An inspirational reflection on Nobel Prize-winning researches in nerve signaling from over a century: some lessons for inquisitive minds

• Published in: Brain Structure and Function Vol. 226; no. 6; pp. 1641 - 1645
• Main Author: Ojha, Pooja
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.07.2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cell Biology; Letter to the Editor; Nervous system; Neurology; Neurosciences; Nobel prizes; Research inspiration; Nobel Prize; Nerve signaling; Pioneers in nerve neuroscience
• ISSN: 1863-2653; 1863-2661; 0340-2061
• DOI: 10.1007/s00429-021-02294-9

The fascinating field of Neuroscience is burgeoning with extensive research, and some have been remarkable in making breakthrough findings, worth a Nobel Prize. The discoveries in neuroscience unveiling the anatomical and physiological conundrums of nerve and the advancement of neurophysiological techniques for recording nerve signals are owed to some great minds who thought beyond the normal. Such studies are foundational and exemplar for the young generations, often inciting an unconventional perspective toward a problem. This article presents a motivational account of some Nobel Prize-winning researches in nerve signaling from Camillo Golgi and Santiago Ramón y Cajal describing the structure of nervous tissue in 1906 to Arvid Carlsson, Paul Greengard, and Eric R. Kandel unfolding the mechanisms of signaling pathways involved in brain function in the year 2000. This may sensitize the young researcher to take an interest in the historical work and understand that allegiance to investigate an idea may be driven by some striking past acquaintance or thoughtful insights. One may derive substantial inspiration to unravel further inscrutabilities and explore future avenues in translational research in nerve mechanisms.