Fibiger earned his BSc at the University of Victoria, BC, in 1966 and his PhD at Princeton, New Jersey, in 1970. He came to the UBC in 1972, where he researched the causes of “anhedonia,” or depression. His work shows that a complex of neurons in the midbrain contains the neurotransmitter dopamine, an essential part of the electrochemical process that we experience as pleasure or “reward.” His laboratory was the first in the world to show that dopamine neurons are associated with the feeling of pleasure that cocaine, d-amphetamine and other drugs provide. This knowledge is the basis for treating depression by drugs that attempt to balance dopamine levels in the midbrain. According to international citation indexes, Fibiger is among the 200 most-frequently quoted scientists in the world in any field. Recipient of 1993 BC Science and Engineering Gold Medal Award in Health Sciences.
