Redwood Neuroscience
Title: “The life and work of Donald O. Hebb: A biographical review.”
Dr.
Richard Brown
Department
of Psychology
Abstract:
Donald O. Hebb
has had a profound influence on the development of psychology and
neuroscience. Hebb is best known for his neurophysiological postulate on synaptic plasticity and the
concept of cell assemblies, which first appeared in The Organization of
Behavior (1949, reprinted 2002). Neuroscientists associate Hebb
with the Hebbian synapse and the Hebbian
learning rule, and much of our current
understanding of functional neural connections is based on Hebbian
concepts. But Hebb's work has also influenced
developmental psychology, neuropsychology, perception
and the study of emotions. Hebb's work with
Wilder Penfield set the stage for the development of neuropsychological
testing. His rearing of rats in an enriched environment initiated the idea that
environmental input could alter neural development and that sensory - neural
connections were shaped by experience. This presentation was prepared to review
Hebb's life and work and his lasting influence in
psychology and neuroscience in honour of the 2004
centenary of his birth.
Brown, R. E. and Milner, P. M. Foreword to the Erlbaum edition, D. O. Hebb,
The Organization of Behavior.
Brown, R.E. and Milner,
P.M. The legacy of Donald O. Hebb: more than
the Hebb synapse. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 2003,
4, 1013-1019.
May 2005