Disorderly Movements
A Neurologist's Adventures in the Lab and Life

Embark on a neuroscience adventure with a pioneering woman, helping uncover the Huntington's gene while navigating family and patient care.

Anne Buckingham Young (Author)

9781009492904, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 5 June 2025

366 pages
19.8 x 12.8 x 1.9 cm, 0.4 kg

'Neurologist Anne Buckingham Young has done us a great service in publishing her memoir … It offers a rare window into the development of neurology over the past 50 years, told through the eyes of a rebellious pioneer who, despite wrestling with dyslexia and bipolar disorder - as well as the pervasive shadow of sexism in science - became the first woman to chair a department at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard's flagship teaching hospital. … Her memoir documents the unique thought processes and life experiences that gave rise to some of the discoveries that shaped our modern understanding of motion.' Justin Garson, Psychology Today

In this captivating memoir, Anne Buckingham Young shares her trailblazing journey in the male-dominated world of 20th century medicine towards becoming the first female chief at a major United States academic teaching hospital. Anne recounts her remarkable laboratory experiences identifying new neurotransmitters and their receptors. She shares her life with husband and collaborator Jack Penney, their quest to understand the brain circuits responsible for disorderly movements and their adventures in the hunt for the Huntington's disease gene with neuropsychologist Nancy Wexler. When Jack dies suddenly, Anne must confront her personal demons and a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Through it all, Anne builds a cutting-edge research center, offering hope for new therapies for movement disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. This raw and honest portrayal is a testament to the power of perseverance and resilience. It is a must-read for anyone who has ever faced adversity and come out the other side stronger.

Acknowledgments
Prologue
1. A fascination with disorderly movements
2. Chemistry major at all women's college
3. One of 10 women in a class of 114
4. Surviving the courses and clinical rotations
5. The car accident
6. Neurotransmitters, drugs and receptors
7. Training in disorderly movements
8. Setting up our labs and clinic
9. Neuros in the lagoon
10. Exploring the neurotransmitters of basal ganglia
11. Functional anatomy of basal ganglia disorders
12. The boat trip, April 4, 1985
13. Adventures in Peru
14. Being recruited
15. First woman chief at Mass General
16. Ground-breaking discovery: The HD gene
17. Scud missiles
18. Designing a new research center
19. Jack's memorial service
20. Recovery after Jack's death
21. The Mass General Institute for Neurodegenerative Disorders (MIND)
22. Stepping down after 21 years
23. Hope for the future of disorderly movements
Index.

Subject Areas: Neurology & clinical neurophysiology [MJN]