Ann E Kelley

Ann Elizabeth Kelley (1954–2007) was an American neuroscientist known for her work on the neuroscience of reward and behavior. Born in Milton, Massachusetts, she developed a passion for neuroscience during a field trip to Harvard. She attended the University of Pennsylvania, excelling in sports as captain of both the field hockey and lacrosse teams. With a Thouron fellowship, she pursued a PhD at the University of Cambridge under Susan Iversen, among the first women admitted to Trinity College. At Cambridge, she continued her athletic involvement, joining the rowing team and competing in May Bumps. Kelley's research focused on the brain mechanisms underlying reward and behavior, particularly using intracerebral microinfusion techniques. She explored the mesocorticostriatal systems and the role of opioids in regulating behavior. Her work showed that eating behaviors were influenced by μ-opioids, depending on food palatability. With Min Zhang, she identified striatum regions sensitive to opioid injections, including the nucleus accumbens shell and core. Collaborating with Ned Kalin, she demonstrated the amygdala's role in linking sensory stimuli to motivation, showing that its lesioning disrupted fear learning in monkeys. Her studies with Walle Nauta revealed extensive amygdala projections to the striatum. Kelley held positions at institutions including Harvard and Northeastern University before joining the University of Wisconsin, where she became a Distinguished Neuroscience Professor in 2006 and director of the Neuroscience Training Program. She received the Mika Salpeter Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006 and posthumously the Patricia Goldman-Rakic Hall of Honor award. The University of Wisconsin established the Ann E. ...