Mihai Ioan Botez (29 June 1927 – 2 June 1998) was born in Ploiești, Romania, trained at

Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy ( ro, Universitatea de Medicină și Farmacie „Carol Davila”) or University of Medicine and Pharmacy Bucharest, commonly known by the abbreviation UMFCD, is a public health sciences university i ...

, a neurologist and academic who specialized in the field of

neuropsychology Neuropsychology is a branch of psychology concerned with how a person's cognition and behavior are related to the brain and the rest of the nervous system. Professionals in this branch of psychology often focus on how injuries or illnesses of t ...

. He immigrated to Montreal in the 1970s, becoming a professor at the Université de Montréal and director of the department of Neurology at the hospital Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal.

Academic life

Botez trained at the

Romanian School of Neurology The Romanian School of Neurology influenced a great share of Romanian and foreign neurologists, descending from a group of Gheorghe Marinescu's co-workers at the Neurological Department of the Colentina Hospital at the University of Bucharest. One ...

founded by Gheorghe Marinescu. He immigrated to Canada in the 1970s, where he became professor of neurology at the Université de Montréal and head of the Neurology Service at the hospital Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal. From 1985, his main work featured the role of the

cerebellum The cerebellum (Latin for "little brain") is a major feature of the hindbrain of all vertebrates. Although usually smaller than the cerebrum, in some animals such as the mormyrid fishes it may be as large as or even larger. In humans, the cerebel ...

on human behavior.

Behavioral neurology

Botez became a proficient researcher in several fields of behavioral neurology in both human and animal subjects.

Folic acid

In the 1970s, Botez' main research subject was the effects of folic acid and thiamine on the central nervous system, relevant for restless legs syndrome, epilepsy,

polyneuropathy Polyneuropathy ( poly- + neuro- + -pathy) is damage or disease affecting peripheral nerves (peripheral neuropathy) in roughly the same areas on both sides of the body, featuring weakness, numbness, and burning pain. It usually begins in the hand ...

, and

chronic fatigue syndrome Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), also called myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) or ME/CFS, is a complex, debilitating, long-term medical condition. The causes and mechanisms of the disease are not fully understood. Distinguishing core symptoms are ...

. These articles demonstrated the use of B vitamins in the treatment of neurologic symptoms.

Cerebellum

In the 1980s, Botez pioneered studies on the effects of lesions to the

cognition Cognition refers to "the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses". It encompasses all aspects of intellectual functions and processes such as: perception, attention, thought, ...

, including patients with spinocerebellar ataxia, Friedreich's ataxia, and mice with spontaneous mutations causing cerebellar damage, such as

GRID2 Glutamate receptor, ionotropic, delta 2, also known as GluD2, GluRδ2, or δ2, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''GRID2'' gene. This protein together with GRID1, GluD1 belongs to the delta receptor subtype of ionotropic glutamate rec ...

-Lc ''Lurcher''. These articles demonstrated the role of the cerebellum in

Neurochemistry

Together with neurochemists Simon N Young of the Allan Memorial Institute and Tomas A Reader of the Université de Montréal, Botez obtained measures of brain concentrations of neurotransmitters such as biogenic amine metabolites of

dopamine Dopamine (DA, a contraction of 3,4-dihydroxyphenethylamine) is a neuromodulatory molecule that plays several important roles in cells. It is an organic compound, organic chemical of the catecholamine and phenethylamine families. Dopamine const ...

, norepinephrine, and

serotonin Serotonin () or 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) is a monoamine neurotransmitter. Its biological function is complex and multifaceted, modulating mood, cognition, reward, learning, memory, and numerous physiological processes such as vomiting and vas ...

in patients, as well as concentrations and receptor density of these neurotransmitters and

glutamic acid Glutamic acid (symbol Glu or E; the ionic form is known as glutamate) is an α-amino acid that is used by almost all living beings in the biosynthesis of proteins. It is a non-essential nutrient for humans, meaning that the human body can synt ...

in mouse brain, he and his co-workers in

neurochemistry Neurochemistry is the study of chemicals, including neurotransmitters and other molecules such as psychopharmaceuticals and neuropeptides, that control and influence the physiology of the nervous system. This particular field within neuroscience e ...

provided vital cues to underlying neurochemical abnormalities in patients with B vitamin anomalies and patients with cerebellar atrophy. Such studies lead to successful trials with amantadine, a substance facilitating

transmission, to ameliorate reaction times in cerebellar atrophy, as well as respiratory failure.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Botez, Mihai Ioan 1927 births 1998 deaths People from Ploiești Romanian neurologists Romanian academics Scientists from Montreal Cognitive neuroscientists Canadian neurologists Université de Montréal faculty Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy alumni