The Child Mind Institute (childmind.org) presented On the Shoulders of Giants, an annual scientific symposium featuring Dr. Pasko Rakic, the recipient of the 2014 Child Mind Institute Distinguished Scientist Award. Dr. Rakic presented his outstanding work on neuronal migration and the development of the cerebral cortex. The event highlighted his research as well as how he has influenced subsequent generations of neuroscientists.
Over the years Dr. Rakic, who is Director of the Kavli Institute for Neuroscience at Yale, has made discoveries that provide explanations for the development of a variety of congenital malformations, including childhood epilepsy, as well as new insight into the possible developmental origin of disorders of higher brain functions, such as autism, schizophrenia and certain forms of intellectual disability.
“I am confident that Dr. Rakic’s continuing work will lead to new interventions that could revolutionize the treatment and prevention of brain-based disease,” said Dr. Harold Koplewicz, president of the Child Mind Institute. “This isn’t always true of basic science, but Pasko has always been a visionary and clearly anticipated the collaborative culture in neuroscience that we hope will transform psychiatry.”
Presentations were also made by Dr. Rakic’s protégé Dr. Nenad Sestan, professor of neurobiology and psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicinen and a member of the Kavli Institute for Neuroscience; and his colleague Dr. Matthew State, professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, and a member of the Child Mind Institute’s Scientific Research Council. Dr. Sestan presented Neuronal Identity and Connectivity and Dr. State concluded with Gene Discovery, Brain Development, and a New Frontier in Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorders. Over 100 of Dr. Rakic’s colleagues attended the symposium celebrating his scientific contribution.