1946-

American biochemist regarded as a codiscoverer of endorphins, which are peptide neurotransmitters that serve as natural opioids. Working with Solomon Snyder in 1973 she demonstrated the existence of opiate receptors in the brain. Pert contends that neuropeptides and their receptors are the biochemicals of emotions, transmitting information through a network that links the material world of molecules with the nonmaterial world of the psyche. Her book Molecules of Emotion: Why You Feel the Way You Feel (1997) illuminates the "mind-body-spirit revolution" in modern medical science.