Hans Thoenen (5 May 1928 in Zweisimmen, Switzerland – 23 June 2012 in Munich, Germany) was a Swiss neurobiologist best known for his work on neurotrophins.
In 1961 he joined the research laboratories of the Swiss pharmaceutical company Hoffmann LaRoche, leaving in 1968 to spend a year working with the Axelrod group at NIMH.
[1][3] While testing dopamine analogues at Hoffman-LaRoche, he was surprised by the toxicity of 6-hydroxydopamine on sympathetic nerves and investigated its mechanisms of action.
While working with Axelrod at NIMH, Thoenen discovered that repeated stimulation of the adrenal medulla led to increased levels of the monoamine synthesis enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase.
[2] His work has been instrumental in demonstrating the importance of neurotrophins for brain plasticity (the formation and pruning of synaptic connections in, for example, learning and memory), and has pursued their relevance for remediating nerve damage and dementia.