Professor of Physiology and of Medicine
Dr. Leiter received his B.A. in Chemistry from Dartmouth College in 1975 and his M.D. from the same institution in 1979. After completing residency training in Internal Medicine at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New York, he returned to Dartmouth in 1982 for postdoctoral research training in Physiology and a clinical fellowship in Pulmonary Medicine. He joined the faculty as Assistant Professor in 1987.
Dr. Leiter is interested in the neurophysiology of respiratory control. He conducts studies trying to elucidate the nature of brainstem abnormalities underlying the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. He has an interest in respiratory control of the upper airway during wakefulness and sleep. In addition, studies on the ontogeny and cellular basis of carbon dioxide sensitivity in the central nervous system with a special emphasis on astrocytic function are underway in his lab. Additional interests include comparative neurophysiology, adaptations to hypoxia and deep brain stimulation.
Denton, J.S., F.V. McCann and J.C. Leiter. CO2 chemosensitivity in /Helix aspersa/: Three K+ currents mediate pH-sensitive neuronal activity. Am. J. Physiol. ? Cell. 292:C292-C304, 2007.
Chernov, M.M, J.A. Daubenspeck, J.S. Denton, J.R. Pfeiffer, R.W.Putnam, and J.C. Leiter. A computational analysis of central CO2 sensitivity in Helix aspersa. Am. J. Physiology, Cell Physiol. 292(1):C278-91, 2007.
Lee, K.H., K. Kristic, R. van Hoff, F. L. Hitti, C. Blaha, B. Harris, D.W. Roberts and J.C. Leiter. High frequency stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus increases glutamate in the subthalamic nucleus of rats as demonstrated by in vivo enzyme-linked glutamate sensor. Brain Res. 1162:121-129, 2007.
Leiter, J.C. and I. Böhm. Mechanisms of pathogenesis in the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Respir. Physiol. Neurobiol. 159:127-138, 2007.
St. John, W.M.and J.C. Leiter. Maintenance of gasping and restoration of eupnea after hypoxia is impaired following blockers of alpha1-adrenergic receptors and serotonin 5-HT2 receptors. J. Appl. Physiol., 104(3):665-73, 2008.
Erlichman, J.S., A. Hewitt, T.L. Damon, M. Hart, J. Kurascz, A. Li and J.C. Leiter. Inhibition of monocarboxylate transporter 2 in the retrotrapezoid nucleus in rats ? a test of the lactate shuttle hypothesis. J. Neurosci., 28:4888-4896, 2008.
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