NAMI Applauds Nobel Prize Winners
Statement by Laurie Flynn, Executive Director, National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
Oct 10 2000
There is perhaps no better way to mark the closing days of the Decade of the Brain, proclaimed by Congress and President Bush, than with the award of the Nobel Prize in physiology and medicine to Paul Greengard of Rockefeller University, Eric Kandel of Columbia University, and Arvid Carlsson of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.
Each scientist has contributed to a revolution in our understanding of the brain and its chemical mechanisms, which has opened the door to more effective treatments for schizophrenia and depression.
Their work has brought us to the threshold of the 21st century, with hope for even greater progress yet to come. Every person or family who has been touched by mental illness should join in honoring them. Their leadership has produced much of what we know today about how the brain works. Their contributions also have laid a foundation for future scientific break-through.
Americans should be especially proud of the role of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in supporting the research of Paul Greengard and Eric Kandel. The honor which they will receive represents a fulfillment of the agency's mission and a call to even greater achievement.