Tomas Hökfelt
Encyclopedia
Tomas Hökfelt is a Swedish physician and former professor in histology
at the Karolinska Institutet
from 1979 until 2006, when he got his emeritate. He was linked to the Department of Neuroscience
and is specialized in cell biology
.
, Sweden
in 1940. He enrolled in the Karolinska Institutet
in 1960 and got his BA in Medicine in 1960. He then studied at the Karolinska Institutet under professor Nils-Åke Hillarp, studying monomine neurons, getting his PhD
in 1968 and his MD
in 1971. He became an assistant professor in 1968, and from 1979 until 2006, Hökfelt worked as a professor at the Karolinska Institute. He was also a faculty member of the Department of Biotechnology at the Royal Institute of Technology
in Stockholm
.
Hökfelt together with Serguei Fetissov has also conducted research into anorexia nervosa
, indicating that it may be a disease, caused by a particular group of antibodies.
Together with Anders Björklund, he has edited 21 volumes of the Handbook of Chemical Neuroanatomy between 1983 and 2005
Histology
Histology is the study of the microscopic anatomy of cells and tissues of plants and animals. It is performed by examining cells and tissues commonly by sectioning and staining; followed by examination under a light microscope or electron microscope...
at the Karolinska Institutet
Karolinska Institutet
Karolinska institutet is a medical university in Solna within the Stockholm urban area, Sweden, and one of Europe's largest medical universities...
from 1979 until 2006, when he got his emeritate. He was linked to the Department of Neuroscience
Neuroscience
Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system. Traditionally, neuroscience has been seen as a branch of biology. However, it is currently an interdisciplinary science that collaborates with other fields such as chemistry, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics,...
and is specialized in cell biology
Cell biology
Cell biology is a scientific discipline that studies cells – their physiological properties, their structure, the organelles they contain, interactions with their environment, their life cycle, division and death. This is done both on a microscopic and molecular level...
.
Biography
Tomas Hökfelt was born in StockholmStockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
in 1940. He enrolled in the Karolinska Institutet
Karolinska Institutet
Karolinska institutet is a medical university in Solna within the Stockholm urban area, Sweden, and one of Europe's largest medical universities...
in 1960 and got his BA in Medicine in 1960. He then studied at the Karolinska Institutet under professor Nils-Åke Hillarp, studying monomine neurons, getting his PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in 1968 and his MD
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
in 1971. He became an assistant professor in 1968, and from 1979 until 2006, Hökfelt worked as a professor at the Karolinska Institute. He was also a faculty member of the Department of Biotechnology at the Royal Institute of Technology
Royal Institute of Technology
The Royal Institute of Technology is a university in Stockholm, Sweden. KTH was founded in 1827 as Sweden's first polytechnic and is one of Scandinavia's largest institutions of higher education in technology. KTH accounts for one-third of Sweden’s technical research and engineering education...
in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
.
Research and publications
Tomas Hökfelt's early research was on neurotransmitters and neuropeptides in the brain. In 1977 he discovered the "coexistence principle", which states that one neuron can transmit multiple neurotransmitters at the same time.Hökfelt together with Serguei Fetissov has also conducted research into anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight and an obsessive fear of gaining weight. Although commonly called "anorexia", that term on its own denotes any symptomatic loss of appetite and is not strictly accurate...
, indicating that it may be a disease, caused by a particular group of antibodies.
Together with Anders Björklund, he has edited 21 volumes of the Handbook of Chemical Neuroanatomy between 1983 and 2005
Awards and honours
- 1987: joint winner of the Artois-Baillet-Latour Health PrizeArtois-Baillet Latour FoundationThe Artois-Baillet Latour Foundation is a non-profit organization which was founded on 1 March 1974 at the initiative of Count Alfred de Baillet Latour, who was the Director of the Artois Breweries in Leuven, Belgium...
for the study of neuropeptideNeuropeptideNeuropeptides are small protein-like molecules used by neurons to communicate with each other. They are neuronal signaling molecules, influence the activity of the brain in specific ways and are thus involved in particular brain functions, like analgesia, reward, food intake, learning and...
s - 1988: joint winner of the Bristol-Myers Squibb Award for Distinguished Achievement in Neuroscience Research
- 1992: Doctor Honoris CausaHonorary degreeAn honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
at the University of TampereUniversity of TampereThe University of Tampere is a university in Tampere, Finland. It has 15,400 degree students and 2,100 employees. It was originally founded in 1925 in Helsinki as a Civic College , and from 1930 onwards it was known as a School of Social Sciences...
, FinlandFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside... - 1992: Doctor Honoris Causa at the University of CopenhagenUniversity of CopenhagenThe University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
, DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark... - 1999: Doctor Honoris Causa at the University of FerraraUniversity of FerraraThe University of Ferrara is the main university of the city of Ferrara in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. In the years prior to the First World War the University of Ferrara, with more than 500 students, was the best attended of the free universities in Italy...
, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... - 1999: Doctor Honoris Causa at the Peking University Health Science CenterPeking University Health Science CenterPeking University Health Science Center is a respected medical school in China attached to Peking University, and is affiliated to 14 other hospitals in the Beijing Metropolitan Area. It enjoys a reputation as the best medical school in the country...
, ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture... - 2000: Foreign member of the Chinese Academy of SciencesChinese Academy of SciencesThe Chinese Academy of Sciences , formerly known as Academia Sinica, is the national academy for the natural sciences of the People's Republic of China. It is an institution of the State Council of China. It is headquartered in Beijing, with institutes all over the People's Republic of China...
- 2000: Doctor Honoris Causa at the Victor Segalen Bordeaux 2 UniversityVictor Segalen Bordeaux 2 UniversityUniversité Victor Segalen Bordeaux 2 is the medicine and life sciences center in the University of Bordeaux system, under the Academy of Bordeaux....
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... - 2007: winner of the Grande MédailleGrande MédailleThe Grande Médaille of the French Academy of Sciences, established in 1997, is awarded annually to a researcher who has contributed decisively to the development of science...
of the French Academy of SciencesFrench Academy of SciencesThe French Academy of Sciences is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research...
for his study of neurotransmitters - Honorary Member of the American Physiological SocietyAmerican Physiological SocietyThe American Physiological Society was founded in 1887 with 28 members. Of them, 21 were graduates of medical schools, but only 12 had studied in schools that had a professor of physiology. Today, the APS has 10,500 members, most of whom hold doctoral degrees in medicine, physiology or other...
- Hökfelt was one of the fifty most often cited scientists in the period 1983-2003
- A more complete list of his awards and honours can be found at ISI.