Kandel, Eric Richard, << kan DEHL, AY rihk RIHK art >> (1929-…), an Austrian-born American biologist, won the 2000 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for his research on the function of brain cells in learning and memory. He shared the prize with two other scientists, Arvid Carlsson of Sweden and Paul Greengard of the United States. The three scientists were awarded the prize for their research on the chemical workings of the brain.
Kandel’s research helped show how chemical changes in the neurons (nerve cells) of the brain develop into memories. He found that the form of certain proteins in neurons determined whether memories would be short-term, lasting only a few hours or days, or long-term, lasting for months or years. The research may help scientists develop better treatments for diseases that involve memory loss, such as Alzheimer’s disease.
Experimenting with simple animals called sea slugs, Kandel also investigated the changes that occur in the neurons involved in learning. Sea slugs have simple nervous systems that are easy for scientists to study. Kandel found that the strength of signal transmission between certain neurons increased as the animals learned to react to a particular stimulus (something that causes sense organs to respond). Scientists believe that other animals, including human beings, learn through similar changes in the transmission of nerve signals.
Kandel was born in Vienna, Austria, on Nov. 7, 1929, and immigrated to the United States in 1939. He graduated from Harvard University in 1952. He then studied medicine at New York University, receiving an M.D. degree in 1956. He held various positions at both Harvard and New York University from 1960 to 1974. Since 1974, Kandel has been a professor at Columbia University in New York City. He became a United States citizen in the mid-1940’s.
