http://intramural.nimh.nih.gov/lcmr/snge/images/axelrod.jpg · Public domain

Julius Axelrod worked out how the brain releases and reabsorbs catecholamines — the neurotransmitters, including epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine, that carry signals between nerve cells — establishing the reuptake mechanism that later became the target of major classes of antidepressant and stimulant drugs. He shared the 1970 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Bernard Katz and Ulf von Euler for the work. He also made key contributions to understanding the pineal gland's role in regulating the sleep-wake cycle.