Rafael Lorente de Nó was born on April 8, 1902, and died on April 2, 1990. He was a Spanish scientist who studied the nervous system and made important contributions to understanding how it works. He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences. The National Academies Press described him as "one of the leading experts in neurophysiology in the United States."

Life and career

Lorente de Nó was born in Zaragoza, Spain. He earned his medical degree from the University of Madrid in 1923. In 1931, he moved to the United States to work at the Central Institute for the Deaf in St. Louis. In 1936, he became an associate at The Rockefeller University, which was then called The Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research. He was named an associate member in 1938 and a full member in 1941. Lorente de Nó was a member of several groups of scholars, including the American Physiological Society and the American Association of Anatomists.

Awards and distinctions

Lorente de Nó was chosen to join the National Academy of Sciences in 1950 and later the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He was given honorary degrees by several universities, including Clark University, Atlanta, his home university, Rockefeller University, and the University of Uppsala in Sweden. His work in neuroscience was recognized by the American Philosophical Society through the Karl Spencer Lashley Award in 1959; he was the first person to receive this award. In 1986, he was honored with the Award of Merit for his lifetime of work.

Notable research and discoveries

• Important research on the structure and function of the cerebral cortex, including the first description of the columnar organization of the cortex. He introduced the current terms used to describe the subfields of the cornu Ammonis of the hippocampus (CA 1-4).
• Studies on how the nervous system relates to the electrical and chemical processes that support nerve function.
• Experiments that demonstrated nerves send electrical nerve impulses.
• Rafael Lorente de Nó’s early scientific work focused on the histological study of the audio-vestibular nuclei and system. He was invited by Róbert Bárány to collaborate at Uppsala and helped establish clinical otorhinolaryngology in Spain. His initial work in the United States involved research at the Central Institute for the Deaf at Washington University in St. Louis.
• Discovery of "recurrent, reciprocal connections" using Golgi’s method, and the idea that these connections explain parts of the vestibulo-ocular reflex.
• Creation of tetraethyl ammonium (TEA) to block potassium channels.