Ryan Freedman
· Adjunct Associate ProfessorUniversity of Southern California · Environmental Studies
Active 1951–2008
About
Ryan Freedman is an Adjunct Associate Professor of the Practice of Environmental Studies at USC Dornsife. His role involves engaging with environmental studies through practical application and teaching. As part of the USC Dornsife faculty, he contributes to the academic community by integrating environmental issues into the broader spectrum of research and education. His work supports the university's mission to serve as a dynamic intellectual resource woven into the fabric of local communities, emphasizing the importance of environmental understanding and sustainability.
Research topics
- Medicine
- Biology
- Dermatology
- Neuroscience
- Internal medicine
Selected publications
Neuropsychobiology · 2008-02-22
articleOpen accessLong-Term Effects of Early Genetic Influences on Behavior
New England Journal of Medicine · 2002-07-18 · 7 citations
review1st authorCorrespondingIn a recently published study, investigators at Columbia University reported on a mouse model in which the forebrain serotonin-1A receptor was knocked out. The mice demonstrated inhibition of certain aspects of behavior. For example, when placed in an open area the affected mice were less likely to explore than normal mice. In this commentary, Dr. Freedman discusses the implications of this provocative research for the genetic control of human behavior.
NURR1 Mutations in cases of schizophrenia and manic-depressive disorder
American Journal of Medical Genetics · 2000-01-01 · 150 citations
articleTransgenic mice lacking the nuclear orphan transcription factor Nur-related receptor 1 (Nurr1) fail to develop mesencephalic dopamine neurons. There is a highly homologous NURR1 gene in humans (formerly known as NOT) which therefore constitutes a good candidate gene for neurologic and psychiatric disorders with an involvement of the dopamine neuron system, such as Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, and manic-depression. By direct sequencing of genomic DNA, we found two different missense mutations in the third exon of NURR1 in two schizophrenic patients and another missense mutation in the same exon in an individual with manic-depressive disorder. All three mutations caused a similar reduction of in vitro transcriptional activity of NURR1 dimers of about 30-40%. Neither of these amino acid changes, nor any sequence changes whatsoever, were found in patients with Parkinson's disease or control DNA material of normal populations. Am. J. Med. Genet. (Neuropsychiatr. Genet.) 96:808-813, 2000.
Nicotinic Receptors, Smoking and Schizophrenia
Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience · 1998-01-01 · 60 citations
articleSenior authorNeuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor expression was examined in schizophrenia. The incidence of smoking in schizophrenia is remarkably high and nicotine has been found to normalize an auditory evoked potential deficit seen in most subjects who suffer from this disease. Antagonists and agonists of a specific subset of this receptor family, the alpha7 nicotinic receptor, were found to regulate the gating of filtering of auditory information in both humans and in an animal model. The alpha7 gene has been cloned and a polymorphic dinucleotide repeat near the gene was used for linkage analysis, showing the alpha7 locus to be linked to the P50 deficit. Expression of the alpha7 receptor, which binds nicotine with low affinity, is reduced in the hippocampus of schizophrenics. [3H]-nicotine binding, a measure of the high affinity nicotinic receptors, was also decreased in schizophrenics and does not increase in response to tobacco use, as is seen in control subjects. The results of these studies suggest the presence of abnormal expression and function of the neuronal nicotinic receptor gene family in schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia Research · 1995-04-01
articleSenior authorSchizophrenia Research · 1994-10-01 · 13 citations
article1st authorCorrespondingBiological Psychiatry · 1993-10-01 · 154 citations
articleSenior authorExperimental Neurology · 1992-12-01 · 71 citations
articleSenior authorBiological Psychiatry · 1990-03-01 · 114 citations
articleSenior authorStability of plasma catecholamine metabolites in outpatient schizophrenics
Biological Psychiatry · 1989-04-01
articleSenior author
Recent grants
NIH · $3.4M · 2000
NIH · $3.2M · 2006
NIH · $3.2M · 1999
Frequent coauthors
- 14 shared
Sherry Leonard
Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine
- 12 shared
Norman E. Levan
Shaare Zedek Medical Center
- 9 shared
Randal G. Ross
University of Colorado Denver
- 6 shared
Maria Anvret
Karolinska University Hospital
- 6 shared
Mariette Arvidsson
Ludwig Cancer Research
- 6 shared
Olof Sydow
Karolinska Institutet
- 6 shared
Henry H. Henstell
- 6 shared
Zhiping Zhang
Alibaba Group (United States)
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