Institute of Medicine (IOM) Inducts Michael Merzenich, PhD.

Dr. Michael Merzenich, a professor, author, businessman, and leading researcher in Neuroplasticity of the brain, was recently inducted into the Institue of Medicine (IOM). Dr. Merzenich is also co founder and Chief Science Officer of Posit Science, located in San Francisco, California. Posit Science provides brain fitness software for consumers.

I first became aware of Dr. Merzenich’s work in brain science and neuroplasticity after reading ‘The Brain That Changes Itself’, by Norman Doige. Dr. Merzenich’s early work in neuroscience research was focused on the cochlea. He contributed to the development of the cochlear implant, which is designed to help people with profound sensorineural hearing loss gain the ability to perceive sound, and potentially improve their speech and ability to communicate.

Dr. Graham Clark of the University of Melbourne is often credited with being the first to ‘invent’ the cochlear implant, a neural prosthetic device with an electrode array that is tonotopically aligned within the cochlea. But others, including Dr. Merzenich, had great impact on this wonderful medical innovation from the early days of the 1970’s.