Three British Scientists Win Nobel Prize of Neuroscience

For the first time, three British scientists will receive the Grete Lundbeck European Brain Research Prize -“The Brain Prize” for their outstanding discoveries on memory. The ‘Nobel prize of Neuroscience’ will be shared among professor Collingridge (Bristol, England), Professor Tim Bliss (London, England) and Professor Richard Morris (Edinburgh, Scotland). The one million euro award was announced on March 1, 2016.

In 1973, Professor Bliss laid down the first detailed description of a brain process called long-term potentiation (LTP) and Professor Collingridge showed the mechanism by which LTP is induced while Professor Morris looked ahead at how understanding memory could help tackle Alzheimer's.

“I am delighted to share this award. Working on the cellular mechanisms of learning and memory has been both richly challenging and intensely rewarding for me. I am really excited about now translating discoveries about LTP into new treatments for dementia,” said Collingridge.

Professor Bliss said, “Winning the prize was particularly pleasing, not only because it recognizes the strength of UK neuroscience, but also because I am sharing it with two old friends.”

Prof Morris said, "There are lots of reasons to think that the very earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease, before the cells die, are processes that target this synaptic mechanism. If we can zero in on the very earliest stages, and that's not going to be easy to do, then it may be possible to build upon this body of work to develop new drugs that could help people at that stage ... before things get very bad."

The Brain Prize will be presented to the three neuroscientists by Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark at a ceremony on July 1 in Copenhagen.

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Source-Medindia