Professor John O'Keefe FRS FMedSci has been awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine, for his seminal work on spatial learning and memory.
Professor Sir John Tooke PMedSci, President of the Academy of Medical Sciences, said:
"Many regard understanding how the brain works as the last frontier for life science with the relationship between structure and function - nerve cells and their networks and behaviour -being at the heart of the matter. John O'Keefe's work over many decades has established mechanisms underlying an animal's sense of place, essential for purposeful movement and navigation.
The Academy of Medical Sciences is immensely proud of his achievements and recognition in this way. His role as the Director of the prestigious new Sainsbury Wellcome Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour at UCL will ensure that such work, so vital for the understanding of cognitive decline and other brain conditions will continue to flourish under his inspiring leadership."
More information about Professor O'Keefe and his research is available on the Nobel Prize website.