BF01279615

Journal - Research Article

Leitch, B., & Finbow, M. E. (1990). The gap junction-like form of a vacuolar proton channel component appears not to be an artifact of isolation: An immunocytochemical localization study. Experimental Cell Research, 190(2), 218-226. doi: 10.1016/0014-4827(90)90189-h

Journal - Research Article

Leitch, B., & Probert, A. J. (1990). Schistosoma haematobium: The effect of Astiban on the cell composition and ultrastructure of the vitelline gland and the ultrastructure of the tegument and gastrodermis. Journal of Helminthology, 64(1), 65-69. doi: 10.1017/s0022149x00011901

Journal - Research Article

Leitch, B., Heitler, W. J., Cobb, J. L., & Pitman, R. M. (1990). Anti-GABA antibodies label a subpopulation of chemical synapses which modulate an electrical synapse in crayfish. Journal of Neurocytology, 19(6), 929-936. doi: 10.1007/BF01186820

Journal - Research Article

Leitch, B., Cobb, J. L., Heitler, W. J., & Pitman, R. M. (1989). Post-embryonic development of rectifying electrical synapses in the crayfish: Ultrastructure. Journal of Neurocytology, 18(6), 749-761. doi: 10.1007/BF01187228

Journal - Research Article

Leitch, B., & Probert, A. J. (1984). Schistosoma haematobium: Amoscanate and adult worm ultrastructure. Experimental Parasitology, 58(3), 278-289. doi: 10.1016/0014-4894(84)90045-6

Journal - Research Article

Leitch, B., Probert, A. J., & Runham, N. W. (1984). The ultrastructure of the tegument of adult Schistosoma haematobium. Parasitology, 89 (Pt. 1), 71-78. doi: 10.1017/s003118200000114

Journal - Research Article

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