Patricia Goldman-Rakic (1937-2003) was a neuroscientist whose invaluable discoveries helped us understand a once-mysterious part of the brain. Her research changed the way the scientific community views cognition, and opened up new ways of treating disorders like schizophrenia, ADHD, and Parkinson’s.
Patricia Goldman-Rakic (1937-2003) was a neuroscientist whose invaluable discoveries helped us understand a once-mysterious part of the brain. Her research changed the way the scientific community views cognition, and opened up new ways of treating disorders like schizophrenia, ADHD, and Parkinson’s.
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This month, we’re talking about the women who’ve made important contributions to the world of health and wellness.
Today, we’re talking about a neuroscientist whose invaluable discoveries helped us understand a once-mysterious part of the brain. Her research changed the way the scientific community views cognition, and opened up new ways of treating disorders like schizophrenia, ADHD, and Parkinson’s.
Let’s meet Patricia Goldman-Rakic.
Patricia was born in Salem, Massachusetts in 1937, one of three daughters. Just a year before Patricia was born, something coincidental, but fortuitous happened: the very first scientific study exploring how brains generate thought and store short-term memories was published. Decades later, Patricia would leave her own mark on the field of neuroscience.
Patricia went to Vassar for undergrad, and studied psychology and neurobiology. Her classmates remembered her enjoying music, the arts, and cooking -- but science was her true passion. After graduating in 1959, she went on to get her PhD in developmental psychology from UCLA.
By 1965, Patricia had received a fellowship from the National Institute of Mental Health. And that’s where she began her work on the frontal lobes of the brain, specifically the prefrontal cortex. At the time, scientists didn’t know much about this part of the brain. Many of her colleagues were instead focused on the visual systems in the brain. But, luckily, Patricia went in a different direction.
In a textbook, Patricia later wrote:
“As interesting and influential as the visual system research was, I was never attracted to it. I was captivated by the opportunity to study the unexplored frontal lobe…It never occurred to me to be concerned with the complexity of the frontal lobes – I never thought of it as an obstacle; rather, it’s an attractive feature of the subject.”
The prefrontal cortex is where executive function takes place. It’s what allows us to remember something while doing another task. And it’s also an important part of the brain to study to understand how schizophrenia develops, and what happens in the brain that causes hallucinations and delusions.
Patricia’s research followed an interdisciplinary approach. She studied anatomy, behavior, and also used biochemical and pharmacological techniques to better understand how something seemingly ineffable, like memory, works -- as well as the more specific: like how antipsychotic drugs affect the brain.
Patricia also used monkey models. She and her lab would create lesions in monkeys’ brains to determine how that damage affected cognitive abilities.
For example, to study the way short-term memory works in the prefrontal cortex, the test subjects were shown two containers. One had food in it. Then, those containers were hidden for a period of time. When the containers were presented again, the researchers would take note on which monkeys would go to the food container. Those that had damage to their prefrontal cortex had a harder time remembering the food.
Bit by bit, Patricia was building a clearer map of this important part of the brain.
In 1979, she married another scientist, Pasko Rakic and they both joined the Neurobiology department at Yale. They became collaborators, and in her years at Yale, Patricia and her lab continued to publish important neuroscience research. Like when she figured out how lower dopamine levels can also lead to impaired memory.
Discoveries like these were a big reason why Patricia was able to really connect her research with real-world care. Schizophrenia and Parkinson’s, for example, both involve brain cells that contain dopamine.
Patricia was a pioneer in the field of neuroscience. But, her success wasn’t a clear path. In an environment dominated by men, she was one of just a few women who gained tenure. She would tell friends she wasn’t sure she could make it in such a field as a woman.
But she was also an inspiration to many young women scientists. She mentored them, and helped them find a path forward. Some say they wouldn’t be scientists today without Patricia.
In 2003, Patricia died suddenly when she was hit by a car while crossing the street. She was 66 years old.
Her community and colleagues grieved the loss of such a giant at the prime of her life and career. But her contributions to the science of mental illness live on in her legacy.
After her death, Trevor Robbins, a fellow neuroscientist, wrote:
“Pat initiated the modern era of neurobiological research into the prefrontal cortex—a brain region implicated in just about every neuropsychiatric disorder.”
All month, we’re honoring women who changed the landscape of health and wellness.
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