California scientists are named recipients of Perl-UNC Neuroscience Prize

Jan. 25, 2006
     
California scientists are named recipients of Perl-UNC Neuroscience Prize

CHAPEL HILL -- The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has named Dr. Roger Nicoll and Dr. Rob Malenka as recipients of the sixth annual Perl-UNC Neuroscience Prize.

Nicoll is professor of cellular and molecular pharmacology at the University of California at San Francisco, and Malenka is professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at Stanford University's School of Medicine.

The prize carries a $10,000 award and is given to recognize a seminal achievement in neuroscience. Previous awardees were Dr. David Julius from the University of California at San Francisco, Dr. Roderick MacKinnon from Rockefeller University, Dr. Linda Buck from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle and Dr. Richard Axel from Columbia University, and Dr. Roger Tsien from the University of California at San Diego.

MacKinnon, Buck and Axel were subsequently awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discoveries.

Dr. Edward R. Perl is Sarah Graham Kenan professor of cell and molecular physiology at UNC's School of Medicine. Perl's work in pain mechanisms has been highly influential: Thirty years ago, he was the first to prove that a particular class of nerve cells (now called nociceptors) responds exclusively to stimuli that are perceived as painful. These cells now are targets of intensive efforts to find drugs that block their function.

This year's Perl Prize recipients are being honored for the discovery of mechanisms that underlie long-term synaptic plasticity.

"The connections between nerve cells called synapses are responsible for our ability to learn and remember things. The strength of these connections can change dramatically in association with changes in the electrical activity of nerve cells," said Dr. William Snider, director of the UNC Neuroscience Center and head of the selection committee for the prize.

"Dr. Nicoll and Dr. Malenka developed experimental preparations that allowed long-term synaptic changes to be measured under a variety of experimental conditions."

A key observation was that a type of receptor called the NMDA-receptor is critical in allowing a neuron to change its responsiveness to the release of chemicals called neurotransmitters, he added. "Many scientists feel that these observations will result in the understanding of crucial mechanisms that underlie learning and memory."

Dr. William L. Roper, School of Medicine dean, vice chancellor for medical affairs and chief executive officer of the UNC Health Care System, will present the award on June 2 on the UNC campus.

Nicoll will deliver the Perl Prize lecture immediately following the ceremony. Malenka will speak at the UNC Neuroscience Symposium next fall.

Note: Contact Snider at (919) 843-8623 or william_snider@med.unc.edu.

School of Medicine contact: Les Lang, (919) 843-9687 or llang@med.unc.edu