Sten Grillner

Biosketch, Professor Sten Grillner, Director of the Nobel Institute for Neurophysiology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm.

Curriculum Vitae: Dr of Medicine - PhD Neurophysiology, University of Göteborg (1969); Professor, Department of Physiology III, Karolinska Institutet (1975-1986) and Director, Nobel Institute for Neurophysiology, Karolinska Institutet (1987-); Nobel assembly (from 1985), Chairman, of Nobel Committee (1995-1997) and Nobel assembly (2005); Chairman “International Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility” (INCF, 2005- )

Awards: Member of Academiae Europaeae (1990 -), Royal Swedish Academy of Science (1993 -); American Acad. of Arts and Sciences (2004- ), Institute of Medicine, National Academy (US; 2006 -), Spanish Acad. of Medical Sciences (2006 -); Grass lecturer, SFN 1983, Greater Nordic Fernstrom award 1990, Bristol-Myers Squibb award Distinguished achievement in , 1993, Reeve-Irvine medal 2002, Ipsen Plasticity price (2003), Ralph Gerard Prize 2005.

Throughout Sten Grillner´s career, he has focused on the astounding capability of the brain to control our movements, and in particular the cellular bases of vertebrate motor behavior. Early on he demonstrated that networks (CPGs) within the mammalian spinal cord can produce the detailed motor pattern of locomotion. After having delineated the basic neural organization of this motor system, he took on the difficult task of the intrinsic function of these networks (ion channels, synaptic interaction etc) by developing the lamprey as a vertebrate model system. The cellular basis of this entire system is now well understood.