THOMAS SÜDHOF
NOBEL LAUREATE IN PHYSIOLOGY OR MEDICINE
A scientist whose work transformed our understanding of how neurons communicate — revealing the molecular machinery behind the precise release of neurotransmitters.
DISCOVER HIS WORK ↓Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Research and teaching in neuroscience
Synaptic transmission and neurotransmitter release
UNDERSTANDING HOW NEURONS SPEAK.
Every thought, movement and memory depends on neurons communicating at exactly the right moment.
Prof. Thomas Südhof has dedicated much of his scientific career to understanding the molecular mechanisms that make this communication possible.
His research focuses on the synapse — the specialised junction where one neuron transmits information to another.
TIMING IS EVERYTHING.
In 2013, Thomas Südhof shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries concerning the machinery regulating vesicle traffic within cells.
His work helped explain how calcium signals trigger synaptic vesicles to release neurotransmitters with remarkable precision.
FROM THE SYNAPSE TO THE BRAIN.
The synapse is microscopic. Its consequences are anything but.
Synaptic communication underlies the functioning of neural circuits throughout the brain.
Understanding how synapses form, operate and change provides fundamental insight into nervous system function.