Michael Matthias Merzenich ( ; born 1942 in
Lebanon, Oregon
Lebanon ( ) is a city in Linn County, Oregon, United States. Lebanon is located in northwest Oregon, southeast of Salem. The population was 18,447 at the 2020 census. Lebanon sits beside the South Santiam River on the eastern edge of the Will ...
) is an American
neuroscientist
A neuroscientist (or neurobiologist) is a scientist who has specialised knowledge in neuroscience, a branch of biology that deals with the physiology, biochemistry, psychology, anatomy and molecular biology of neurons, Biological neural network, n ...
and
professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professor ...
emeritus
''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...
at the
University of California, San Francisco
The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a public land-grant research university in San Francisco, California. It is part of the University of California system and is dedicated entirely to health science and life science. It co ...
. He took the sensory cortex maps developed by his predecessors (Archie Tunturi, Clinton Woolsey,
Vernon Mountcastle, Wade Marshall, and Philip Bard) and refined them using dense micro-electrode mapping techniques. Using this, he definitively showed there to be multiple somatotopic maps of the body in the postcentral sulcus, and multiple tonotopic maps of the acoustic inputs in the superior temporal plane.
He led the
cochlear implant
A cochlear implant (CI) is a surgically implanted neuroprosthesis that provides a person who has moderate-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss with sound perception. With the help of therapy, cochlear implants may allow for improved speech und ...
team at UCSF,
which transferred its technology to
Advanced Bionics, and their version is the Clarion cochlear implant. He collaborated with Bill Jenkins and Gregg Recanzone to demonstrate sensory maps are labile into adulthood in animals performing operant sensory tasks. He collaborated with Paula Tallal, Bill Jenkins, and Steve Miller to form the company Scientific Learning.
This was based on
Fast ForWord software they co-invented that produces improvements in children's language skills that has been related to the magnitude of their temporal processing impairments prior to training.
Merzenich was director and Chief Scientific Officer of Scientific Learning between November 1996 and January 2003. Merzenich took two sabbaticals from UCSF, in 1997 and 2004. In 1997 he led research teams at Scientific Learning Corporation, and in 2004 at
Posit Science Corporation.
Currently, Merzenich's second company, Posit Science Corporation, is working on a broad range of behavioral therapies. Their lead product is a brain-training application called BrainHQ (TM). Merzenich is Chief Scientific Officer, and on the Board of Directors, at Posit Science.
Early life and education
Born in
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
,
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idah ...
in 1942,
[ This is an article which requires purchase
] Merzenich grew up fascinated by science. He attended the
University of Portland
, mottoeng = The truth will set you free
, established = 1901
, type = Private university
, religious_affiliation = Catholic (Congregation of Holy Cross)
, endowment = $218 million
, president = Robert D. Kelly
, students = 3,731 (fall 20 ...
in Portland,
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idah ...
earning his
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...
in 1964.
Here, he was
valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title for the highest-performing student of a graduating class of an academic institution.
The valedictorian is commonly determined by a numerical formula, generally an academic institution's grade point average (GPA) ...
, receiving only one non-A, a C in a philosophy course in which he argued with the instructor. In 1968 he earned his PhD in
Physiology
Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemic ...
at
Johns Hopkins Medical School
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (JHUSOM) is the medical school of Johns Hopkins University, a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1893, the School of Medicine shares a campus with the Johns Hopkins Hosp ...
in the lab of
Vernon Mountcastle, studying neural coding of stimulus magnitude in the hairy skin.
He left
Johns Hopkins
Johns Hopkins (May 19, 1795 – December 24, 1873) was an American merchant, investor, and philanthropist. Born on a plantation, he left his home to start a career at the age of 17, and settled in Baltimore, Maryland where he remained for most ...
to conduct his postdoctoral studies at the
University of Wisconsin
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...
under Jerzy Rose. There, he did a cross-species analysis of the cochlear nucleus in large game cats and pinnipeds, did the first auditory cortical microelectrode maps in the macaque with John Brugge, and the first somatosensory maps in the macaque with neurosurgeon Ron Paul. He earned his neurophysiology fellowship between 1968 and 1971.
He left Wisconsin to join the faculty at
UCSF
The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a public land-grant research university in San Francisco, California. It is part of the University of California system and is dedicated entirely to health science and life science. It cond ...
as the only basic scientist in the clinical Otolaryngology department, head and neck surgery.
[
] Merzenich started with UCSF in 1971 as faculty member becoming full
professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professor ...
in 1980.
Merzenich was Co-Director at the Coleman Memorial Laboratory where he conducted research on the
cerebral cortex
The cerebral cortex, also known as the cerebral mantle, is the outer layer of neural tissue of the cerebrum of the brain in humans and other mammals. The cerebral cortex mostly consists of the six-layered neocortex, with just 10% consisting o ...
. He was also the Francis A. Sooy Chair of
Otolaryngology
Otorhinolaryngology ( , abbreviated ORL and also known as otolaryngology, otolaryngology–head and neck surgery (ORL–H&N or OHNS), or ear, nose, and throat (ENT)) is a surgical subspeciality within medicine that deals with the surgical a ...
, in the Keck Center for Integrative Neurosciences at UCSF.
His research examines neurological illness, learning processes and the neurological processes of the cerebral cortex.
He remains in the same department, now as a
professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professor ...
emeritus
''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...
, retiring in 2007.
Research on Brain Plasticity
Merzenich has collaborated in numerous studies researching brain plasticity. In February 2004, Merzenich gave a TED talk title
“Growing evidence of brain plasticity”which outlines the basic findings of his research.
[
] Merzenich has helped to identify two distinct periods of brain plasticity: The
Critical Period
In developmental psychology and developmental biology, a critical period is a maturational stage in the lifespan of an organism during which the nervous system is especially sensitive to certain environmental stimuli. If, for some reason, the org ...
and the period of Adult Plasticity.
The Infant Critical Period is when a child’s brain establishes neural processes for the stimuli to which it is presented.
The Adult Plasticity period is when the brain refines its neural processes as it masters a variety of tasks.
Understanding how the brain can re-wire itself has allowed Merzenich, Tallal, and other colleagues to develop strategies intended to remediate individuals with any speech, language, and reading deficits.
Through research in experience dependent learning with non-human primates, neurophysiologists including Merzenich have demonstrated that neuroplasticity remains through adulthood.
Further studies with monkeys suggested that the
Hebbian learning
Hebbian theory is a neuroscientific theory claiming that an increase in synaptic efficacy arises from a presynaptic cell's repeated and persistent stimulation of a postsynaptic cell. It is an attempt to explain synaptic plasticity, the adaptatio ...
principles that drive neuroplasticity can be used to treat learning-language impaired children.
Dr. James T. Todd, a professor of psychology, has criticized Michael Merzenich for using the term "miraculous" to describe evidence allegedly supporting the
rapid prompting method, claiming that scientific outliers are hard to analyze in the laboratory and replicate. Todd says that it is always important to question scientific outliers.
Awards
In May 1999, Merzenich was honored by election into the
National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nat ...
for his research on
brain plasticity.
[
]
He went on to be elected to the National Academy's Institute of Medicine in 2008, making him one of a very select few to have been elected to more than one of the National Academies.
As of 2001, he received the Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions.
He has been awarded the International Ipsen Prize,
* Zülch Prize of the Max-Planck Institute,
* Thomas Alva Edison Patent Award,
* The Purkinje Medal,
and
* Karl Spencer Lashley Award.
In 2015, the
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of ...
awarded Dr. Merzenich the
Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ Prize, the most prestigious award in
bioengineering
Biological engineering or
bioengineering is the application of principles of biology and the tools of engineering to create usable, tangible, economically-viable products. Biological engineering employs knowledge and expertise from a number o ...
, for his work on cochlear implants. In 2016 he was awarded one of the world's top neuroscience prizes, the
Kavli Prize
The Kavli Prize was established in 2005 as a joint venture of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research, and the Kavli Foundation. It honors, supports, and recognizes scientists for outstan ...
, for his achievements in the field of brain plasticity.
Merzenich has published more than 200 articles.
His work is also often covered in the popular press, including ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', ''
The Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'', ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, t ...
'' and ''
Newsweek
''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely ...
''.
He has appeared on Sixty Minutes II, CBS Evening News and ''
Good Morning America
''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. ...
''. His work has been featured on four PBS specials and the ABC Australia documentary "Redesign My Brain" (which aired on Discovery Channel as "Hack My Brain" in the United States.)
He holds nearly 100 US patents.
Federal grants
Patents and inventions
Merzenich holds nearly 100 U.S. patents. Along with Peter B. Delahunt, Joseph L. Hardy, Henry W. Mahncke, and Donald Richards hold the patent for visual emphasis for cognitive training exercises. This patent explores a computer system of visual learning. The participant observes a scene which shows at least one foreground object against a background. The background or foreground are modified to enhance the participants response to achieve a correct response in an iterative basis.
[
]
Published works
Merzenich has contributed to over 232 publications.
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Book editor
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Further reading
*Merzenich, Michael, Soft-Wired: How the New Science of Brain Plasticity Can Change Your Life
*Merzenich, Michael, self-published memoir, A Childhood in the Sticks
[
]
See also
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Activity-dependent plasticity Activity-dependent plasticity is a form of functional and structural neuroplasticity that arises from the use of cognitive functions and personal experience; hence, it is the biological basis for learning and the formation of new memories. Activit ...
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Brain fitness
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Cognitive neuroscience
Cognitive neuroscience is the scientific field that is concerned with the study of the biological processes and aspects that underlie cognition, with a specific focus on the neural connections in the brain which are involved in mental process ...
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Is Google Making Us Stupid?
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List of members of the National Academy of Sciences (Systems neuroscience)
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Mind and Life Institute
The Mind & Life Institute is a US-registered, 501(c)(3) organization, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1991 to establish the field of contemplative neuroscience, contemplative sciences. Based in Charlottesville, Va., the institute ...
*
Timeline of psychology
References
External links
"On the Brain" Dr. Merzenich's blogPosit Science CorporationBrainHQScientific Learning CorporationSCIL – Scientific Learning Corp. At A Glance – Forbes.comMichael Merzenich: Video "Cortical plasticity underlying human performance abilities; implications for neuro-therapeutics" June 6, 2007Video: Internet Archive: Details: Michael Merzenich: Brain plasticity for cochlear implants
{{DEFAULTSORT:Merzenich, Michael
1942 births
Living people
Businesspeople from Oregon
American neuroscientists
Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences
University of Portland alumni
Johns Hopkins University alumni
University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni
University of California, San Francisco faculty
American bloggers
American health care businesspeople
American chief executives
People from Lebanon, Oregon
Kavli Prize laureates in Neuroscience
Members of the National Academy of Medicine