The Society regrets to hear that Professor Tom Sears died on 19 February 2024 at the age of 95. Professor Sears, who served as President of the European Neuroscience Association, was a member of The Society. He took a leading role in our journals, working as Editor-in-Chief and Chair of the Editorial Board for The Journal of Physiology in the late 70’s.

He began his career studying physiology at University College London, UK. After graduating, Professor Sears worked at the institute’s National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, where he collaborated with several clinical neurologists. In the early 1960s, he studied with Sir John Eccles, carrying out pivotal work using intracellular recordings from respiratory motoneurones. This helped established his independent research career.

Sears transformed our understanding of the nervous system. By showing the integrative role of the motoneurone, he provided new insight about the way the nervous system processes command signals for respiratory movements and for movements in general.

Sears was curious about respiration, using it as a model motor control system to explore respiratory mechanics and the chemical control of breathing, as well as investigating other avenues. He also pursued his interest in neuroscience, dedicating his research on the physiology and pathophysiology of nerve conduction, synaptic plasticity, neural degeneration and development. The motoneurone always remained at the heart of his work.

Professor Sears’ abilities were recognised by the Institute of Neurology, which created the Department of Neurophysiology for him in 1968 (It was later renamed the Sobell Department of Neurophysiology in 1975). Sears was later awarded the position as chair of the Sobell Department of Neurophysiology, which he served in until his retirement in the mid 90’s.

Professor Sears is remembered by his colleagues as a collaborator and an inspiration to the next generation of neurologists. He trained young clinical neurologists in scientific methods, while encouraging them to pursue research at the fundamental levels as well as to dive deeper into pathological processes.