12 May 2002

Ann Graybiel of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a member of the Alzheimer Research Forum's scientific advisory board since 1999, is one of 15 scientists and engineers named by President Bush to receive the National Medal of Science, the nation's highest award for lifetime achievement in fields of scientific research. The honorees will receive the medals at a White House ceremony on May 29. A total of 401 people have been honored with the National Medal of Science since Congress established the award in 1959.

The only woman among the 15 honorees, Graybiel was chosen for her description of the anatomical architecture of the striatum, for functional work on neuroplasticity in the striatum during learning, and for research identifying gene expression changes in striatal neurons in response to drugs acting at dopamine synapses. Her work has led to clinical progress for disorders such as Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases.-Gabrielle Strobel.