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id="gmail-m_-689521602073429547gmail-m_6771347432861757629gmail-m_6022708551547824539gmail-m_-6793617921123876802gmail-m_7031858258834402832magicparlabel-30">Amiram
Grinvald, a long-time friend and colleague, has died in Israel.
His contributions to our field were numerous, and their impact
will be long lasting. First among those was his discovery (in
1986) of the <i>intrinsic optical signal</i>, which allows
(indirect) observation of neural activity without the use of any
dye. With this tool of Optical Imaging, his lab discovered the
now-famous pinwheel arrangement of orientation selectivity in the
primary visual cortex. The method has spread to many laboratories
and fields, and the approach is now often used to guide and locate
probes such as multi-contact electrodes. His group then applied
optical imaging to retinal research, where it is used for both
basic and clinical research and treatment. Amiram’s numerous
contributions brought him much fame and recognition, and he
received numerous prizes and awards, but he always remained down
to earth, just as he was as a young post-doc, when I first met him
in Woods Hole. He approached everything with great focus and
intensity, and the persistent pain in my right shoulder still
attests to the fierceness with which we played tennis together. He
was passionate about everything he did-- from science to eating.
He will be greatly missed. <img alt="image:"><br>
<br>
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<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
<font face="Comic Sans MS">Ehud Kaplan, Ph.D.
Visiting Professor
Dept. of Philosophy & History of Science
Charles University, Prague
&
the National Institute of Mental Health,
Topolová 748, Klecany
Czechia
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