József Knoll

József Knoll
Born	(1925-05-30)May 30, 1925[1] Kassa, Hungary (now Košice, Slovakia)
Died	April 17, 2018(2018-04-17) (aged 92)[1]
Other names	Joseph Knoll; Jozsef Knoll
Occupation	Psychopharmacologist

József Knoll (May 30, 1925 – April 17, 2018), or Joseph Knoll, was a Hungarian psychopharmacologist known for developing the antiparkinsonian and antidepressant drug selegiline (L-deprenyl).^{[2][3][4][1][5]}

He developed selegiline in the 1960s and subsequently studied the drug and related agents for many decades.^[2][1][4] Knoll also developed the concepts of monoaminergic activity enhancers (MAEs) and the mesencephalic enhancer regulation system, among other contributions.^[2][1] MAEs developed by Knoll and colleagues include selegiline, benzofuranylpropylaminopentane (BPAP), and phenylpropylaminopentane (PPAP), among others.^[2]

During his scientific career, Knoll published 894 papers and was the originator of 55 patents.^[1] As of 2018, his papers had been cited more than 10,000 times.^[1] He is described as one of the best-known Hungarian pharmacologists.^[1]

Knoll is known for having extensively researched and promoted selegiline for claimed drive- and longevity-enhancing effects related to its MAE activity.^[2][4][1][5] Knoll himself began taking a low 1 mg daily dose of selegiline on January 1, 1989 at the age of 64.^{[6]: 92 [3]} He reported in 2012 that this had continued for 22 years uninterrupted.^[6]: 92 Knoll stated that he had become so fascinated with the possible longevity-promoting effects of selegiline he was studying that he had decided to start taking it as a self-experiment.^{[6]: 92 [3]} Knoll later died in 2018 at the age of 93.^[4]

Selected publications

Books

• Knoll J (2005). The Brain and Its Self: A Neurochemical Concept of the Innate and Acquired Drives. Berlin/Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-540-23969-7.
• Knoll J (2012). How Selegiline ((-)-Deprenyl) Slows Brain Aging. Bentham Science Publishers. ISBN 978-1-60805-470-1. Retrieved 4 July 2024.

Reviews

• Knoll J (2001). "Antiaging compounds: (-)deprenyl (selegeline) and (-)1-(benzofuran-2-yl)-2-propylaminopentane, [(-)BPAP], a selective highly potent enhancer of the impulse propagation mediated release of catecholamine and serotonin in the brain". CNS Drug Rev. 7 (3): 317–45. doi:10.1111/j.1527-3458.2001.tb00202.x. PMC 6494119. PMID 11607046.
• Knoll J (August 2003). "Enhancer regulation/endogenous and synthetic enhancer compounds: a neurochemical concept of the innate and acquired drives". Neurochem Res. 28 (8): 1275–1297. doi:10.1023/a:1024224311289. PMID 12834268.

References

1. Ildiko Miklya (September 20, 2018). "In Memoriam: Joseph Knoll (1925 – 2018)" (PDF). International Network for the History of Neuropsychopharmacology (INHN). Retrieved 15 August 2024. He was one of the internationally best known Hungarian pharmacologists [...] He described the details of his work published with his pupils in 894 papers (citations: 10,055) and was the originator of 55 patents.
2. Miklya I (November 2016). "The significance of selegiline/(-)-deprenyl after 50 years in research and therapy (1965-2015)". Mol Psychiatry. 21 (11): 1499–1503. doi:10.1038/mp.2016.127. PMID 27480491.
3. Healy D (2000). "The Psychopharmacology of Life and Death. Interview with Joseph Knoll.". The Psychopharmacologists, Vol. III: Interviews. London: Arnold. pp. 81–110. doi:10.4324/9781003058892-3. ISBN 978-0-340-76110-6.
4. Ferdinandy P, Yoneda F, Muraoka S, Fürst S, Gyires K, Miklya I (February 2020). "Geroprotection in the future. In memoriam of Joseph Knoll: The selegiline story continues". European Journal of Pharmacology. 868: 172793. doi:10.1016/j.ejphar.2019.172793. PMID 31743738. S2CID 208185366.
5. Thomas A. Ban (November 8, 2018). "In Memory of Joseph Knoll (1925 – 2018)" (PDF). International Network for the History of Neuropsychopharmacology (INHN). Retrieved 15 August 2024.
6. Knoll J (2012). How Selegiline ((-)-Deprenyl) Slows Brain Aging. Bentham Science Publishers. ISBN 978-1-60805-470-1. Retrieved 4 July 2024.

External link

• Joseph Knoll Personal Home Page / Curriculum Vitae