The stories and people behind the humanitarian force that is UCSF
Robert EdwardsUCSF neurologist Robert Edwards, MD, is an international authority on the cause of Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative brain cell disorder affecting millions. In researching the origins of the disease, Edwards has zeroed in on how dopamine selectively destroys brain cells and, in the process, has helped uncover the synaptic processes that normally protect against the toxic effects of this otherwise essential neurotransmitter. These findings have generated hope for a new type of treatment. Another avenue of research has revealed a pathway for exploring the hereditary causes of deafness and epilepsy in humans. Edwards received two Distinguished Investigator Awards from the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Affective Disorders in 1993 and 2005.
