Nathaniel A. Buchwald
Encyclopedia
Nathaniel A. Buchwald was an American neuroscientist
, educator and administrator, who was Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences and Neurobiology at the University of California, Los Angeles
(UCLA). Buchwald was internationally recognized for his pioneering research on the functions of the basal ganglia
, an area of the brain closely associated with neurological diseases like Parkinson's disease
.
in chemistry
at University of Miami
in Florida in 1946, and his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota
in 1953 in neuroanatomy
and neurophysiology
.
Buchwald started working as an anatomy
instructor at Tulane University
Medical School in 1953. In 1957 he returned to the University of California, Los Angeles
to work at the new Brain Research Institute. He became an associate professor in the Department of Anatomy in 1961 and later was promoted to professor and joined the Department of Psychiatry in 1970.
Buchwald was the Director of the UCLA Mental Retardation Research Center for more than 40 years. End of 1950s he had been among the first members of the Society for General Systems Research
. In 1969 he was the founder and Group Coordinator of the Neurophysiology Group of the new Mental Retardation Research Center. He became the Associate Director for Research in 1971 and Director of the UCLA Mental Retardation Research Center in 1973, a position he held until 1993.
Buchwald died July 14 in 2006 in Los Angeles, CA.
Buchwald was an "internationally renowned neuroscientist and electrophysiologist who made pioneering seminal contributions concerning the functions of the basal ganglia
, areas of the brain involved in the etiology of neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases, and of specific forms of developmental disabilities".
He was "one of the first neuroscientists to study electrophysiology
in subcortical brain nuclei
in awake and unrestrained animals. His early studies on evoked potentials garnered much recognition in the late 1950s. Starting with his classic experiments on the “caudate spindle” published in the major journal of the early 1960s Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, Nat and his colleagues, especially his closest and longest collaborator, Chester D. Hull, Ph.D., maintained a continuing examination of how neurons in the basal ganglia communicate with each other and how this communication is altered in models of diseases and during maturation".
Nate has also been known as the "Cutty King of Syracuse."
Neuroscientist
A neuroscientist is an individual who studies the scientific field of neuroscience or any of its related sub-fields...
, educator and administrator, who was Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences and Neurobiology at the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
(UCLA). Buchwald was internationally recognized for his pioneering research on the functions of the basal ganglia
Basal ganglia
The basal ganglia are a group of nuclei of varied origin in the brains of vertebrates that act as a cohesive functional unit. They are situated at the base of the forebrain and are strongly connected with the cerebral cortex, thalamus and other brain areas...
, an area of the brain closely associated with neurological diseases like Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
.
Biography
Buchwald was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1924, as eldest child of Nellie and Sol Buchwald. He received his B.A.Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
at University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
in Florida in 1946, and his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
in 1953 in neuroanatomy
Neuroanatomy
Neuroanatomy is the study of the anatomy and organization of the nervous system. In contrast to animals with radial symmetry, whose nervous system consists of a distributed network of cells, animals with bilateral symmetry have segregated, defined nervous systems, and thus we can begin to speak of...
and neurophysiology
Neurophysiology
Neurophysiology is a part of physiology. Neurophysiology is the study of nervous system function...
.
Buchwald started working as an anatomy
Anatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...
instructor at Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
Medical School in 1953. In 1957 he returned to the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
to work at the new Brain Research Institute. He became an associate professor in the Department of Anatomy in 1961 and later was promoted to professor and joined the Department of Psychiatry in 1970.
Buchwald was the Director of the UCLA Mental Retardation Research Center for more than 40 years. End of 1950s he had been among the first members of the Society for General Systems Research
Society for General Systems Research
The Society for General Systems Research is predecessor of the current International Society for the Systems Sciences , known to be one the first interdisciplinary and international co-operations in the field of systems theory and systems science...
. In 1969 he was the founder and Group Coordinator of the Neurophysiology Group of the new Mental Retardation Research Center. He became the Associate Director for Research in 1971 and Director of the UCLA Mental Retardation Research Center in 1973, a position he held until 1993.
Buchwald died July 14 in 2006 in Los Angeles, CA.
Work
Basal ganglia
The basal ganglia are a group of nuclei of varied origin in the brains of vertebrates that act as a cohesive functional unit. They are situated at the base of the forebrain and are strongly connected with the cerebral cortex, thalamus and other brain areas...
, areas of the brain involved in the etiology of neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases, and of specific forms of developmental disabilities".
He was "one of the first neuroscientists to study electrophysiology
Electrophysiology
Electrophysiology is the study of the electrical properties of biological cells and tissues. It involves measurements of voltage change or electric current on a wide variety of scales from single ion channel proteins to whole organs like the heart...
in subcortical brain nuclei
Nucleus (neuroanatomy)
In neuroanatomy, a nucleus is a brain structure consisting of a relatively compact cluster of neurons. It is one of the two most common forms of nerve cell organization, the other being layered structures such as the cerebral cortex or cerebellar cortex. In anatomical sections, a nucleus shows up...
in awake and unrestrained animals. His early studies on evoked potentials garnered much recognition in the late 1950s. Starting with his classic experiments on the “caudate spindle” published in the major journal of the early 1960s Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology, Nat and his colleagues, especially his closest and longest collaborator, Chester D. Hull, Ph.D., maintained a continuing examination of how neurons in the basal ganglia communicate with each other and how this communication is altered in models of diseases and during maturation".
Nate has also been known as the "Cutty King of Syracuse."
Publications
- 1975, Brain Mechanisms in Mental Retardation by Nathaniel A. Buchwald and Mary A. B. Brazier. ISBN 0121390500.
External links
- IN MEMORIAM by Michael S. Levine, University of California.