Christina Lessov-Schlaggar

Ph.D. Graduate (2000)

lessovschlaggarTraining

1989-1993 B.S., Molecular Biology/Biochemistry, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington

1994-2000 Ph.D., Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Sciences University, Portland, Oregon

2000-2002 Postdoctoral Fellow, Psychiatric Genetics, Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri

Present Position

Research Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO

E-mail

schlaggc@psychiatry.wustl.edu

Background & Interests

My background and training have been firmly rooted in the field of addiction. My research interests focus on using genetic and neuroimaging approaches to understand the natural history of tobacco use and the transitions from first use to regular use and nicotine dependence.

Recent manuscripts

Edens EL, Glowinski AL, Pergadia ML, Lessov-Schlaggar CN, Bucholz KK (2010) Nicotine addiction in light smoking African American mothers. J Addict Med 4:55-60   

Unger JB, Lessov-Schlaggar CN, Pang Z, Guo Q, Ning F, Gallaher P, Lee L, Cao W, Conti D, Johnson CA (2010)  Heritability of smoking, alcohol use, and psychological characteristics among adolescent twins in Qingdao, China. Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health doi:10.1177/1010539509351052   

Sartor CE, Lessov-Schlaggar CN, Scherrer JF, Bucholz KK, Madden PAF, Pergadia ML, Grant JD, Jacob T, Xian H (2010) Initial response to cigarettes predicts rate of progression to regular smoking: findings from an offspring-of-twins design. Addict Behav 35:771-78. Epub 2010 Mar 16   

Duncan AE, Lessov-Schlaggar CN, Pergadia ML, Nelson EC, Madden PAF, Heath AC (2010) The relationship between body mass index and smoking in young women: moderation by childhood sexual abuse. Addict Behav 35:983-88. Epub 2010 Jun 23   

Lessov-Schlaggar CN, Hardin J, DeCarli C, Krasnow RE, Reed TE, Wolf PA, Swan GE, Carmelli D (2010) Longitudinal genetic analysis of brain volumes in normal elderly male twins. Neurobiol Aging DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2010.06.002   

Brigham J, Lessov-Schlaggar CN, Javitz HS, Krasnow RE, Tildesley E, Andrews J, Cornelius MD, Day NL, McElroy M, Swan GE (2010) Validity of recall of tobacco use in two prospective cohorts. Am J Epidemiol 172:828-35. Epub 2010 Aug 1   

Dosenbach NUF, Nardos B, Cohen AL, Fair DA, Power JD, Church JA, Nelson SM, Wig GS, Vogel AC, Lessov-Schlaggar CN, Barnes KA, Dubis JW, Feczko E, Coalson RS, Lieu JEC, Pizoli CE, Hershey TG, Pruett JR, Jr., Barch DM, Petersen SE, Schlaggar BL (2010) Prediction of individual brain maturity using fMRI. Science 329:1358-61. Erratum in: Science. 2010 Nov 5;330(6005):756.   

Kristjansson SD, Agrawal A, Littlefield A, Pergadia M, Lessov-Schlaggar CN, Sartor C, Bucholz KK, Madden PA, Cooper ML, Sher KJ, Heath AC (2011) Drinking motives in female smokers: factor structure, alcohol dependence, and genetic influences.  Alcoholism Clin Exp Res 35:345-54. Epub 2010 Nov 17. doi: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2010.01350.x.   

Lessov-Schlaggar CN, Wahlgren DR, Liles S, Jones JA, Ji M, Hughes SC, Swan GE, Hovell MF (2011) Sensitivity to secondhand smoke exposure in 8 to 13 year-old never smokers. J Adolesc Health 48:234-40. Epub 2010 Sept 15.   

Kristjansson SD, Pergadia ML, Agrawal A, Lessov-Schlaggar CN, McCarthy DM, Piasecki TM, Duncan AE, Bucholz KK,  Madden PA, Sher KJ, Heath AC (2011) Smoking outcome expectancies in young adult female smokers: individual differences and associations with nicotine dependence in a genetically-informative sample. Drug Alc Dep Dec 29 [Epub ahead of print]   

Hovell MF, Wahlgren DR, Liles S, Jones JA, Hughes SC, Matt GE, Ji M, Lessov-Schlaggar CN, Swan GE, Chatfield D, Ding D. Coaching and cotinine feedback for preteens to reduce their secondhand smoke exposure: a randomized trial. CHEST (accepted)