Michael L. Rutter and Solomon H. Snyder are this year's recipients of the Institute of Medicine's Rhoda and Bernard Sarnat International Prize in Mental Health. Consisting of a medal and $10,000 for each recipient, the prize is being presented today at the Institute's annual meeting.

Rutter is a professor at the Social, Genetic, and Developmental Psychiatry Research Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, University of London. Snyder is professor of neuroscience, pharmacology, and psychiatry, department of neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore. They are receiving the award in recognition of their respective research efforts, which have had a significant impact on the understanding of mental disorders.

Rutter has pioneered the integration of psychosocial factors, genetics, and development in understanding normal and pathological psychology. His efforts have elucidated the interplay of nature and nurture in psychological development, advanced the understanding of psychosocial risk and protective factors in childhood mental disorders, and contributed significantly to the understanding of autism, antisocial behavior, and the later effects of severe childhood deprivation. His interdisciplinary research and novel clinical perspectives have fostered new approaches to developmental and child psychiatry.

Snyder has been at the forefront of molecular neuroscience as it pertains to mental illness. His efforts have transformed scientific understanding of neurotransmitters with the discovery of endogenous opiates and the finding that gases such as nitric oxide can modulate brain activity. His identification of protein receptors for several neurotransmitters has provided insights into the mechanisms of psychoactive drugs such as Valium, caffeine, and morphine. Through these advances, his discoveries have led to improved understanding and treatment of many psychiatric disorders