November 17, 2010 8:30 a.m.

Dr. Ricardo Miledi, UCI Distinguished Professor of neurobiology & behavior, has won the Society for Neuroscience’s Ralph W. Gerard Prize for outstanding contributions to the field. The $25,000 prize was awarded this week during the organization’s annual meeting in San Diego. Over a career of more than 50 years, Miledi has discovered the plasticity of neurotransmitter receptors in the nervous system and how motor nerves control the chemical sensitivity of receptors at neuromuscular junctions. His research has laid the groundwork for future studies of the synaptic functions underlying learning and memory. Supported by Lilly USA, the prize is named for Ralph W. Gerard, who was instrumental in establishing the 40,000-member Society for Neuroscience.