Walle Nauta
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Walle Jetze Harinx Nauta (June 8, 1916 – March 24, 1994) was a leading Dutch-American neuroanatomist, and one of the founders of the field of
neuroscience Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions and disorders. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, developme ...
. Nauta is best known for his silver staining, which helped to revolutionize neuroscience. He was an
Institute Professor An institute is an organisational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body. In some countries, institutes can ...
of neuroscience at
MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...
and also worked at the University of Ultrecht, the
University of Zurich The University of Zürich (UZH, german: Universität Zürich) is a public research university located in the city of Zürich, Switzerland. It is the largest university in Switzerland, with its 28,000 enrolled students. It was founded in 1833 f ...
, the
Walter Reed Army Institute of Research The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) is the largest biomedical research facility administered by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). The institute is centered at the Forest Glen Annex, in the Forest Glen Park part of the uni ...
, and the
University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...
. In addition, he was a founder and president of the Society for Neuroscience.


Early life

Nauta was born on June 8, 1916, in
Medan Medan (; English: ) is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of North Sumatra, as well as a regional hub and financial centre of Sumatra. According to the National Development Planning Agency, Medan is one of the four mai ...
, Sumatra, Dutch East Indies. His father had traveled there from the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
as a missionary of the
Dutch Reformed Church The Dutch Reformed Church (, abbreviated NHK) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the original denomination of the Dutch Royal Family and ...
, but his focus quickly evolved into improving the overall education, health, and governance of the Indonesians. Growing up in a household that emphasized ideas of social justice and empathy toward others contributed to Nauta's character and actions as he grew into a young man in the midst of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. He is remembered as a man intolerant of others' personal entitlement and having a strong passion for helping his fellow man. Nauta and his family returned the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
in the 1930s, and so escaped imprisonment during the Japanese occupation. It was there that Nauta finished his elementary schooling.


Education and career

Nauta attended medical school at the
University of Leiden Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; nl, Universiteit Leiden) is a public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. The university was founded as a Protestant university in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, as a reward to the city of Le ...
from 1934 to 1941. Under the
German occupation German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 1939 an ...
, the University was closed, and Nauta continued his education at the
University of Utrecht Utrecht University (UU; nl, Universiteit Utrecht, formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2018, it had an enrollme ...
, receiving his medical degree in 1942, where he also taught anatomy. That same year, Nauta married Ellie Plaat, a nurse who was also from the Dutch East Indies and became a practicing physician. At the same time, he conducted research at
Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the fourth-largest city and a municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, in the very centre of mainland Net ...
, studying the effects of hypothalamic lesions on sleep in rats. The war also took a toll on Nauta's ability to access supplies for his lab. In one extreme case, he used his wife's breast milk to feed the rats, as she was nursing their first child at the time. Shortly after Nauta and Plaat married, they took in and harbored a fifteen year old Jewish girl named Dina Dasberg. Dina stayed with the Nautas until the liberation of the city in May 1945. After the war, Nauta continued his career specializing in anatomy. He accepted another teaching position at the
University of Zurich The University of Zürich (UZH, german: Universität Zürich) is a public research university located in the city of Zürich, Switzerland. It is the largest university in Switzerland, with its 28,000 enrolled students. It was founded in 1833 f ...
. Here, Nauta became focused on creating a more efficient technique for tracing neural activity. He focused on the neural networks of the
hypothalamus The hypothalamus () is a part of the brain that contains a number of small nuclei with a variety of functions. One of the most important functions is to link the nervous system to the endocrine system via the pituitary gland. The hypothalamu ...
, a region in the brain that regulates certain metabolic processes among other activities of the autonomic nervous system. The experimental methods for identifying and tracing neural tracts at the time were ineffective when working with the neural circuits in the hypothalamus and other parts of the brain. Nauta dedicated himself to creating a staining technique that would overcome the challenges brought on by previous methods, and after years of research, he pioneered a silver staining technique that would become known as the Nauta stain. This technique provided much higher resolution of neuroanatomical connectivity than was previously available. Nauta was assisted in understanding the mechanisms of his stain by Lloyd F. Ryan and Paul A. Gygax. In 1951, Nauta moved to the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. He worked as a neurophysiologist in the Division of Neuropsychiatry at the
Walter Reed Army Institute of Research The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) is the largest biomedical research facility administered by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). The institute is centered at the Forest Glen Annex, in the Forest Glen Park part of the uni ...
in
Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...
from 1951 to 1964. After moving to the states, Nauta's first papers on neural connectivity carried out with his new silver staining technique began to appear. By this time, the Nauta staining technique was gaining popularity and remained the principal method of experimental
neuroanatomy Neuroanatomy is the study of the structure and organization of the nervous system. In contrast to animals with radial symmetry, whose nervous system consists of a distributed network of cells, animals with bilateral symmetry have segregated, defi ...
until the 1970s when more effective methods began to surface. Nauta worked at the
University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...
from 1955 to 1964 as a professor of anatomy. In 1964, he was appointed professor of neuroanatomy in the department of Psychology at
MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...
in 1964. In 1975, He was also appointed as a neuroanatomist on the staff of
McLean Hospital McLean Hospital () (formerly known as Somerville Asylum and Charlestown Asylum) is a psychiatric hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts. It is noted for its clinical staff expertise and neuroscience research and is also known for the large number of ...
in Belmont,
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. In 1986, Nauta retired from MIT. His work included over a hundred papers for professional journals or books. Walle J. H. Nauta died March 24, 1994, at the age of 77, after being hospitalized with a blood infection.


Research

Walle Nauta began his career in research with his doctoral thesis studying the effects of lesions in the hypothalamus on sleep in rats. He was awarded his PhD degree in 1945. His interest in the neural connections of the hypothalamus eventually inspired him to come up with and perfect the Nauta
silver staining In pathology, silver staining is the use of silver to selectively alter the appearance of a target in microscopy of histological sections; in temperature gradient gel electrophoresis; and in polyacrylamide gels. In traditional stained glass, silv ...
technique for which he is most well known. In the years following the introduction of the Nauta staining method, Walle Nauta's research focused on using the stain to explore the neural connectivity in different regions of the brain. Papers he authored or contributed to included work on the distribution of the fornix, the connectivity of the
amygdala The amygdala (; plural: amygdalae or amygdalas; also '; Latin from Greek, , ', 'almond', 'tonsil') is one of two almond-shaped clusters of nuclei located deep and medially within the temporal lobes of the brain's cerebrum in complex verte ...
and
basal ganglia The basal ganglia (BG), or basal nuclei, are a group of subcortical nuclei, of varied origin, in the brains of vertebrates. In humans, and some primates, there are some differences, mainly in the division of the globus pallidus into an exter ...
, and the
spinothalamic tract The spinothalamic tract is a part of the anterolateral system or the ventrolateral system, a sensory pathway to the thalamus. From the ventral posterolateral nucleus in the thalamus, sensory information is relayed upward to the somatosensory co ...
. As a professor, much of his later work was carried out with students. Nauta shifted his focus from the neuroanatomical structure of the brain, specifically the hypothalamus, to the
motor system The motor system is the set of central and peripheral structures in the nervous system that support motor functions, i.e. movement. Peripheral structures may include skeletal muscles and neural connections with muscle tissues. Central structur ...
and its relationship with the limbic system.


The Nauta Silver Staining Technique

Anterograde degeneration in the nervous system, also known as
Wallerian degeneration Wallerian degeneration is an active process of degeneration that results when a nerve fiber is cut or crushed and the part of the axon distal to the injury (i.e. farther from the neuron's cell body) degenerates. A related process of dying back o ...
, is a process of deterioration down the axon of a nerve cell away from the cell body. This degeneration is the result of damage or injury to a nerve fiber, and it causes the affected fiber to appear “coagulated” or “curdled.” It was discovered by Ludwig Turck that anterograde degeneration can be used to trace axonal pathways in the nervous system. It was also found that the coagulated fragments produced by anterograde degeneration have a high affinity for impregnation by silver. Silver staining techniques pioneered scientists' ability to study the structural elements of the brain. However, most of these methods impregnated normal axons with silver as well as the ones undergoing degeneration. Nauta's silver staining technique allows for a suppression of the silver impregnation of the normal axons and provides contrast between healthy and degenerating neural circuits. Nauta developed this stain through trial and error, using different combinations of oxidizing and reducing agents in the silver reduction phase. Nauta was assisted in the development of the staining process by Lloyd F. Ryan, a
U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...
major, and Paul A. Gygax, a doctoral student in
organic chemistry Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms that contain carbon atoms.Clayden, ...
. As the success of his stain began to gain popularity, the scientific community became increasingly optimistic about the neuroanatomical knowledge the technique could uncover. It was used in most neuroanatomy laboratories and became the primary method of experimental neuroanatomy until the 1970s, when other methods were shown to be more effective.


Recognition and awards

Walle Nauta's contributions to neuroanatomical study revolutionized the way neural circuits were studied. Nauta was a founding member 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 ...
and one of its early presidents (1972–1973). He was also a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the
American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...
, the
American Association of Anatomists The American Association for Anatomy (AAA), based in Rockville, MD, was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1888 as the Association of American Anatomists for the "advancement of anatomical science." AAA later changed its name to the American Associa ...
, and the
American Neurological Association The American Neurological Association (ANA) is a professional society of academic neurologists and neuroscientists devoted to advancing the goals of academic neurology; to training and educating neurologists and other physicians in the neurologic ...
and the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...
. He was elected a corresponding member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1978. Nauta received many prestigious awards: * Karl Spencer Lashley Award of the
American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...
for Research in Neurobiology (1964) *
NAS Award in the Neurosciences The NAS Award in the Neurosciences is awarded by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences "in recognition of extraordinary contributions to progress in the fields of neuroscience, including neurochemistry, neurophysiology, neuropharmacology, devel ...
from the National Academy of Sciences. (1967) * Distinguished Research Award of the American Neurological Society (1975) * Boylston Medical Society Award (1978) * Von Helmholz Award of the Cognitive Neuroscience Institute (1983) * Henry Gray Award of the
American Association of Anatomists The American Association for Anatomy (AAA), based in Rockville, MD, was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1888 as the Association of American Anatomists for the "advancement of anatomical science." AAA later changed its name to the American Associa ...
* Ralph W. Gerard Prize in Neuroscience (Society for Neuroscience) (1983) * Bristol-Myers Squibb Award for Distinguished Achievement in Neuroscience Research (1988)


References


External references

*
Walle Nauta
– his activity to save a Jewish woman's life during the
Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...
, at
Yad Vashem Yad Vashem ( he, יָד וַשֵׁם; literally, "a memorial and a name") is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; honoring Jews who fought against th ...
website {{DEFAULTSORT:Nauta, Walle 1916 births 1994 deaths Dutch anatomists 20th-century Dutch anatomists Dutch neuroscientists American anatomists American neuroscientists Dutch emigrants to the United States Expatriates in Switzerland Leiden University alumni Utrecht University alumni University of Zurich faculty University of Maryland, Baltimore faculty University of Maryland School of Medicine faculty MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences faculty People from Medan Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences McLean Hospital people