Nobel Foundation
Nobel Media Nobel
Museum Nobel notice the year -1986!

50 years of the EU: Nobel Prize winners celebrate at the European Parliament
Rita Levi-Montalcini: 1986 Nobel Prize winner in Physiology/Medicine

Levi-Montalcini: "It was an honour that I did not expect"
The oldest living Nobel laureate, Rita Levi-Montalcini (born 1909 in Turin), was one of the guests on 9 May at the European Parliament for the 50th Anniversary of the Rome Treaty. She received the Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine in 1986, for her discovery of growth factors. She is founder of two institutions, the European Brain Research Institute (EBRI) and the Association in aid of African women.

What is your first reaction to being in the European Parliament on the 50th Anniversary of the signature of the Rome Treaty?

I am very happy to be invited here. It was an honour that I did not expect. I came to Belgium to work in 1938 to escape Nazi persecution as a Jew... I did come back to Belgium after that but this time is a celebration of the 50 years after the signing, a special celebration.
read the link please -

http://tinyurl.com/2ak3us



Rita Levi-Montalcini
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1986
Autobiography


My twin sister Paola and I were born in Turin on April 22, 1909, the youngest of four children. Our parents were Adamo Levi, an electrical engineer and gifted mathematician, and Adele Montalcini, a talented painter and an exquisite human being. Our older brother Gino, who died twelve years ago of a heart attack, was one of the most well known Italian architects and a professor at the University of Turin. Our sister Anna, five years older than Paola and myself, lives in Turin with her children and grandchildren. Ever since adolescence, she has been an enthusiastic admirer of the great Swedish writer, the Nobel Laureate Selma Lagerlöf, and she infected me so much with her enthusiasm that I decided to become a writer and describe Italian saga "à la Lagerlöf". But things were to take a different turn.

The four of us enjoyed a most wonderful family atmosphere, filled with love and reciprocal devotion. Both parents were highly cultured and instilled in us their high appreciation of intellectual pursuit. It was, however, a typical Victorian style of life, all decisions being taken by the head of the family, the husband and father. He loved us dearly and had a great respect for women, but he believed that a professional career would interfere with the duties of a wife and mother. He therefore decided that the three of us - Anna, Paola and I - would not engage in studies which open the way to a professional career and that we would not enroll in the University.

Ever since childhood, Paola had shown an extraordinary artistic talent and father's decision did not prevent her full-time dedication to painting. She became one of the most outstanding women painters in Italy and is at present still in full activity. I had a more difficult time. At twenty, I realized that I could not possibly adjust to a feminine role as conceived by my father, and asked him permission to engage in a professional career. In eight months I filled my gaps in Latin, Greek and mathematics, graduated from high school, and entered medical school in Turin. Two of my university colleagues and close friends, Salvador Luria and Renato Dulbecco, were to receive the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, respectively, seventeen and eleven years before I would receive the same most prestigious award. All three of us were students of the famous Italian histologist, Giuseppe Levi. We are indebted to him for a superb training in biological science, and for having learned to approach scientific problems in a most rigorous way at a time when such an approach was still unusual.

In 1936 I graduated from medical school with a summa cum laude degree in Medicine and Surgery, and enrolled in the three year specialization in neurology and psychiatry, still uncertain whether I should devote myself fully to the medical profession or pursue at the same time basic research in neurology. My perplexity was not to last too long.

In 1936 Mussolini issued the "Manifesto per la Difesa della Razza", signed by ten Italian 'scientists'. The manifesto was soon followed by the promulgation of laws barring academic and professional careers to non-Aryan Italian citizens. After a short period spent in Brussels as a guest of a neurological institute, I returned to Turin on the verge of the invasion of Belgium by the German army, Spring 1940, to join my family. The two alternatives left then to us were either to emigrate to the United States, or to pursue some activity that needed neither support nor connection with the outside Aryan world where we lived. My family chose this second alternative. I then decided to build a small research unit at home and installed it in my bedroom. My inspiration was a 1934 article by Viktor Hamburger reporting on the effects of limb extirpation in chick embryos. My project had barely started when Giuseppe Levi, who had escaped from Belgium invaded by Nazis, returned to Turin and joined me, thus becoming, to my great pride, my first and only assistant.

The heavy bombing of Turin by Anglo-American air forces in 1941 made it imperative to abandon Turin and move to a country cottage where I rebuilt my mini-laboratory and resumed my experiments. In the Fall of 1943, the invasion of Italy by the German army forced us to abandon our now dangerous refuge in Piemonte and flee to Florence, where we lived underground until the end of the war.

In Florence I was in daily contact with many close, dear friends and courageous partisans of the "Partito di Azione". In August of 1944, the advancing Anglo-American armies forced the German invaders to leave Florence. At the Anglo-American Headquarters, I was hired as a medical doctor and assigned to a camp of war refugees who were brought to Florence by the hundreds from the North where the war was still raging. Epidemics of infectious diseases and of abdominal typhus spread death among the refugees, where I was in charge as nurse and medical doctor, sharing with them their suffering and the daily danger of death.

The war in Italy ended in May 1945. I returned with my family to Turin where I resumed my academic positions at the University. In the Fall of 1947, an invitation from Professor Viktor Hamburger to join him and repeat the experiments which we had performed many years earlier in the chick embryo, was to change the course of my life.

Although I had planned to remain in St. Louis for only ten to twelve months, the excellent results of our research made it imperative for me to postpone my return to Italy. In 1956 I was offered the position of Associate Professor and in 1958 that of Full Professor, a position which I held until retirement in 1977. In 1962 I established a research unit in Rome, dividing my time between this city and St. Louis. From 1969 to 1978 I also held the position of Director of the Institute of Cell Biology of the Italian National Council of Research, in Rome. Upon retirement in 1979, I became Guest Professor of this same institute.

From Les Prix Nobel. The Nobel Prizes 1986, Editor Wilhelm Odelberg, [Nobel Foundation], Stockholm, 1987

This autobiography/biography was written at the time of the award and later published in the book series Les Prix Nobel/Nobel Lectures. The information is sometimes updated with an addendum submitted by the Laureate. To cite this document, always state the source as shown above.



For more updated biographical information, see:
Levi-Montalcini, Rita, In Praise of Imperfection: My Life and Work. Basic Books, New York, 1988.



Copyright © The Nobel Foundation 1986 Printer Friendly Comments & Questions
Tell a Friend The 1986 Prize in:
PhysicsChemistryMedicineLiteraturePeaceEconomics Prev. year Next year
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1986Press Release
Presentation Speech
Stanley CohenAutobiography
Nobel Lecture
Rita Levi-MontalciniAutobiography
Nobel Lecture
Banquet Speech

Articles - Hard work and dedication

All Medicine Nobel Laureates

Who are the awarded women?

Watch TheNobelPrize at YouTube

Try the Nobel Prize Quiz!

Sign up for News from Nobelprize.org
About Nobelprize.org Privacy Policy Terms of Use Technical Support RSS The Official Web Site of the Nobel Foundation Copyright © Nobel Web AB 2007

I have been taking it too. COMMENTS PLEASE ! ALSO READ THE FOLLOWING:
http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache...lnk&cd=5&gl=jo
THE EFFECTS OF WHEY PROTEIN ON NEUROTRANSMITTER FUNCTION
Essential Amino Acids, the building blocks that make up proteins, play a large part in every living cell in the body. Each group of amino acids is tailored for a specific need. It is actually the amino acids rather than the proteins that are the essential nutrients. Amino acids act as neurotransmitters to carry information from one nerve cell to another. The neurotransmitter dysfunction is caused by the lack of amino acids. The dysfunction of the neurotransmitters results in depression and obesity with further results in diabetes, heart diseases, hypertension (high blood pressure), and lack of emotional control. “Essential amino acids are primarily responsible for the amino acid stimulation of muscle protein anabolism in healthy elderly adults,” Elena Volpi, Hisamine Kobayaski, Melinda Sheffield-Moore, Bettina Mittendorfer, and Robert R. Wolfe, Am J Clin Nutr 2003;78:250-8.
Amino acids also act as neurotransmitters to carry information from one nerve cell to another. Amino acids enable vitamins and minerals to do their jobs properly, but if there is a deficiency in amino acids, nerve cells can’t function. There are approximately 28 amino acids. The liver produces 19 amino acids while the other 9 must be obtained from the diet which is called the essential amino acids. Prescription for Nutritional Healing, James F. Balch, M.D., Phyllis A. Balch, CNC, 1997, Page 34-35.
Plainly, the neurotransmitter dysfunction is caused by the lack of amino acids. The dysfunction of the neurotransmitters results in depression and obesity with further results in diabetes, heart diseases, hypertension (high blood pressure), and lack of emotional control. The neurotransmitters are fat soluble and cannot cross the blood/brain barrier. Therefore, the amino acids that made up the neurotransmitters must cross the blood/brain barrier and then the body makes the neurotransmitters out of the amino acids and the appropriate vitamins and minerals necessary. Neurotransmitter Testing and Amino AcidTherapy, Marty Hinz, MD, NeuroResearch, Morgan Park Clinic, Duluth, Minnesota, 2002, Pages 22-24.Nutritional deficiency is a major cause of neurotransmitter dysfunction, as well as drugs such as Zoloft and Prozac. These drugs inhibit the reuptake of serotonin and so cause a loss of serotonin. Neurotoxic effects are permanent. They are caused by heavy metals, chemicals and drugs. The main drug that causes neurotoxicity is amphetamines. Neurotoxic effects are in the post-synaptic neurons. The treatment is the same as deficiency of amino acids, but it takes more of these amino acids forming serotonin to be effective at the post-sympathic neuron. Neurotransmitter Testing and Amino Acid Therapy, Marty Hinz, MD, NeuroResearch, Morgan Park Clinic, Duluth, Minnesota, 2002, Pages 22-24.

continue to do this and you will find the path back to health -*
pancreas -info -
http://www.healthline.com/galecontent/pancreas

do you or have you ever had hypoglycemia -?

it has to do with the pancreas -the pancreas makes digestive enzymes
you can have a tremor with low blood sugar / and diabetes as well -
-
Tremors can happen at any age but tend to be more common in older people.

You can develop a tremor from fatigue, stress, anxiety, or even rage. However, an ongoing tremor that is not associated with a change in your emotional state may be a sign of an underlying medical condition and should be evaluated. You may learn, as many do, that your tremors are perfectly normal, but eliminating medical reasons for the shaking is important.

It is especially important to have tremors evaluated if body parts other than the hands are involved, like your tongue or head, or if you have other types of involuntary movements other than shaking.

Essential tremor is common in older people. Essential tremor is rarely present when the hands are not being used. It becomes most apparent when the affected person is trying to do something, like reaching for an object or writing. It is not caused by an underlying disease.

Another common type of tremor is called familial tremor which, as the name implies, tend to run in families.

Both essential and familial tremors may be suppressed by drinking alcohol. This is a useful fact for making the diagnosis, but alcohol is not a desirable treatment.



Common Causes

Tremors may be caused by:

Too much coffee or other caffeinated drink
Excessive alcohol consumption, alcoholism, or alcohol withdrawal
Stress, anxiety, or fatigue -- these can cause a postural tremor
Normal aging
A variety of drugs and prescription medicines
Low blood sugar
Parkinson's disease -- this is the classic cause of a resting tremor and is often accompanied by slowness of movement, muscle rigidity, and an abnormal gait

Multiple sclerosis -- can cause an intention tremor
Over active thyroid -- can cause a postural tremor


Home Care

For tremors caused by stress, try relaxation techniques like meditation, deep relaxation, or breathing exercises. For tremors of any cause, avoid caffeine and get enough sleep.

For tremors caused by a medication, consult with your doctor about stopping the drug, reducing the dosage, or switching medications. DO NOT change or stop medications on your own.

For certain types of tremors, like essential tremor and familial tremor, medications such as beta-blockers, gabapentin, primidone, and others may be an option. If medication doesn't work, your doctor may even consider surgery. Also, botulinum toxin injections have been used for essential hand tremors.

For tremors caused by alcohol abuse, seek treatment and support to help you avoid alcohol.

Severe tremors may interfere with your ability to perform daily activities. Assistance with these activities may be necessary. Precautions should be taken to avoid injury during activities such as walking or eating.



Call your health care provider if
Your tremor is worse at rest and gets better with movement, like when you reach for something.
Your tremors are prolonged, severe, or interfere with your life.
Your tremors occur with other symptoms, like headache, weakness, abnormal tongue motion, or other types of involuntary movements.

http://www.healthline.com/adamcontent/hypoglycemia
continued -
http://www.healthline.com/adamcontent/hand-tremor/2