Psychiatrist, Dept. of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia
Hans Fibiger was born in Denmark, and earned his BSc at the U. of Victoria in 1966, and his PhD at Princeton in 1970. He came to UBC in 1972, where he has conducted research into the causes of "anhedonia", or depression. His work shows that a complex of neurons in the midbrain contains the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is a an essential part of the electrochemical process that we experience as pleasure or "reward". This knowledge is the basis for the treatment of depression by drugs that attempt to balance dopamine levels in the midbrain. His laboratory was the first in the world to show that dopamine neurons are associated with the feeling of reward or pleasure that cocaine, d-amphetamine and other drugs provide. Fibiger is among the 200 most-frequently quoted scientists in the world, in any field. Recipient of 1993 BC Science and Engineering Gold Medal Award in Health Sciences.
Sources: Science Council of British Columbia
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