Hans Thoenen (5 May 1928 in

Zweisimmen Zweisimmen is a municipality in the Obersimmental-Saanen administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. History Zweisimmen is first mentioned in 1228 as ''Duessimenes''. In 1257 it was mentioned as ''Zweinlixhenun''. The oldes ...

, Switzerland – 23 June 2012 in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

, Germany) was a Swiss

neurobiologist A neuroscientist (or neurobiologist) is a scientist who has specialised knowledge in neuroscience, a branch of biology that deals with the physiology, biochemistry, psychology, anatomy and molecular biology of neurons, neural circuits, and glial c ...

best known for his work on

neurotrophins Neurotrophins are a family of proteins that induce the survival, development, and function of neurons. They belong to a class of growth factors, secreted proteins that can signal particular cells to survive, differentiate, or grow. Growth factor ...

Biography

Thoenen studied medicine at the Universities of

Bern german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese , neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen , website ...

and

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...

, graduating in 1953 and receiving his doctorate from Bern in 1957. In 1961 he joined the research laboratories of the Swiss pharmaceutical company

Hoffmann LaRoche F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, commonly known as Roche, is a Swiss multinational healthcare company that operates worldwide under two divisions: Pharmaceuticals and Diagnostics. Its holding company, Roche Holding AG, has shares listed on the SIX S ...

, leaving in 1968 to spend a year working with the Axelrod group at

NIMH NIMH may refer to: *Nickel–metal hydride battery (NiMH), a type of electrical battery *National Institute of Mental Health, an agency of the United States government *National Institute of Medical Herbalists, a professional organisation in the Un ...

. In 1971 he joined the newly-formed Biocentre at the University of Basel as research group leader in Neurobiology. In 1977 he relocated to

where the

Max Planck Institute for Psychiatry The Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry (german: Max-Planck-Institut für Psychiatrie) is a scientific institute based in the city of Munich in Germany specializing in psychiatry. Currently directed by Elisabeth Binder and Alon Chen, it is one of ...

had offered him the directorship of a new institute – what is now the

Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology The Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology was a research institute of the Max Planck Society located in Martinsried, a suburb of Munich in Germany. It existed between 1984 and 2022 and merged with the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology to the new, ...

– which he led until his retirement in 1996.

Research

While testing dopamine analogues at Hoffman-LaRoche, he was surprised by the toxicity of 6-hydroxydopamine on sympathetic nerves and investigated its mechanisms of action. Its selective effect on dopaminergic neurons has made it a useful tool in animal models of

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

. This line of research had an unexpected payoff. While working with Axelrod at NIMH, Thoenen discovered that repeated stimulation of the adrenal medulla led to increased levels of the monoamine synthesis enzyme

tyrosine hydroxylase Tyrosine hydroxylase or tyrosine 3-monooxygenase is the enzyme responsible for catalyzing the conversion of the amino acid L-tyrosine to L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA). It does so using molecular oxygen (O2), as well as iron (Fe2+) and t ...

. Trans-synaptic enzyme induction had never previously been detected: it transpired that it was a general phenomenon. At Basel, his attention turned to

nerve growth factor Nerve growth factor (NGF) is a neurotrophic factor and neuropeptide primarily involved in the regulation of growth, maintenance, proliferation, and survival of certain target neurons. It is perhaps the prototypical growth factor, in that it was on ...

and other neurotrophins. His laboratory made a series of groundbreaking contributions to the field, including the cloning of brain derived neurotrophic factor and ciliary neurotrophic factor. Almost all his subsequent research focused on this class of proteins, the elucidation of their physiological functions, and the factors that influenced their expression and release – including other growth factors, the presynaptic release of neurotransmitters, glucocorticosteroids, and stress. His work has been instrumental in demonstrating the importance of neurotrophins for brain plasticity (the formation and pruning of synaptic connections in, for example, learning and memory), and has pursued their relevance for remediating nerve damage and dementia.

Awards

Thoenen won the Feldberg Award (1980), the Cloëtta Prize (1985), the Charles A. Dana Award for Pioneering Achievement in Health (1994) and the

Neuronal Plasticity Prize A neuron, neurone, or nerve cell is an membrane potential#Cell excitability, electrically excitable cell (biology), cell that communicates with other cells via specialized connections called synapses. The neuron is the main component of nervous ...

(1994). He received the

Ralph W. Gerard Prize in Neuroscience The Ralph W. Gerard Award of the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) is an award in neuroscience awarded annually since 1978 for Lifetime Achievement. It is the highest recognition conferred by the SfN. As of 2018, the prize winner receives US$25,000. ...

of the

Society for Neuroscience The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) is a professional society, headquartered in Washington, DC, for basic scientists and physicians around the world whose research is focused on the study of the brain and nervous system. It is especially well kn ...

(1995) and the

Bristol-Myers Squibb Award Between 1977 and 2006, the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation presented annual awards of US$50,000 to scientists for distinguished achievements in fields such as cancer, infectious disease, neuroscience, nutrition, and cardiovascular disease. The rec ...

for Distinguished Achievement in Neuroscience Research (1997) jointly with Eric M. Shooter. He was awarded the Ernst Jung Gold Medal in 2007. He was a member of the

German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina The German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (german: Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina – Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften), short Leopoldina, is the national academy of Germany, and is located in Halle (Saale). Founded ...

and a foreign member of the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...

. He received honorary doctorates from the Universities of

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River. Würzburg is ...

and Zurich.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thoenen, Hans 1928 births 2012 deaths 20th-century biologists 20th-century Swiss physicians 21st-century biologists 21st-century Swiss physicians Members of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences Swiss neuroscientists Swiss neurologists University of Bern alumni