Biographical sketch: Paul MacLean, through his scientific research, made significant contributions to the fields of physiology, psychiatry, and brain research. Over the course of his long career, MacLean was instrumental in proposing and defining the triune concept of the brain. MacLean's evolutionary Triune Brain theory proposed that the human brain was in reality three brains in one; the R-complex, the Limbic system and the neocortex. In 1957, MacLean came to NIH as the head of a new section on the limbic system in the Laboratory of Neurophysiology, National Institute of Mental Health. In 1971 MacLean became the Chief of the Laboratory of Brain Evolution and Behavior, NIMH, newly opened in Poolesville, Maryland. MacLean was chief of the Laboratory of Brain Evolution and Behavior from 1971 to 1985. The laboratory was designed for comparative neurobehavioral research on animals in semi-natural conditions. MacLean retired with the NIH honor of Senior Research Scientist, Emeritus in the Department of Neurophysiology at NIMH.
From the description of Paul D. MacLean papers, 1936; 1944-1993. (National Library of Medicine). WorldCat record id: 52639270
