Robert Y. Moore

Robert Y. Moore (born December 5, 1931) is an American neurologist with interests in disorders of biological rhythms, movement disorders, and behavioral neurology. He is credited with discovering the function of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) as the circadian clock, as well as, describing its organization. He is also credited with establishing the role of the mammalian retinohypothalamic tract (RHT) as a photic entrainment pathway.

Early life and education Robert Moore was born in Harvey, Illinois on December 5, 1931.

College education After completion of high school, Moore initially began his college studies at Kenyon College, an all men’s school in Gambier, Ohio. He soon transferred to Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin where he received his B.A. in 1953. It was during this time that Moore met John Bucklew, a professor and the university that became Moore’s mentor. From this mentorship, Moore developed a lasting fascination with the brain, specifically, localization of function within the brain, that would go on to impact the rest of his career.

Organization of the suprachiasmatic nucleus Through his work circa 1988, Moore developed an organizational model for the SCN in all mammals. His design described two anatomically and functionally distinct subdivisions called the core and shell. This was determined by a comparative anatomy of the SCN in a mouse, guinea pig, cat, and opossum with immunohistochemistry studies that identified segregation of afferents and distinct neuropeptides between the core and shell. The core is a division lying above the optic chiasm composed of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP)-producing neurons that receive RHT and secondary visual inputs. The shell surrounds the core and is composed of vasopressin-producing neurons and receives input from the hypothalamus, brainstem, and basal forebrain. These subdivisions function as individual pacemakers, and their neurochemical organization reflects intercellular communication that posit potential coupling mechanisms.

The Retinohypothalamic Tract: A Mammalian Photic Entrainment Pathway Before Moore studied the SCN directly, he investigated the mammalian retinohypothalamic tract (RHT). Through an autoradiograph experiment in 1972, Moore and Nicholas J. Lenn, who was a graduate student at the time, found evidence for a direct retinal projection to the ventral portion of the SCN as arising from a subset of retinal ganglion cells, the RHT. This was confirmed by observing axon terminal degeneration following removal of the eye. After discovering that RHTs were a consistent feature of the mammalian visual system by studying other systems such as that of primates, he and his colleagues proceeded to conduct SCN ablation experiments. Moore noted technical limitations of the time as the reason for not continuing his study of the RHT.

Moore returned to his investigation into the role of the RHT after establishing the SCN’s role as the master circadian clock. In 1988, Moore, along with Ralph F. Johnson and Lawrence P. Morin, established the role of the RHT as a light entrainment pathway of the SCN and thus a critical element of the circadian clock. This was demonstrated through an experiment in which Moore and his colleagues performed a selective transection of the RHT in the hamster and rat. This led to a loss of photic entrainment while other visual functions were preserved.

Appointments and honors Appointments Instructor in Anatomy to Professor Anatomy and Neurology, University of Chicago (1959–1974) Professor, Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego (1974–1979) Professor and Chair, Department of Neurology, Stony Brook University (1979–1990) Professor, Departments of Neurology and Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh (1990–1996); Chair of Neurology (1996–2000) Love Family Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh (1998–present)

Honors and awards Markle Scholar in Medical Science (1964–1969) M.D. ( Honoris causa ), University of Lund, Sweden (1974) President, The Cajal Club (Society of Neuroanatomists) (1990–1992) C.U. Ariens-Kappers Medal, Netherlands Institute for Brain Research, Royal Netherlands Academy of Science (1991) President, Society for Research on Biological Rhythms (1992–1994) Farrell Prize in Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School (2010) Member, President’s Committee on the National Medal of Science (2006–2011)

Personal life Moore married his current wife, Jane DeYoung, in 1997. He has four children from previous marriages.