Mahlon R. DeLong, M.D.
Mahlon R. DeLong, M.D., is the William P. Timmie Professor of Neurology at Emory University School of Medicine and former chair of the neurology department. Before moving to Emory in 1990, he was chair of neurology and professor of neurology and neuroscience at Johns Hopkins Hospital and School of Medicine, where he first began teaching in 1975. DeLong is an elected member of the Johns Hopkins Society of Scholars, the Institute of Medicine, and the National Association of the Academies of Science.
He shared the 2014 Lasker~DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award with Alim Benabid, M.D., Ph.D., and was awarded the 2013 Breakthrough Prize in the life sciences “for defining the interlocking circuits in the brain that malfunction in Parkinson’s disease—laying the groundwork for treatment of the disease by deep brain stimulation.”
After earning his B.A. from Stanford University and attending graduate school in physiology there, he received his medical degree cum laude from Harvard Medical School.
Vernon Remembered
The world of neuroscience lost one of its pioneers when Vernon B. Mountcastle, M.D., died January 11 in Baltimore at age 96. Here are remembrances from two colleagues influenced by Mountcastle—among the many who have gone on to make their own significant impacts in neuroscience.
Using Deep Brain Stimulation on the Mind: Handle with Care
The success of deep brain stimulation in treating movement disorders has led to investigations of its use for psychiatric illnesses. While the technique shows early promise in the treatment of depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder, Dr. Mahlon DeLong, M.D., a pioneer in the field, cautions both doctors and patients to be aware of the risks in using this yet unproven method.