Elio García-Austt facts for kids
Elio García-Austt (born in 1919, died in 2005) was a famous neuroscientist from Montevideo, Uruguay. A neuroscientist is a scientist who studies the brain and nervous system.
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Early Life and Studies in Montevideo
Elio García-Austt's father was a professor of Psychiatry at the School of Medicine in Montevideo. He was also a member of the Parliament, which is like the government's law-making body.
Elio graduated with top honors as a "Doctor in Medicine and Surgery" (M.D.) from the University of the Republic in 1948. He even won a gold medal for his special research paper, which was about how changes in the body's chemistry affect the brain's electrical signals.
Even before he graduated, he started his work as a neuroscientist. In 1942, he began using the first electroencephalography (EEG) equipment in Uruguay. EEG is a way to record the electrical activity of the brain. He used this at the Instituto de Endocrinología, which studies hormones.
After graduating, he continued his work as a clinical neurophysiologist. This means he studied how the nervous system works in patients. He published his first papers on epilepsy, a brain condition that causes seizures. He also helped set up and lead five EEG laboratories in public hospitals in Montevideo.
García-Austt became very interested in basic scientific research about the brain. This happened at the Department of Physiology at the Medical School in Montevideo. He worked with Dr. Corneille Heymans after World War II. García-Austt said that working with Heymans was very important for him to become a neurobiologist, someone who studies the biology of the nervous system.
In 1951, he worked in the Neurophysiology Laboratory at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile in Santiago de Chile. This lab was led by Professor Joaquin Luco, a very important neurobiology scientist. When he returned to Montevideo, he started his own "Laboratorio de Neurofisiología" (Neurophysiology Laboratory). He worked with Dr. E. Migliaro and Dr. J.P. Segundo. This lab was part of both the Biophysics and Physiology Departments.
Many researchers who studied the brain were trained in this Neurophysiology Laboratory. They later continued their work in different labs in Uruguay and other countries. García-Austt also created a course about the nervous system. It included teachers from different departments like physiology, biophysics, histology (study of tissues), anatomy, and pharmacology (study of medicines).
In 1959, García-Austt created another Neurophysiology Laboratory at the "Instituto de Neurología y Neurocirugía" (Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery) of the School of Medicine. He worked there until 1973, when he moved to Spain. The research at this lab included:
- Studying Evoked potentials in humans. These are brain responses to things we see, hear, or feel. Researchers looked at how these responses related to attention and perception.
- Understanding how our senses (hearing, sight, touch) are controlled.
- Recording and stimulating the brain with electricity during brain surgery in humans.
- Measuring changes in oxygen pressure in the brain during sleep.
- Studying the pressure inside the skull. This research helped create a way to diagnose a condition called normotensive hydrocephaly, where too much fluid builds up in the brain.
During this time, much of his research was paid for by grants from other countries.
Working in Madrid, Spain
In 1973, Dr. José Manuel Rodríguez Delgado invited Elio García-Austt to work in Madrid, Spain. He wanted García-Austt to help develop neurobiology at the "Ramon y Cajal" Hospital. García-Austt accepted this offer because the hospital had better facilities. Also, the situation in Uruguay at the time was difficult.
At the hospital, he started the Experimental Neurology Service within the Research Department. For 15 years, he studied how the brain creates its electrical rhythms. He also worked closely with the Neurosurgery Unit, helping with brain surgeries. As a professor in the Department of Physiology at the School of Medicine of the Universidad Autonoma in Madrid, he taught neuroscience. He worked closely with Professors Rodriguez Delgado and Reinoso Suarez.
Founding the Spanish Neurosciences Society
García-Austt, along with Reinoso Suarez, Salvador Lluch, and Isabel de Andres, helped organize several scientific meetings in Spain. These meetings in 1980, 1981, and 1983 led to the creation of the Spanish Neurosciences Society in 1985. Elio García-Austt was the first president of this important society.
Returning to Montevideo
In 1988, he returned to Montevideo to lead the "Proyecto de Neurociencia" (Neuroscience Project). This project was funded by the European Union, and it was their first scientific grant given to Latin America. This grant helped develop five different research projects in various labs in Uruguay.
His return helped neuroscience in Uruguay grow again. García-Austt brought researchers together and created a good scientific environment. This encouraged many Uruguayan researchers who had been working in other countries to come back home. During this time, he often traveled back to Madrid, where he still had an office at the Ramon y Cajal Hospital. In Uruguay, he continued to organize many national and international courses. These courses helped build the current "Escuela de Neurociencia" (School of Neuroscience) in Hispanic America.
In 1991, he became a Professor of Neuroscience at the School of Sciences of the University of Uruguay. He held this position until he retired in 1999.
Elio García-Austt was married twice and had five sons. He passed away in Montevideo in 2005.
Key Positions Held
- Associated Professor of Physiology, Medical School of Montevideo, 1959–1974.
- Chief of "Experimental Neurology Service", Research Department, “Ramón y Cajal” Center, Madrid, 1977–1989.
- Professor of Neurosciences, School of Sciences, Uruguay, 1991–1999.
- Director of the Institute of Biology, School of Sciences, Uruguay, 1991–1994.
- Received "Doctor Honoris Causa" from the University of Uruguay in 2000, a special honorary degree.
See also
In Spanish: Elio García Austt para niños
