Mark P. Mattson is an American neuroscientist who is an adjunct professor of neuroscience at the

Johns Hopkins School of Medicine The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (JHUSOM) is the medical school of Johns Hopkins University, a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Established in 1893 following the construction of the Johns Hopkins Hospital, th ...

Early life and education

Mattson received his B.S. in Zoology from

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricult ...

in 1979, his M.S. in Biology at

University of North Texas The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public university, public research university located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Its main campus is in Denton, Texas, Denton, with a satellite campus in Frisco, Texas, Frisco. It serves as the ...

(originally North Texas State University) in 1982, and his Ph.D. in Biology at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

in 1986. He was then a postdoctoral fellow at

Colorado State University Colorado State University (Colorado State or CSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado, United States. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University Syst ...

Career

Mattson is the former chief of the Laboratory of Neurosciences at the National Institute on Aging Intramural Research Program of the National Institute on Aging. Mattson has done research on

intermittent fasting Intermittent fasting is any of various meal timing schedules that cycle between voluntary fasting (or reduced calorie intake) and non-fasting over a given period. Methods of intermittent fasting include alternate-day fasting, periodic fasting, ...

. The National Institute of Health considers him "one of the world’s top experts on the potential cognitive and physical health benefits of intermittent fasting". He is author of the book ''The Intermittent Fasting Revolution: The Science of Optimizing Health and Enhancing Performance''. Mattson's research has also elucidated roles for the neurotransmitter glutamate in neuroplasticity and Alzheimer's disease. He is the author of the book ''Sculptor and Destroyer: Tales of Glutamate - the Brain's Most Important Neurotransmitter''. He also hosts a

podcast A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...

called Brain Ponderings, on which he interviews prominent neuroscientists about their life and work.

5:2 diet

The 5:2 diet, a form of

, was first documented in a 2011 article co-authored by Michelle Harvie, Mattson, and 14 additional scientists. The 5:2 does not follow a particular food pattern, but instead focuses entirely on calorie content. In other words, two days of the week are devoted to consumption of approximately 500 to 600 calories, or about 25% of regular daily caloric intake, with normal calorie intake during the other five days of the week. The diet was later popularized in the UK and Australia by Michael Mosley though the 2012

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

documentary '' Eat, Fast and Live Longer'' (in which he learned about the 5:2 diet from Mattson who also appeared in the documentary).Michael Mosley: ‘No male in my family has made it beyond 72
/ref> It also became common in Australia.

Awards and recognition

Mattson was elected a Fellow of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...

for research revealing the cellular mechanisms involved in neural plasticity — the ability of neurons to adapt during processes like learning or injury — and development of neurodegenerative disorders. He is the recipient of the Alzheimer's Association Zenith Award, the Metropolitan Life Foundation Medical Research Award, and the Santiago Grisolia Chair Prize. He was as the founding editor and editor-in-chief of ''NeuroMolecular Medicine'' and '' Ageing Research Reviews''. On June 3, 2019, the international symposium Pathways towards and away from Brain Health was held to honor him on his retirement from the NIH.

Selected publications

Book

Selected journal articles

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References

External links

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Johns Hopkins biographyMIT Press biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mattson, Mark American neuroscientists Colorado State University alumni Fasting researchers Iowa State University alumni Johns Hopkins University faculty Living people University of Iowa alumni University of North Texas alumni Year of birth missing (living people)