Alexander Nikolayevich Lebedev (1869–1937) was a biochemist in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. He is known for his early experiments on the biochemical basis of behavior. Lebedev apprenticed as a student with physiologist and psychologist
Ivan Pavlov
Ivan Petrovich Pavlov ( rus, Ива́н Петро́вич Па́влов, , p=ɪˈvan pʲɪˈtrovʲɪtɕ ˈpavləf, a=Ru-Ivan_Petrovich_Pavlov.ogg; 27 February 1936), was a Russian and Soviet experimental neurologist, psychologist and physiol ...
, becoming familiar with various techniques involved used in behavioral psychology. Lebedev developed a theory that behavior in general, and specifically
conditioned behavior, had a biochemical rather than psychological basis. He began his studies in biochemistry in
Moscow State University, obtaining a doctorate in 1898. He then proceeded to publish widely on the topic of "biochemistry of the mind" and is considered by some to have pioneered the field of neuropharmacology.
Sources
*Cooper, D. M. ''Russian Science Reader'', Oxford, Pergamon Press; NY, Macmillan (1964).
Biochemists from the Russian Empire
Soviet scientists
Moscow State University alumni
1869 births
1937 deaths
{{biochemist-stub