Lorente de Nó: From Neuroanatomy to Neurophysiology

Abstract

Rafael Lorente de Nó (1902–1990) was the youngest and last of Santiago Ramón y Cajal's students. With Fernando de Castro, Lorente de Nó helped to transition the focus of Ramón y Cajal's School from neuroanatomy to neurophysiology. His main contributions to neuroscience concerned the cytoarchitecture of the cerebral isocortex and hippocampus, neural networks, central vestibular system anatomy, vestibulo-ocular reflex physiology, cochlear nuclei anatomy, and synaptic transmission mechanisms. This article pays tribute to the memory of Lorente de Nó by providing a comprehensive review of the life and work of this giant of neuroscience. Anat Rec, 303:1221–1231, 2020. © 2019 American Association for Anatomy.