Natalia Bekhtereva facts for kids

Natalia Petrovna Bekhtereva (Russian: Ната́лья Петро́вна Бе́хтерева; born July 7, 1924 – died June 22, 2008) was a very important Soviet and Russian scientist. She was a neuroscientist and psychologist. This means she studied the brain and how it works, especially how it affects our thoughts and feelings. She found new ways to study the brain, like measuring the tiny electrical signals (impulses) from brain cells called neurons.

Her work was so interesting that she was featured in documentary films like The Call of the Abyss and Storm of Consciousness. She earned many high degrees, including a Doctor of Medicine and was a Full Professor.

Her Life and Studies

Natalia Bekhtereva was the granddaughter of Vladimir Bekhterev, another famous scientist who studied the brain. She and her brother grew up in an orphanage.

She went to the First Pavlov State Medical University of St. Petersburg from 1941 to 1947. This was during a very difficult time. More than 700 students started at the university in 1941, but only four of them finished their studies. The others died because of the war and hunger. Natalia herself survived the terrible Siege of Leningrad.

Her Career in Science

After graduating, Natalia started working as a junior researcher in 1950. She slowly moved up, becoming a senior researcher and then the head of a laboratory. By 1959, she became a Doctor of Medicine.

In 1962, she joined the Institute of Experimental Medicine. There, she led the Department of Human Neurophysiology. From 1970 to 1990, she was the Director of the entire institute.

In 1975, she became an academician of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences. This means she was chosen as a top scientist in medical research. In 1981, she became an academician of the main Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union.

From 1990 onwards, she was the scientific director of the "Brain" Center. In 1992, she led a special group studying the neurophysiology of thinking, creativity, and consciousness at the Institute for Human Brain.

She also held important international roles. She was Vice President of the International Union of Physiological Sciences from 1974 to 1980. She was also Vice President of the International Organization for Psychophysiology from 1982 to 1994.

Awards and Honors

Natalia Bekhtereva received many important awards for her scientific work.

• The Order of Lenin (1984): This was given for her great achievements in medical science and for training new scientists.
• The Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1975).
• The Order of the Badge of Honour (1967).
• The Medal "For Labour Valour" (1961): For her important work in protecting people's health and advancing medical science.
• Gold and Silver medals from the Exhibition of Economic Achievements of the Soviet Union (1967, 1974, 1976).
• The Gold medal named after Vladimir M. Bekhterev: For her studies on how the human brain performs higher mental functions like thinking.
• The USSR State Prize (1985): For her important research on how the human brain works.
• The Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" III class (2004) and IV class (1999): These are high honors for her contributions to science and medicine.
• The Order of Friendship of Peoples (1994): For her personal contribution to medical science and training specialists.
• The Wiener Medal in Cybernetics (1972): An award from an American society.

She was also an honorary member of many scientific societies around the world, including in Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Finland, and the United States.

Her Passing

Bekhtereva's grave.

Natalia Bekhtereva passed away on June 22, 2008, in Hamburg, Germany. She was 83 years old and had been ill for some time.

Tributes to Her Work

Natalia Bekhtereva's contributions are still remembered today.

• On July 7, 2020, Google honored her 96th birthday with a special Google Doodle on their homepage.
• A minor planet (a small space rock) is named after her: 6074 Bechtereva.
• The Bekhtereva Institute for Human Brain of the RAS [ru] is named in her honor.

Her Family

Natalia Bekhtereva came from a family of scientists and engineers.

• Her grandfather was Vladimir Bekhterev (1857–1927), a famous psychiatrist and brain scientist.
• Her father was Peter Bekhterev (1886–1938), an engineer and inventor.
• Her mother was Zinaïda Bekhtereva, a doctor.

Natalia was married twice.

• Her first husband was Vsevolod Medvedev (1924–2008), who was also a physiologist (someone who studies how living things work).
  • They had a son named Svyatoslav Medvedev (born 1949), who is also a physiologist.
• Her second husband was Ivan Kashtelyan (died 1990), an economist.
  • She had a stepson named Alexander (died 1990) from this marriage.

Her granddaughter, Natalia Medvedeva, followed in the family's footsteps and became a psychiatrist.

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