Michael Merzenich
Encyclopedia
Michael M. Merzenich is a professor
emeritus
neuroscientist
at the University of California, San Francisco
. His contributions to the field are numerous. He took the sensory cortex maps developed by his predecessors like 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
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. Dr. Merzenich was director and Chief Scientific Officer between November 1996 and January 2003. Dr. 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, is working on a broad range of behavioral therapies. Their lead product is brain-training software called Cortex (TM) with InSight (TM). Dr. Merzenich is Chief Scientific Officer and on the Board of Directors at Posit Science.
, Oregon
in 1942, Merzenich grew up fascinated by science. He attended the University of Portland
in Portland, Oregon
earning his Bachelor of Science
in 1964. Here he was valedictorian
, 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
at Johns Hopkins Medical School in the lab of Vernon Mountcastle
, studying neural coding of stimulus magnitude in the hairy skin. He left Johns Hopkins
to conduct his postdoctoral studies at the University of Wisconsin 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 as the only basic scientist in the clinical Otolaryngology department, head and neck surgery. Dr. Merzenich started with UCSF in 1971 as faculty member becoming full professor
in 1980. Dr. Merzenich is Co-Director at the Coleman Memorial Laboratory where he conducts research on the cerebral cortex
. 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
emeritus
, retiring in 2007.
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.
Dr. Merzenich has published more than 200 articles.
His work is also often covered in the popular press, including The New York Times
, The Wall Street Journal
, Time
and Newsweek
.
He has appeared on Sixty Minutes II, CBS Evening News and Good Morning America
.
He holds over 50 US patents.
Dr. Merzenich is the Francis A. Sooy Chair of Otolaryngology
, in the Keck Center for Integrative Neurosciences at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center.
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
emeritus
Emeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
neuroscientist
Neuroscientist
A neuroscientist is an individual who studies the scientific field of neuroscience or any of its related sub-fields...
at the University of California, San Francisco
University of California, San Francisco
The University of California, San Francisco is one of the world's leading centers of health sciences research, patient care, and education. UCSF's medical, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, and graduate schools are among the top health science professional schools in the world...
. His contributions to the field are numerous. He took the sensory cortex maps developed by his predecessors like Archie Tunturi, Clinton Woolsey, Vernon Mountcastle
Vernon Mountcastle
Vernon Benjamin Mountcastle is Professor Emeritus of Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University.He discovered and characterized the columnar organization of the cerebral cortex in the 1950s...
, 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
Cochlear implant
A cochlear implant is a surgically implanted electronic device that provides a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard of hearing...
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
Fast ForWord
Fast ForWord is a family of educational software products intended to enhance cognitive skills of children, especially focused on developing "phonological awareness" . It is marketed as a therapy for strengthening the skills of memory, attention, processing rate, and sequencing for children...
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. Dr. Merzenich was director and Chief Scientific Officer between November 1996 and January 2003. Dr. 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, is working on a broad range of behavioral therapies. Their lead product is brain-training software called Cortex (TM) with InSight (TM). Dr. Merzenich is Chief Scientific Officer and on the Board of Directors at Posit Science.
Early biography
Born in LebanonLebanon, Oregon
Lebanon is a city in Linn County, Oregon, United States. Lebanon is located in northwest Oregon, southeast of Salem. The population was 12,950 at the 2000 census and the 2008 census data shows the population at 15,397.-Geography:...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
in 1942, Merzenich grew up fascinated by science. He attended the University of Portland
University of Portland
The University of Portland is a private Roman Catholic university located in Portland, Oregon. It is affiliated with the Congregation of Holy Cross and is the sister school of the University of Notre Dame. Founded in 1901, UP has a student body of about 3,600 students...
in Portland, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
earning his Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in 1964. Here he was valedictorian
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
, 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
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
at Johns Hopkins Medical School in the lab of Vernon Mountcastle
Vernon Mountcastle
Vernon Benjamin Mountcastle is Professor Emeritus of Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University.He discovered and characterized the columnar organization of the cerebral cortex in the 1950s...
, studying neural coding of stimulus magnitude in the hairy skin. He left Johns Hopkins
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
to conduct his postdoctoral studies at the University of Wisconsin 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 as the only basic scientist in the clinical Otolaryngology department, head and neck surgery. Dr. Merzenich started with UCSF in 1971 as faculty member becoming full professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
in 1980. Dr. Merzenich is Co-Director at the Coleman Memorial Laboratory where he conducts research on the cerebral cortex
Cerebral cortex
The cerebral cortex is a sheet of neural tissue that is outermost to the cerebrum of the mammalian brain. It plays a key role in memory, attention, perceptual awareness, thought, language, and consciousness. It is constituted of up to six horizontal layers, each of which has a different...
. 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
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
emeritus
Emeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
, retiring in 2007.
Awards
In May 1999, Dr. Merzenich was honored by election into the National Academy of SciencesUnited States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
for his research on brain plasticity
Neuroplasticity
Neuroplasticity is a non-specific neuroscience term referring to the ability of the brain and nervous system in all species to change structurally and functionally as a result of input from the environment. Plasticity occurs on a variety of levels, ranging from cellular changes involved in...
.
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.
Dr. 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 New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
, Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
and Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
.
He has appeared on Sixty Minutes II, CBS Evening News and Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
.
He holds over 50 US patents.
Dr. Merzenich is the Francis A. Sooy Chair of Otolaryngology
Otolaryngology
Otolaryngology or ENT is the branch of medicine and surgery that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of ear, nose, throat, and head and neck disorders....
, in the Keck Center for Integrative Neurosciences at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center.
Federal grants
| Year | Grant abstract | Citation | Recipient organization | Granted by | Amount | Inflationary conversion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005–2006 | Brain plasticity based training for focal dystonia | Posit Science Corporation | NICHD National Institute of Child Health and Human Development The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development , created by Congress in 1962, supports and conducts research on topics related to the health of children, adults, families, and populations... |
$195,727 | $ | |
| 2001–2005 | Auditory and somatosensory cortex Javits grant | UCSF University of California, San Francisco The University of California, San Francisco is one of the world's leading centers of health sciences research, patient care, and education. UCSF's medical, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, and graduate schools are among the top health science professional schools in the world... |
NINDS National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke is a part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health . It conducts and funds research on brain and nervous system disorders and has a budget of just over US$1.5 billion... |
$1,662,734 | $ | |
| 2005 | Brain plasticity based training for Schizophrenia Schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social... Fast-Track proposal |
Posit Science Corporation | NIMH National Institute of Mental Health The National Institute of Mental Health is one of 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health... |
$139,811 | $ | |
| 2005 | Brain plasticity rehabilitaton of visual cognition | Posit Science Corporation | NEI National Eye Institute The National Eye Institute is one of the US National Institutes of Health that was established in 1968. The mission of NEI is to prolong and protect the vision of the American people. The NEI conducts and performs research into treating and preventing diseases affecting the eye or vision.... |
$97,350 | $ | |
| 1996–2000 | Functional organization of auditory somatosensory cortex | UCSF University of California, San Francisco The University of California, San Francisco is one of the world's leading centers of health sciences research, patient care, and education. UCSF's medical, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, and graduate schools are among the top health science professional schools in the world... |
NINDS National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke is a part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health . It conducts and funds research on brain and nervous system disorders and has a budget of just over US$1.5 billion... |
$1,245,234 | $ | |
| 1992–1995 | Design Of Pediatric Cochlear Implants | UCSF University of California, San Francisco The University of California, San Francisco is one of the world's leading centers of health sciences research, patient care, and education. UCSF's medical, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, and graduate schools are among the top health science professional schools in the world... |
NIDCD National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders , a member of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, is mandated to conduct and support biomedical and behavioral research and research training in the normal and disordered processes of hearing, balance, smell, taste, voice,... |
$1,097,866 | $ | |
| 1981–1995 | Functional Organization Of The Central Auditory System | UCSF University of California, San Francisco The University of California, San Francisco is one of the world's leading centers of health sciences research, patient care, and education. UCSF's medical, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, and graduate schools are among the top health science professional schools in the world... |
NINDS National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke is a part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health . It conducts and funds research on brain and nervous system disorders and has a budget of just over US$1.5 billion... |
$1,324,202 | $ | |
| 1987 | Sensory Disorders And Language Study Section | U.S. PHS PUBLIC ADVISORY GROUPS | CSR Center for Scientific Review The Center for Scientific Review or CSR is the portal for United States National Institutes of Health grant applications and their review for scientific merit. The CSR organizes the peer review groups or study sections that evaluate the majority of the research grant applications sent to NIH... |
– | – | |
| 1987 | Scala Tympani Electrode Arrays | UCSF University of California, San Francisco The University of California, San Francisco is one of the world's leading centers of health sciences research, patient care, and education. UCSF's medical, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, and graduate schools are among the top health science professional schools in the world... |
NINDS National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke is a part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health . It conducts and funds research on brain and nervous system disorders and has a budget of just over US$1.5 billion... |
– | – | |
| 1977–1980 | Development Of An Acoustic Prosthesis | UCSF University of California, San Francisco The University of California, San Francisco is one of the world's leading centers of health sciences research, patient care, and education. UCSF's medical, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, and graduate schools are among the top health science professional schools in the world... |
NINDS National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke is a part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health . It conducts and funds research on brain and nervous system disorders and has a budget of just over US$1.5 billion... |
– | – | |
| 1980–1982 | Develop Electrodes For Auditory Prosthesis | UCSF University of California, San Francisco The University of California, San Francisco is one of the world's leading centers of health sciences research, patient care, and education. UCSF's medical, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, and graduate schools are among the top health science professional schools in the world... |
NINDS National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke is a part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health . It conducts and funds research on brain and nervous system disorders and has a budget of just over US$1.5 billion... |
– | – | |
| 1975–1980 | Functional Organization Of The Auditory System | UCSF University of California, San Francisco The University of California, San Francisco is one of the world's leading centers of health sciences research, patient care, and education. UCSF's medical, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, and graduate schools are among the top health science professional schools in the world... |
NINDS National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke is a part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health . It conducts and funds research on brain and nervous system disorders and has a budget of just over US$1.5 billion... |
– | – | |
| 1977–1980 | Develop Multichannel Electrodes For Auditory Prosthesis | UCSF University of California, San Francisco The University of California, San Francisco is one of the world's leading centers of health sciences research, patient care, and education. UCSF's medical, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, and graduate schools are among the top health science professional schools in the world... |
NINDS National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke is a part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health . It conducts and funds research on brain and nervous system disorders and has a budget of just over US$1.5 billion... |
– | – | |
| 1972–1974 | Studies On Organization Of Central Auditory System | UCSF University of California, San Francisco The University of California, San Francisco is one of the world's leading centers of health sciences research, patient care, and education. UCSF's medical, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, and graduate schools are among the top health science professional schools in the world... |
NINDS National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke is a part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health . It conducts and funds research on brain and nervous system disorders and has a budget of just over US$1.5 billion... |
– | – |
Patents and inventions
Dr. Merzenich 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.See also
- Activity-dependent plasticityActivity-dependent plasticityA defining feature of the brain is its capacity to undergo changes based on activity-dependent functions, also called activity-dependent plasticity. Its ability to remodel itself forms the basis of the brain’s capacity to retain memories, improve motor function, and enhance comprehension and...
- Brain fitnessBrain fitnessThe term brain fitness reflects a hypothesis that cognitive abilities can be maintained or improved by exercising the brain, in analogy to the way physical fitness is improved by exercising the body...
- Cognitive neuroscienceCognitive neuroscienceCognitive neuroscience is an academic field concerned with the scientific study of biological substrates underlying cognition, with a specific focus on the neural substrates of mental processes. It addresses the questions of how psychological/cognitive functions are produced by the brain...
- Is Google Making Us Stupid?Is Google Making Us Stupid?"Is Google Making Us Stupid? What the Internet is doing to our brains" is a magazine article by technology writer Nicholas G. Carr highly critical of the Internet's effect on cognition. It was published in the July/August 2008 edition of The Atlantic magazine as a six-page cover story...
- List of members of the National Academy of Sciences (Systems neuroscience)
- Mind and Life InstituteMind and Life InstituteThe Mind and Life Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated to exploring the relationship of science and Buddhism as methodologies in understanding the nature of reality...
- Timeline of psychologyTimeline of psychologyThis article is a compiled timeline of psychology. A more general description of the development of the subject of psychology can be found in the history of psychology article...
External links
- "On the Brain" Dr. Merzenich's blog
- Posit Science Corporation
- The Brain Fitness Channel
- Scientific Learning Corporation
- SCIL – Scientific Learning Corp. At A Glance – Forbes.com
- Michael Merzenich: Video "Cortical plasticity underlying human performance abilities; implications for neuro-therapeutics" June 6, 2007
- Video: Internet Archive: Details: Michael Merzenich: Brain plasticity for cochlear implants
- Interview: Neuroscience: Neuromodulation, Neuroplasticity and the Reading Brain – Michael Merzenich