Staff Profile

Roles and Responsibilities

My current role is Deputy Head of Infrastructure in the Faculty of Medical Science. This is an exciting new role that brings together special projects in addition to managing the infrastructure of a large and diverse Faculty.

My previous role was Technical Manager within the Institute of Neuroscience where I led on

• Technical support
• Health and safety
• Estates/Space management
• Professional Registration

Within Newcastle University I am still involved with

• Joint Institutional lead with Linda Robinson on the Technician Commitment
• Joint lead with Linda Robinson on the Working in partnership forum - which supports the Technician Commitment in the north
• NU TechNet - Technician Network at Newcastle University
• oint lead with Linda Robinson for the Technician Partnership Conference 2020, 24th June 2020 Newcastle University

GATSBY / Science Council

• Peer reviewer for Institutions self assessment form
• Reviewer for Professional Registration

Technician Commitment

• Co-Investigator UK Institute for Technical Skills and Strategy
• Associate lead for the Technician Commitment

Qualifications

• BSc.(Hons), MPhil, CSci

Memberships

• Fellow of the Institute of Science and Technology

Honours and Awards

• Chartered Scientist
• Abstract selected for oral presentation at BAP summer meeting 2002.
• Medical faculty graduate school poster winner 2002.
• Sortlisted for Outstanding Technician of the year THE awards 2019

Research Interests

• Effect of glucocorticoids on the function of the 5-HT system.
• A particular focus is the attenuation in somatodendritic 5-HT1A autoreceptor function following chronic corticosterone exposure.
• Expertise in Radioimmunoassay, HPLC, microdialysis, insitu hybridization, autoradiography, invitro electrophysiology.

Other Expertise

• Laboratory management.
• Health and Safety
• Estates/Space management

Keywords

• 5-HT, serotonin, 5-HT1A, depression, affective disorders.

Recently I was involved in a Business Improvement Project with Phil Ramsey, Amanda Wilson, Vic Christy tasked with improving the transition to university experience for new undergraduates.  The outputs of this project were:

• checklist so that internal units were consistent in their undergraduate induction content 
•  'Induction' channel on the Newcastle University App
• a webpage, written in a style to appeal to 18 year olds, about how to succeed at university  https://www.ncl.ac.uk/pre-arrival/success/

• Articles

  • Gallagher P, Leitch MM, Massey AE, McAllister-Williams RH, Young AH. Assessing cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in saliva: Effects of collection method. Journal of Psychopharmacology 2006, 20(5), 643-649.
  • McQuade R, Leitch MM, Gartside SE, Young AH. Effect of chronic lithium treatment on glucocorticoid and 5-HT1A receptor messenger RNA in hippocampal and dorsal raphe nucleus regions of the rat brain. Journal of Psychopharmacology 2004, 18(4), 496-501.
  • Gartside SE, Leitch MM, McQuade R, Swarbrick DJ. Flattening the glucocorticoid rhythm causes changes in hippocampal expression of messenger RNAs coding structural and functional proteins: implications for aging and depression. Neuropsychopharmacology 2003, 28(5), 821-829.
  • Leitch MM, Ingram CD, Young AH, McQuade R, Gartside SE. Flattening the corticosterone rhythm attenuates 5-HT_1A autoreceptor function in the rat: relevance for depression. Neuropsychopharmacology 2003, 28(1), 119-125.
  • Gartside SE, Johnson DA, Leitch MM, Troakes C, Ingram CD. Early life adversity programs changes in central 5-HT neuronal function in adulthood. European Journal of Neuroscience 2003, 17(11), 2401-2408.
  • Gartside SE, Leitch MM, Young AH. Altered glucocorticoid rhythm attenuates the ability of a chronic SSRI to elevate forebrain 5-HT: Implications for the treatment of depression. Neuropsychopharmacology 2003, 28(9), 1572-1578.
  • Fairchild G, Leitch MM, Ingram CD. Acute and chronic effects of corticosterone on 5-HT1A receptor-mediated autoinhibition in the rat dorsal raphe nucleus. Neuropharmacology 2003, 45(7), 925-934.
  • V. Forrest, P. Ince, M. Leitch, E. F. Marshall and P. J. Shaw. Serotonergic neurotransmission in the spinal cord and motor cortex of patients with motor neuron disease and controls: Quantitative autoradiography for 5-HT1a and 5-HT2 receptors. Journal of the Neurological Sciences 1996, 139, 83-90.

• Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstracts)

  • Gartside S, Leitch M, Young A, Ingram C, Johnson D. Glucocorticoid modulation of SSRI action. In: International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology: 26th Collegium Internationale Neuro-Psychopharmacologicum Congress (CINP). 2008, Munich, Germany: Cambridge University Press.
  • Leitch MM, Gartside SE, Hannant AP. Distribution of glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors in 5-HT and non-5-HT neurones of the dorsal and median raphe nuclei. In: Journal of Psychopharmacology: Summer Meeting of the British Association for Psychopharmacology. 2005, Harrogate, UK: Sage Publications Ltd.
  • Gartside SE, Leitch MM, Young AH. 5-HT1A autoreceptor activation and fluoxetine-induced changes in extracellular 5-HT in the hippocampus. In: 24th CINP Congress. 2004, Paris, France: International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology: Cambridge University Press.
  • Troakes C, Gartside SE, Leitch MM, Ingram CD. The effects of early life adversity on 5-HT1A receptor binding in the rat brain. In: Journal of Psychopharmacology: Summer Meeting of the British Association for Psychopharmacology. 2003, Cambridge, UK: Sage Publications Ltd.
  • Gartside SE, Leitch MM, Young AH. Interactions between SSRI and flattened glucocorticoid rhythm with respect to 5-HT function: Implications for antidepressant efficacy. In: European Neuropsychopharmacology: 16th Congress of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology. 2003, Prague, Czech Republic: Elsevier BV.
  • Fairchild GF, Leitch MM, Gartside SE, Ingram CD. Corticosterone administration selectively alters 5-HT1A receptor function in the rat dorsal raphe nucleus. In: Journal of Psychopharmacology: Summer Meeting of the British Association for Psychopharmacology. 2003, Cambridge, UK: Sage Publications Ltd.
  • Ingram CD, Gartside SE, Leitch MM, Fairchild GF. Chronic corticosterone attenuates 5-HT1A-mediated but not GABA-mediated inhibition of rat dorsal raphe neurones. In: European Neuropsychopharmacology: 16th Congress of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology. 2003, Prague, Czech Republic: Elsevier BV.
  • Fairchild G, Leitch MM, Ingram CD. G protein-linked inwardly rectifying K+ channel (GIRK) mRNA expression in the rat dorsal raphe nucleus: Distribution and effect of chronic corticosterone. In: Journal of Psychopharmacology: Summer Meeting of the British Association for Psychopharmacology. 2002, Harrogate: Sage Publications Ltd.
  • Gartside SE, Leitch MM, Johnson DA, Ingram CD. Early life adversity and 5-HT neuronal function in adulthood. In: Journal of Psychopharmacology: Summer Meeting of the British Association for Psychopharmacology. 2002, Harrogate: Sage Publications Ltd.
  • Leitch MM, McQuade R, Gartside SE, Young AH. Corticosterone, rhythm regulates 5-HT1A autoreceptor function and glucocorticoid receptor mRNA in the rat dorsal raphe nucleus. In: Journal of Psychopharmacology: Summer Meeting of the British Association for Psychopharmacology. 2002, Harrogate: Sage Publications Ltd.
  • Leitch MM, McQuade R, Gartside SE, Young AH. Corticosterone rhythm regulates 5-HT1A autoreceptor function and glucocorticoid receptor mRNA in the rat dorsal raphe nucleus. In: Journal of Psychopharmacology: Summer Meeting of the British Association for Psychopharmacology. 2002, Harrogate: Sage Publications Ltd.

• Note

  • MARSHALL EF, LEITCH M. PLASMA SEROTONIN. JOURNAL OF CHROMATOGRAPHY B-BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS 1994, 655(1), 167-168.