Patricia Goldman-Rakic
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| Patricia S. Goldman-Rakic’s name is included in the National Academy of Sciences’ website list of 25 Amazing Women in Science, along with such luminaries as Marie Curie, Rosalind Franklin, Mary Leakey and Margaret Mead. She was one of the first female tenured neuroscientists for the National Institute of Mental Health and at Yale University. Her paper on the prefrontal cortex and representational (working) memory is listed along the 100 most influential papers in Cognitive Neuroscience of all time. Patricia Schoer and her twin sister Ruth were born in Salem, Massachusetts to Irvin Schoer and Jenine Pearl. Her father was the son of Latvian immigrants and her mother was a Russian immigrant. At Vassar, Patricia studied experimental psychology and graduated in 1959 summa cum laude with a BA in neurobiology and is a Vassar College Women in Science Hall of Fame inductee. In 1963 she earned her Ph.D. from UCLA in developmental psychology. Patricia developed a first of its kind, biological map of the frontal lobe when she worked at the National Institute of Mental Health. She also researched high cortical function and complex behavior. She later collaborated with other noted researchers running detailed studies of neuro-chemical development whose analysis helped psychiatrists understand schizophrenia and pointed to new treatment for that as well as Parkinson’s disease. In 1979 Patricia and Pasko Rakic married and came to Yale. There, she quickly created a new large and multifaceted lab, continuing to do anatomical, developmental, and pharmacological studies of prefrontal cortex. They both created and co-edited the journal Cerebral Cortex. During her life, Patricia was responsible for ground-breaking research, receiving a vast number of awards and distinguished recognitions, publishing over 300 articles and co-editing three books. Her research included developing a theory of working memory to help explain possible causes for schizophrenia, an extreme disturbance of perception that she believed had roots in problems with the frontal lobe. She studied memory loss and treatment that restored memory which could also help in Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, and Alzheimer’s disease. Her research contributed to the understanding of translational research in alcoholism. A seminal discovery was the demonstration that cells in the prefrontal cortex are dedicated to specific memory tasks. At Yale, she focused on signaling molecules and their involvement in a number of brain disorders and cognitive defects. Her work influenced new ways of thinking in understanding and treatment for brain development and disorders. In tribute to her memory and contributions, several science awards are named for Patricia S. Goldman-Rakic. | |||||||||||
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