Duncan Leitch
· Professor of AnesthesiologyVerifiedUniversity of California, Los Angeles · Cellular and Integrative Physiology
Active 1918–2024
About
Duncan Leitch is a professor and principal investigator in the Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology at UCLA, as well as a member of the UCLA Brain Research Institute. He holds a B.A. in Mathematics and Neuroscience from Vanderbilt University, where he also earned his Ph.D. in Neuroscience under the mentorship of Kenneth Catania. Following his doctoral studies, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Physiology at UCSF, working with mentor David Julius. His research lab focuses on various aspects of sensory system adaptations, particularly in amphibians and fish, exploring neuroanatomy, physiology, and behavior. The lab investigates topics such as visual system adaptations, electro-sensory systems, and the effects of environmental factors like ocean acidification on olfactory systems and homing behavior in Pacific salmon species. Through his mentorship, Leitch supports graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and undergraduate researchers in conducting novel neuroanatomical and physiological studies, contributing to the understanding of sensory system evolution and function.
Research topics
- Biology
- Neuroscience
- Ecology
- Evolutionary biology
- Computer Science
- Zoology
Selected publications
Sensory systems: Geckos shake up our understanding of vertebrate audition
Current Biology · 2024
1st authorCorresponding- Biology
- Zoology
- Neuroscience
Variations in touch representation in the hummingbird and zebra finch forebrain
Current Biology · 2024-05-29 · 1 citations
articleOpen accessSenior authorCorrespondingParental neurobiology: The 4 Hz lullaby
Current Biology · 2024-12-01
articleSenior authorInsights into the biophysical properties of electrogenesis and electroreception
Fish physiology · 2023
1st authorCorresponding- Biology
- Neuroscience
- Evolutionary biology
SSRN Electronic Journal · 2023-01-01
preprintOpen accessSenior authorbioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · 2023
Senior authorCorresponding- Computer Science
- Neuroscience
- Computer Science
Summary Somatosensation allows animals to perceive the external world through touch, providing critical information about physical contact, temperature, pain, and body position. Somatosensory pathways, particularly those related to the rodent vibrissae, have been well-studied in mammals, illuminating principles of cortical organization and sensory processing 1,2 . However, comparative studies across diverse vertebrate species are imperative to understand how somatosensory systems are shaped by evolutionary pressures and specialized ecological needs. Birds provide an excellent model for studying the evolution of somatosensation, as they exhibit remarkable diversity in body plans, sensory capabilities, and behavior. Prior work in pigeons 3-6 , parrots 7 , and finches 8 have identified general tactile-responsive regions within the avian telencephalon. Yet how somatosensory maps and response properties vary across key avian groups remains unclear. Here, we aimed to elucidate somatotopic organization and neural coding in the telencephalon of Anna’s hummingbirds ( Calypte anna ) and zebra finches ( Taeniopygia guttata) . Using in vivo extracellular electrophysiological techniques, we recorded single and multi-unit activity in telencephalic regions of anesthetized hummingbirds and finches. We stimulated the beak, face, trunk, wings, and hindlimbs with controlled tactile stimuli and mapped somatosensory receptive fields. We found distinct representations of body regions distributed across multiple somatosensory zones, with surprising differences in relative areas devoted to key body surfaces, potentially as related to behavioral significance. Highlights □ Somatosensation provides birds with critical information for behaviors necessary to survival including foraging and flight. □ In vivo extracellular physiological recordings were used to monitor tactile responses in contralateral forebrain nuclei corresponding to the feather deflection in hummingbirds and finches including to air puff stimuli. □ Both hummingbirds and finches show distinct separation of body and head receptive field representation in different nuclei. □ A continuous somatotopic arrangement can be found in both the rostral Wulst (corresponding to the wings and body) and in nucleus basorostralis (corresponding to the head and beak), with particularly enlarged representations of the wing leading edge and the foot.
2022-07-03
peer-review1st authorCorrespondingSpecialized Somatosensory Systems Revealed
Elsevier eBooks · 2020-01-01
book-chapter1st authorCorrespondingSpringer handbook of auditory research · 2019-01-01 · 12 citations
book-chapter1st authorCorrespondingMolecular tuning of electroreception in sharks and skates
Nature · 2018-05-25 · 76 citations
articleOpen access
Recent grants
Molecular mechanisms of weak communication signal transduction
NIH · $253k · 2017–2019
Frequent coauthors
- 17 shared
Kenneth C. Catania
Vanderbilt University
- 5 shared
Andrea H. Gaede
Royal Veterinary College
- 5 shared
Diana K. Sarko
Southern Illinois University School of Medicine
- 4 shared
Pei‐Hsuan Wu
University of British Columbia
- 4 shared
Danielle Gauthier
Okanagan University College
- 4 shared
David Julius
- 3 shared
Joel Castro
Flinders University
- 3 shared
Eva K. Sawyer
Vanderbilt University
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