Patricia Goldman-Rakic
| Patricia Goldman-Rakic | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | April 22, 1937 Salem, Massachusetts, USA |
| Died | July 31, 2003 Hamden, Connecticut, USA |
| Nationality | USA |
| Fields | neurobiology |
| Institutions | Yale University |
| Alma mater | Vassar, UCLA |
| Doctoral advisor | Wendell Jeffrey |
| Doctoral students |
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| Notable awards | <templatestyles src="Template:Hidden begin/styles.css"/>
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Source: Yale News:[1] |
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Patricia Goldman-Rakic (pronounced ra-KEESH) née Shoer (April 22, 1937 – July 31, 2003) was an American neuroscientist/neurobiologist known for her pioneering study of the frontal lobe and her work on the cellular basis of working memory.[2]
Contents
Education and Career
Born in Salem, Massachusetts, Goldman-Rakic earned her bachelor's degree in neurobiology from Vassar in 1959, and her doctorate from the University of California at Los Angeles in Developmental Psychology in 1963.[3][4] After postdoctoral positions at UCLA and New York University, she worked at the National Institute of Mental Health in neuropsychology and ultimately as chief of developmental neurobiology.[3] She moved to Yale School of Medicine in 1979 where she remained until her death. She was The Eugene Higgins Professor of Neuroscience in the neurobiology department with joint appointments in the departments of psychiatry, neurology, and psychology.[5]
Research
Goldman-Rakic was the first to discover and describe the circuitry of the prefrontal cortex and its relationship to working memory. Before Goldman-Rakic, scientists thought that the higher cognitive functions of the prefrontal cortex were beyond the scope of scientific study. Goldman-Rakic's research showed that methods employed to study the sensory cortices could be adapted to the highest order prefrontal cortical areas, revealing the circuit basis for higher cognitive function.[6] Because of Goldman-Rakic, scientists began to better understand the neurobiological basis of higher cognitive function, and of such disorders as schizophrenia, Alzheimer's, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), cerebral palsy, Parkinson's disease, and dementia. She used a multidisciplinary approach, applying biochemical, electrophysiological, pharmacological, anatomical and behavioral techniques to study working memory.[1] She pioneered the first studies of dopamine influences on prefrontal cortical function, research that is critical to our understanding of schizophrenia, ADHD and Parkinson's disease. A review of her life's work, including her special role mentoring women scientists, can be found in the journal Neuron.[7] Goldman-Rakic was also the founder of the Cerebral Cortex Journal, a specialized publication by Oxford Press.
Early on in her career, Goldman-Rakic's studied the capacity of the brain to repair itself in early development, and was one of the first to use radioactive tracers to examine this phenomenon.[8]
Personal life
Goldman-Rakic had two sisters—her twin Ruth Rappaport and younger sister Linda Shoer—both of whom earned PhDs in science. Goldman-Rakic was married to Pasko Rakic, also a neuroscientist.
Death
On July 29, 2003, Goldman-Rakic was struck by a car while crossing a street in Hamden, Connecticut. She died two days later, on July 31 at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Goldman-Rakic was 66 years old.[5] She is buried in Grove Street Cemetery.[1]
Awards
Goldman-Rakic received the following honors:[1]
- National Institute of Mental Health grantee (1980–2000)
- W. Alden Spencer Award, Columbia University (1982)
- Krieg Cortical Discoverer Award, Cajal Club (1989)
- inducted National Academy of Sciences (1990)
- Fyssen Foundation Prize in Neuroscience (1990)
- Lieber Prize, National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (1991)
- inducted American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1991)
- Robert J. and Claire Pasarow Foundation Award (1993)
- Karl Lashley Award, American Philosophical Society (1996)
- Ariëns Kappers Medal, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (1996)
- honorary doctorate, Utrecht University (2000)
- Gerard Prize, Society for Neuroscience (2002)
See also
References
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- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Patricia Goldman-Rakic." Newsmakers, Issue 4. Gale Group, 2002. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale. 2007. http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC
- ↑ J. M. Fuster, Patricia Goldman-Rakic 1937-2003, Nature Neuroscience 6, 1015 (2003) doi:10.1038/nn1003-1015
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- Pages with reference errors
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- American neuroscientists
- Women neuroscientists
- 1937 births
- 2003 deaths
- People from Salem, Massachusetts
- University of California, Los Angeles alumni
- New York University staff
- Yale University faculty
- Vassar College alumni
- Burials at Grove Street Cemetery
- Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences
- 20th-century women scientists
