ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS, PROFESSIONAL POSITIONS, AND HONORS
Positions and Employment:
Postdoctoral Fellow, Eleanor Roosevelt Institute for Cancer Research, Denver, Colorado, 1986-1989
Research Biologist, Director of Molecular Biology Laboratory, Schizophrenia Center, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Denver, Colorado, 1989-
Instructor, Dept. of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO, 1990-1991
Teaching Faculty for the Dept. of Psychiatry, Postdoctoral Research Training Program on Developmental Psychobiology, 1990-
Assistant Professor, Depts. of Psychiatry and Pharmacology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, Colorado, 1990-1991
Graduate Faculty, Neuroscience Program, Genetics Program, and Biosciences Program, 1995-
Associate Professor, Departments of Psychiatry and Pharmacology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, Colorado, 1991-2004
Professor, Departments of Psychiatry and Pharmacology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, 2004-
Dr. Nancy Gary Chair in Children’s Mental Disorders Research, University of Colorado Denver, 2008-
Honors:
National Veterans Administration Research Program Specialist Advisory Panel, Neurobiology, 1995-1998
Outstanding Teacher Award, Department of Pharmacology, 1995
Research Career Scientist Award – Veterans Affairs Medical Research Service, 1999
Walter B. Nichols Investigator, NARSAD, 2003
Senior Research Career Scientist Award – Veterans Affairs Medical Research Service, 2009
Teaching Activities:
Course Director, PHRM 7630 “Molecular Biology Laboratory Techniques”, UCD, 1996-2002
Course Director, NRSC 7614 “Molecular Basis of Neuropsychiatric Disorders”, UCD, 2002-2007
Lecturer, DPRG Training Program, 1999-2009
Lecturer, NRSC 7614, 2009
Trained Nine Postdoctoral Fellows, Seven Ph.D. Graduate Students, and Mentored Four Faculty Members, 1999-2009
Clinical Activities:
Not applicable.
SCHOLARSHIPS AND PUBLICATIONS
Selected Peer-Reviewed Publications (out of 96 total):
Leonard, S., Breese, C., Adams, C., Benhammou, K., Gault, J., Stevens, K., Lee, M., Adler, L., Olincy, A., Ross, R., and Freedman, R. (2000) Smoking and schizophrenia: abnormal nicotinic receptor expression. Eur. J. Pharm. 393: 237-242.
Breese, C.R., Lee, M.J., Adams, C.E., Sullivan, B., Logel, J., Gillen, K.M., Marks, M.J., Collins, A.C., Leonard, S. (2000) Abnormal regulation of high affinity nicotinic receptors in subjects with schizophrenia. Neuropsychopharmacology. 23:351-364.
Benhammou, K., Lee, M., Strook, M.A., Sullivan, B., Logel, J., Raschen, K., Gotti, C., and Leonard, S. (2000). [3H] Nicotine binding in peripheral blood cells of smokers is correlated with the number of cigarettes smoked per day. Neuropharmacology 39:2818-2829.
Freedman, R., Leonard, S., Gault, J.M., and Hopkins, J. (2001). Linkage disequilibrium for schizophrenia at the chromosome 15q14 locus of the a7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit gene (CHRNA7). Am. J. Med. Gen. 105:20-22.
Lee, M.J., Breese, C.R., Leonard, S. (2001) The effect of nicotine and haloperidol co-treatment of nicotinic receptor levels in the rat brain. Mol. Brain Res. 86:115-124.
Leonard, S. and Bertrand, D. (2001) Neuronal nicotinic receptors: from structure to function. Nicotine & Tobacco Research 3:203-223.
Freedman,R. and Leonard,S. (2001). Genetic linkage to schizophrenia at chromosome 15q14. American Journal of Medical Genetics 105, 655-657.
Leonard, S., Adler, L.E., Benhammou, K., Berger, R., Breese, C.R., Drebing, C., Gault, J., Lee, M.J., Logel, J., Olincy, A., Ross, R.G., Stevens, K., Sullivan, B., Vianzon, R., Vernich, D.E., Waldo, M., Walton, K., and Freedman, R. (2001). Smoking and mental illness. Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav. 70:561-570.
Freedman, R., Leonard, S., Olincy, A., Kaufmann, C.A., Malaspina, D., Cloninger, R., Svrakic, D., Faraone, S.V., and Tsuang, M.T. (2001). Evidence for the multigenic inheritance of schizophrenia. Am. J. Med. Gen. (Neuropsych. Gen) 105:794-800.
Freedman, R., Adler, L.E., Olincy, A., Waldo, M.C., Ross, R.G., Stevens, K.E., Leonard, S. (2002) Input dysfunction, schizotypy, and genetic models of schizophrenia. Schiz. Res. 54:25-32.
Ross RG, Olincy A, Mikulich SK, Radant AD, Harris JG, Waldo M, Compagnon N, Heinlein S, Leonard S, Zerbe GO, Adler L, Freedman R. (2002) Admixture analysis of smooth pursuit eye movements in probands with schizophrenia and their relatives suggests gain and leading saccades are potential endophenotypes. Psychophysiology 39:809-819.
Leonard,S., Gault,J., Hopkins,J., Logel,J., Drebing,C., Vianzon,R., Short,M., Berger,R., Robinson,M., Freedman,R. (2002) Promoter variants in the nAChRa 7 gene are associated with schizophrenia and with a sensory processing deficit found in the disease Archives in General Psychiatry 59:1085-1096
Gault,J., Hopkins,J., Berger,R., Drebing,C., Logel,J., Walton,K., Short,M., Vianzon,R., Olincy,A., Ross,R.G., Adler,L.E., Freedman,R., Leonard,S. (2003) Comparison of Polymorphism in the a7 Nicotinic Receptor Gene Cluster in Schizophrenic and Control Subjects. Neuropsychopharmacology 123B (1): 39-49.
Leonard, S. (2003) Consequences of low levels of nicotinic receptor gene expression in schizophrenia for drug development. Drug Dev. Res. 60:127-136
Yao, J.K., Leonard, S., and Reddy, R.D. (2004) Increased nitric oxide radicals in postmortem brain from patients with schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Bulletin 30:923-934.
Freedman R. Olincy A. Ross RG. Waldo MC. Stevens KE. Adler LE. Leonard S. The genetics of sensory gating deficits in schizophrenia. (2004) Current Psychiatry Reports. 5(2):155-61.
Peng, J-H., Fryer, J.D., Hurst, R.S., Schroeder, K.M., George, A.A., Morrissy, S., Groppi, V.E., Leonard, S.S., Lukas, R.J. (2005) High-affinity epibatidine binding of functional, human a7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptors heterologously expressed de novo in human SH-EP1 Cells. J. P. E. T. 313:24-35.
Freedman, R., Ross, R., Leonard, S., Myles-Worsley, M., Adams, C.E., Waldo, M., Tregellas, J., Martin, L., Olincy, A., Tanabe, J., Kisley, M.A., Hunter, S., Stevens, K.E. (2005) Early biomarkers of psychosis. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience 7:17-29.
Mexal, S., Frank, M., Berger, R., Ross, R.G., Freedman, R., Leonard, S. (2005) Differential Modulation of Gene Expression in the NMDA Postsynaptic Density of Schizophrenic and Control Smokers. Molecular Brain Research 139:317-332.
Freedman, R., Leonard, S. Waldo, M., Gault, J., Adler, L. Olincy, A. (2006) Characterization of Allelic Variants at Chromosome 15q14 in Schizophrenia. Genes, Brain, Behav. 5 (Suppl 1): 14-22.
Yao, J.K., Leonard, S., Reddy R. (2006) Altered glutathione redox state in schizophrenia. Disease Markers 22:83-93.
Leonard, S. and Freedman, R. (2006) Genetics of chromosome 15q in schizophrenia. Biological Psychiatry 60:115-122.
Ann Olincy, Josette G. Harris, Lynn L. Johnson, Vicki Pender, Susan Kongs, Diana Allensworth, Jamey Ellis, Gary O. Zerbe, Sherry Leonard, Karen E. Stevens, James O. Stevens, Laura Martin, Lawrence E. Adler, Ferenc Soti, William R. Kem & Robert Freedman. (2006) Proof-of-concept trial of an a7-nicotinic cholinergic agonist for neurocognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia. Archives in General Psychiatry 63:630-638.
Mexal, S., Berger, R., Adams, C.A., Ross, R.G., Freedman, R., Leonard, S. (2006) Brain pH has a significant impact on human postmortem hippocampal gene expression profiles. Brain Research 1106: 1-11.
Backman, C.M., Shan, L., Zhang. Y.J., Hoffer, B.J., Leonard, S., Troncoso, J.C., Vonsatel, P., Tomac, A.C. (2006) Gene expression patterns for GDNF and its receptors in the human putamen affected by Parkinson;s disease: A real-time PCR study. Mol. Cell. Endocrinol. 252:160-166.
Shannon G. Matta, David J. Balfour, Neal L. Benowitz, R. Thomas Boyd, Jerry J. Buccafusco, Anthony R. Caggiula, Caroline R. Craig, Alan C. Collins, William A. Corrigall, M. Imad Damaj, Eric C. Donny, Phillip S. Gardiner, Sharon R. Grady, Ulrike Heberlein, Sherry S. Leonard, Edward D. Levin, Ronald J. Lukas, Athina Markou, Mike J. Marks, Sarah E. McCallum, Neerja Parameswaran, Kenneth A. Perkins, Marina R. Picciotto, Maryka Quik, Jed E. Rose, Adrian Rothenfluh, William R. Schafer, Ian P. Stolerman, Rachel F. Tyndale, Jeanne M. Wehner, Jeffrey M. Zirger. (2007) Guidelines for Nicotine Dose Selection for In Vivo Research: Theoretical Underpinnings. Psychopharmacology 190:269-319.
Martin, L.F., Leonard, S., Hall, M-H., Tregellas, J., Freedman, R., Olincy, A. (2007) Sensory gating and alpha-7 nicotinic receptor promoter region allelic variants in schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type. Am. J. Med. Gen. Part B. 144B:611-614.
Leonard, S., Mexal, S., Freedman, R. Genetics of smoking and schizophrenia. (2007) J. Dual Diagnosis 3:43-59.
Hope, B.T., Nagarkar, D., Leonard, S., Wise R.A. (2007) Long-term upregulation of protein kinase A and adenylate cyclase levels in human smokers. J. Neurosci. 1964-1972.
Wagner, B.D., Zerbe, G.O., Mexal, S., and Leonard, S.S. (2008) Permutation based adjustments for the significance of partial regression coefficients in microarray data analysis. Genet Epidemiol, 32:1-8.
Mexal, S., Berger, R., Pearce, L., Barton, A., Logel, J., Adams, C.E., Ross, R.G., Freedman, R. Leonard, S. (2008) Regulation of a novel aN-catenin splice variant in schizophrenic smokers. Am.J.Med.Gen, Part B 147B:759-768.
Stephens, S.H., Logel, J., Barton, A., Franks, A., Schultz, J., Short, M., Dickenson, J., James, B., Fingerlin, T.E., Wagner, B., Hodgkinson, C., Graw, S., Ross, R.G., Freedman, R., Leonard, S. (2009) Association of the 5’-upstream regulatory region of the a7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit gene (CHRNA7) with schizophrenia. Schiz. Res. 109:102-112.
Sinkus, M.L., Lee, M.J., Gault, J., Logel, J., Short, M. Freedman, R. Christian, S.L., Lyon, J., Leonard, S. (2009) A 2-base pair deletion polymorphism in the partial duplication of the a7 nicotinic acetylcholine gene (CHRFAM7A) on chromosome 15q14 is associated with schizophrenia. Brain Res. 1291:1-11.
Miller, C.L., Murakami, P., Ruczinski, I., Ross, R.G., Sinkus, M., Sullivan, B., Leonard, S. (2009) Two complex genotypes incorporating loci relevant to kynurenine pathway and melanotropin function are associated with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Schiz. Res. 113:259-267.
Mexal, S., Berger, R., Logel, J., Ross, R.G., Freedman, R., Leonard, S., (2009) Differential regulation of a7 nicotinic receptor gene (CHRNA7) expression in schizophrenic smokers. J. Mol. Neuroscience, In Press.
Ross RG, Stevens KE, Proctor WR, Leonard S, Kisley MA, Hunter SK, Freedman R, Adams CE. (2009) Cholinergic Mechanisms, Early Brain Development, and Risk for Schizophrenia. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (in press).
Grants and Contracts:
NIDA RO1 DA009457-12 (Leonard, P.I.), 4/01/07 to 3/31/12, “Regulation of Alpha 7 Nicotinic Receptor Assembly in Human Smokers”
We will determine the effects of splice variants on expression of surface receptors and measure the expression of RIC3, a protein contributing to assembly of a7* receptors, in postmortem brain tissue.
NIMH RO1 MH081177-02 (Leonard, P.I.), 7/01/07 to 6/30/12, “Regulation of the Human a7 Nicotinic Receptor Gene in Schizophrenia”
This proposal will study the transcription and translation of the human a7 nicotinic receptor gene in postmortem brain and tissue culture cell lines. Also proposed are genetic studies in the locus of the a7 gene.
NIMH ARRA Supplement Grant to MH-81177 (Leonard, P.I.), 7/1/09-6/30/11, “Identification of an α7* Nicotinic Receptor Interactome in Human brain”
This supplement provides funding for affinity purification and mass spectrometry identification of proteins that interact with the α7* nicotinic receptor.
VA Schizophrenia Center (Leonard, Co-Investigator), 10/1/99 – 9/30/10, Veterans Affairs Medical Research Service, "Molecular biology of Neuronal Abnormalities in Schizophrenia" (Center for Basic and Clinical Investigation of Schizophrenia)
VA Merit Review (Leonard, P.I.), 10/1/06 to 9/30/10, Veterans Affairs Medical Research Service, “Smoking and Schizophrenia: A Gene X Environment Interaction”
This proposal will examine the regulation of gene expression of nicotinic receptors in postmortem brain of control and schizophrenic smokers and non-smokers.
Senior VA Research Career Scientist Award, 7/1/09-6/30/17 Salary support GS15
NIMH (Freedman, P.I.), 8/01/09 to 7/31/14, 1P50 MH 068582- Silvio O. Conte Center (Leonard, Principal Investigator, Project 3), “Molecular Neurobiology of Schizophrenia”
Project 1: “Molecular consequences of genetic polymorphism in genes associated with schizophrenia”. This project will examine the efects of functional promoter mutations in the a7 nicotinic receptor gene in postmortem brain of schizophrenic and control subjects. Expression of a a7 will be examined as well as the effects on global gene expression using a microarray technology.