army to launch the study to assess risk and resilience in service members (starrs), a framingham-like effort scheduled to last until 2014 and the research domain criteria (rdoc) effort, which seeks to define basic dimensions of functioning (such as fear circuitry or working memory) to be studied across multiple levels of analysis, from genes to neural circuits to behaviors, cutting across disorders as traditionally defined. a collection of interviews with directors and individuals significant in the foundation and early history of the institute conducted by dr. eli a. rubenstein between 1975 and 1978 is held at the national library of medicine in bethesda, maryland. noted researchers in 1970, julius axelrod, a nimh researcher, won the nobel prize in physiology or medicine for research into the chemistry of nerve transmission for "discoveries concerning the humoral transmitters in the nerve terminals and the mechanisms for their storage, release and inactivation." he found an enzyme that terminated the action of the nerve transmitter, noradrenaline in the synapse and which also served as a critical target of many antidepressant drugs. in the 1960s and 1970s john b. calhoun, ethologist and behavioral researcher studied the population density and its effects on behavior in the nimh facility in maryland. later his work become renowned after several publications, including article in scientific american and a widely known "universe 25" story predicting anti-utopian future based on rodent experiments in overpopulated environment. in 1984, norman e. rosenthal, a psychiatrist and nimh researcher, pioneered seasonal affective disorder, coined the term sad, and began studying the use of light therapy as a treatment. he received the anna monika foundation award for his research on seasonal depression. louis sokoloff, a nimh researcher, received the albert łasker award in clinical medical research for developing a new method of measuring brain function that contributed to basic understanding and diagnosis of brain diseases. roger sperry, a nimh research grantee, received the nobel prize in medicine or physiology for discoveries regarding the functional specialization of the cerebral hemispheres, or the "left" and "right" brain. eric kandel and paul greengard, each of whom have received nimh support for more than three decades, shared the nobel prize in physiology or medicine with sweden's arvid carlsson. kandel received the prize for his elucidating research on the functional modification of synapses in the brain. initially using the sea slug as an experimental model but later working with mice, he established that the formation of memories is a consequence of short and long-term changes in the biochemistry of nerve cells greengard was recognized for his discovery that dopamine and a number of other transmitters can alter the functional state of neuronal proteins, and also that such changes could be reversed by subsequent environmental signals. nancy andreasen, a psychiatrist and long-time nimh grantee, won the national medal of science for her groundbreaking work in schizophrenia and for joining behavioral science with neuroscience and neuroimaging. the presidential award is one of the nation's highest awards in science. aaron beck, a psychiatrist, received the 2006 albert lasker award for clinical medical research. often called "america's nobels", the laskers are the nation's most distinguished honor for outstanding contributions to basic and clinical medical research. beck developed cognitive therapy—a form of psychotherapy—which transformed the understanding and treatment of many psychiatric conditions, including depression, suicidal behavior, generalized anxiety, panic attacks and eating disorders. in 2010, mortimer mishkin was awarded the national medal of science. mishkin is chief of the nimh's section on cognitive neuroscience, and acting chief of its laboratory of neuropsychology. he is the first nimh intramural scientist to receive the medal. due in part to work spearheaded by mishkin, science now understands much about the pathways for vision, hearing and touch, and about how those processing streams connect with brain structures important for memory. directors past directors from 1949 - present portrait'nameyears served robert h. felix 1949–1964 stanley f. yolles 1964–1970 bertram s. brown 1970–1977 herb pardes 1977–1984 shervert h. frazier 1984–1986 lewis l. judd 1988–1990 alan i. leshner (acting) 1990-1992 frederick k. goodwin 1992–1994 rex william cowdry (acting) 1994–1996 steven hyman 1996–2001 richard k. nakamura (acting) 2001–2002 thomas r. insel 2002 – 2015 bruce cuthbert (acting) 2015 – 2016 joshua a. gordon 2016 – present in popular culture calhoun's experiments on mouse and rat population dynamics inspired novelist robert c. o'brien to write mrs. frisby and the rats of nimh, a 1971 children's book about laboratory rats who escape from the institute and develop a literate and technological society. the book was adapted for film in 1982 as the secret of nimh.