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Mark Mattson
open-in-new
<h2 id="early-life-and-education">Early life and education</h2> <p>Mattson received his B.S. in Zoology from <a href="/facts/Iowa_State_University/7JgIwlXQ">Iowa State University</a> in 1979, his M.S. in Biology at <a href="/facts/University_of_North_Texas/GBlevdJU">University of North Texas</a> (originally North Texas State University) in 1982, and his Ph.D. in Biology at the <a href="/facts/University_of_Iowa/pBzJ1vxe">University of Iowa</a> in 1986.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1"><sup>1</sup></a> He was then a postdoctoral fellow at <a href="/facts/Colorado_State_University/R4pDaq4s">Colorado State University</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="career">Career</h2> <p>Mattson is the former chief of the Laboratory of Neurosciences at the National Institute on Aging Intramural Research Program of the <a href="/facts/National_Institute_on_Aging/RlhbmfQB">National Institute on Aging</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> </p><p>Mattson has done research on <a href="/facts/Intermittent_fasting/aavtmGp1">intermittent fasting</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> 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".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> He is author of the book <i>The Intermittent Fasting Revolution: The Science of Optimizing Health and Enhancing Performance</i>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> Mattson's research has also elucidated roles for the neurotransmitter glutamate in neuroplasticity and Alzheimer's disease. He is the author of the book <i>Sculptor and Destroyer: Tales of Glutamate - the Brain's Most Important Neurotransmitter</i>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> He also hosts a <a href="/facts/Podcast/arkeh0YV">podcast</a> called Brain Ponderings, on which he interviews prominent neuroscientists about their life and work.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a> </p> <h3>5:2 diet</h3> <p>The 5:2 diet, a form of <a href="/facts/Intermittent_fasting/aavtmGp1">intermittent fasting</a>, was first documented in a 2011 article co-authored by Michelle Harvie, Mattson, and 14 additional scientists.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a>[11]<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a> The 5:2 does not follow a particular food pattern, but instead focuses entirely on calorie content.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13"><sup>13</sup></a> 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 <a href="/facts/Michael_Mosley/kv0QYVzJ">Michael Mosley</a> though the 2012 <a href="/facts/BBC/qFateIz8">BBC</a> documentary <i><a href="/facts/List_of_Horizon_(British_TV_series)_episodes/xYFJdM5f">Eat, Fast and Live Longer</a></i> (in which he learned about the 5:2 diet from Mattson who also appeared in the documentary).[11]<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14"><sup>14</sup></a> It also became common in Australia.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15"><sup>15</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16"><sup>16</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17"><sup>17</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="awards-and-recognition">Awards and recognition</h2> <p>Mattson was elected a Fellow of the <a href="/facts/American_Association_for_the_Advancement_of_Science/zfWYugCg">American Association for the Advancement of Science</a> 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 <a href="/facts/Alzheimer%2527s_Association/Y1dRJRIa">Alzheimer's Association</a> 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 <i>NeuroMolecular Medicine</i> and <i><a href="/facts/Ageing_Research_Reviews/kHbj3mbt">Ageing Research Reviews</a></i>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18"><sup>18</sup></a> </p><p>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.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:19" href="#fn:19"><sup>19</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="selected-publications">Selected publications</h2> <h3>Book</h3> <ul><li>Mattson, Mark (2022). <i>The Intermittent Fasting Revolution: The Science of Optimizing Health and Enhancing Performance</i>. <a href="/facts/MIT_Press/eTerUM3c">MIT Press</a>. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 978-0262046404.</li></ul> <h3>Selected journal articles</h3> <ul><li>Furukawa K, Barger SW, Blalock E, Mattson MP (1996). "Activation of K+ channels and suppression of neuronal activity by secreted β-amyloid precursor protein". <i>Nature</i>. 379 (6560): 74–8. <a href="/facts/Bibcode_(identifier)/9HtdQSGB">Bibcode</a>:<a href="https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1996Natur.379...74F">1996Natur.379...74F</a>. <a href="/facts/Doi_(identifier)/muM9Etpq">doi</a>:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038%2F379074a0">10.1038/379074a0</a>. <a href="/facts/PMID_(identifier)/JlHAvMHt">PMID</a> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8538744">8538744</a>. <a href="/facts/S2CID_(identifier)/ldJsHa2Y">S2CID</a> <a href="https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:25513373">25513373</a>.</li> <li>Mattson MP (August 2004). <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3091392">"Pathways towards and away from Alzheimer's disease"</a>. <i>Nature</i>. 430 (7000): 631–9. <a href="/facts/Bibcode_(identifier)/9HtdQSGB">Bibcode</a>:<a href="https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2004Natur.430..631M">2004Natur.430..631M</a>. <a href="/facts/Doi_(identifier)/muM9Etpq">doi</a>:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fnature02621">10.1038/nature02621</a>. <a href="/facts/PMC_(identifier)/dX1zMt71">PMC</a> <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3091392">3091392</a>. <a href="/facts/PMID_(identifier)/JlHAvMHt">PMID</a> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15295589">15295589</a>.</li> <li>Stranahan AM, Mattson MP (2012). <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4084510">"Recruiting adaptive cellular stress responses for successful brain aging"</a>. <i>Nat Rev Neurosci</i>. 13 (3): 209–16. <a href="/facts/Doi_(identifier)/muM9Etpq">doi</a>:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fnrn3151">10.1038/nrn3151</a>. <a href="/facts/PMC_(identifier)/dX1zMt71">PMC</a> <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4084510">4084510</a>. <a href="/facts/PMID_(identifier)/JlHAvMHt">PMID</a> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22251954">22251954</a>.</li> <li>Cheng A, Yang Y, Zhou Y, Maharana C, Lu D, Peng W, Liu Y, Wan R, Marosi K, Misiak M, Bohr VA, Mattson MP (January 2016). <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5141613">"Mitochondrial SIRT3 mediates adaptive responses of neurons to exercise, and metabolic and excitatory challenges"</a>. <i>Cell Metab</i>. 23 (1): 128–42. <a href="/facts/Doi_(identifier)/muM9Etpq">doi</a>:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.cmet.2015.10.013">10.1016/j.cmet.2015.10.013</a>. <a href="/facts/PMC_(identifier)/dX1zMt71">PMC</a> <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5141613">5141613</a>. <a href="/facts/PMID_(identifier)/JlHAvMHt">PMID</a> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26698917">26698917</a>.</li> <li>Mattson MP, Moehl K, Ghena N, Schmaedick M, Cheng AE (February 2018). <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5913738">"Intermittent metabolic switching, neuroplasticity and brain health"</a>. <i>Nat Rev Neurosci</i>. 19 (26): 63–80. <a href="/facts/Doi_(identifier)/muM9Etpq">doi</a>:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fnrn.2017.156">10.1038/nrn.2017.156</a>. <a href="/facts/PMC_(identifier)/dX1zMt71">PMC</a> <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5913738">5913738</a>. <a href="/facts/PMID_(identifier)/JlHAvMHt">PMID</a> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22251954">22251954</a>. </li> <li>de Cabo RE, Mattson MP (December 26, 2019). "Effects of intermittent fasting on health, aging, and disease". <i>N Engl J Med</i>. 381 (26): 2541–51. <a href="/facts/Doi_(identifier)/muM9Etpq">doi</a>:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1056%2FNEJMra1905136">10.1056/NEJMra1905136</a>. <a href="/facts/PMID_(identifier)/JlHAvMHt">PMID</a> <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31881139">31881139</a>. <a href="/facts/S2CID_(identifier)/ldJsHa2Y">S2CID</a> <a href="https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:209498984">209498984</a>.</li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <ul><li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5245586/">Mark Mattson</a> at <a href="/facts/IMDb_(identifier)/uWrqVYVy">IMDb</a></li> <li><a href="https://neuroscience.jhu.edu/research/faculty/57">Johns Hopkins biography</a></li> <li><a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/author/mark-p-mattson-34438/">MIT Press biography</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>"Mark Mattson". University of Iowa. Retrieved 2023-10-08. <a href="https://biology.uiowa.edu/alumni/spotlights/mark-mattson" target="_blank">https://biology.uiowa.edu/alumni/spotlights/mark-mattson</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>"Speakers: Neuroplasticity, Neuroregeneration, and Brain Repair". The New York Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 2023-10-08. <a href="https://www.nyas.org/events/2017/neuroplasticity-neuroregeneration-and-brain-repair/?tab=speakers" target="_blank">https://www.nyas.org/events/2017/neuroplasticity-neuroregeneration-and-brain-repair/?tab=speakers</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>"International Symposium to Honor Pioneer in Neuroscience and Fasting". National Institute on Aging. May 29, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2020. one of the world's top experts on the potential cognitive and physical health benefits of intermittent fasting <a href="https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/international-symposium-honor-pioneer-neuroscience-and-fasting" target="_blank">https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/international-symposium-honor-pioneer-neuroscience-and-fasting</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>von Bubnoff, Andreas (29 January 2021). "The when of eating: The science behind intermittent fasting". Knowable Magazine. doi:10.1146/knowable-012821-1. S2CID 234087270. Retrieved 29 November 2021. <a href="https://knowablemagazine.org/article/health-disease/2021/the-when-eating-update-intermittent-fasting" target="_blank">https://knowablemagazine.org/article/health-disease/2021/the-when-eating-update-intermittent-fasting</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>"Fasting power: Can going without food really make you healthier?". New Scientist. <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24032000-200-fasting-power-can-going-without-food-really-make-you-healthier/" target="_blank">https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24032000-200-fasting-power-can-going-without-food-really-make-you-healthier/</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>"International Symposium to Honor Pioneer in Neuroscience and Fasting". National Institute on Aging. May 29, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2020. one of the world's top experts on the potential cognitive and physical health benefits of intermittent fasting <a href="https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/international-symposium-honor-pioneer-neuroscience-and-fasting" target="_blank">https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/international-symposium-honor-pioneer-neuroscience-and-fasting</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>"Fasting Guide". Thursday, October 1, 2020 <a href="https://www.agebye.com/blog/dry-fasting-vs-water-fasting-updated" target="_blank">https://www.agebye.com/blog/dry-fasting-vs-water-fasting-updated</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>Mattson, Mark (2022). The Intermittent Fasting Revolution. MIT Press. <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>Mattson, Mark (2023). Sculptor and Destroyer: Tales of Glutamate the Brain's Most Important Neurotransmitter. MIT Press. <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>"BRAIN PONDERINGS podcasts". 10 March 2023. <a href="https://community.sfn.org/index.php?/topic/5522-brain-ponderings-podcasts/" target="_blank">https://community.sfn.org/index.php?/topic/5522-brain-ponderings-podcasts/</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>Harvie, Michelle; Pegington, Mary; Mattson, Mark; Frystyk, Jan; Dillon, Bernice (2011). "The effects of intermittent or continuous energy restriction on weight loss and metabolic disease risk markers: a randomised trial in young overweight women". International Journal of Obesity. 35 (5): 714–727. doi:10.1038/ijo.2010.171. PMC 3017674. PMID 20921964. <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:12"><p>Does the 5:2 diet work? <a href="https://www.thenakedscientists.com/articles/interviews/does-52-diet-work" target="_blank">https://www.thenakedscientists.com/articles/interviews/does-52-diet-work</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:13"><p>Marengo, Katherine (2019-01-28). "How to do the 5:2 diet". Medical News Today. Retrieved 2023-10-08. <a href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324303" target="_blank">https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324303</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:14"><p>Michael Mosley: ‘No male in my family has made it beyond 72 <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/may/22/michael-mosley-ecigarettes-miracle-menace-tv#:~:text=In%202012%20he%20popularised%20the,UK%20in%20its%20first%20year." target="_blank">https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/may/22/michael-mosley-ecigarettes-miracle-menace-tv#:~:text=In%202012%20he%20popularised%20the,UK%20in%20its%20first%20year.</a> <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:15"><p>Mosley M (5 August 2012). "The power of intermittent fasting". BBC Health. Archived from the original on 16 February 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019. <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/health-19112549" target="_blank">https://www.bbc.com/news/health-19112549</a> <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:16"><p>"Horizon - Eat, Fast and Live Longer". BBC iPlayer. 6 August 2012. Archived from the original on 5 January 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019. <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01lxyzc/horizon-20122013-3-eat-fast-and-live-longer" target="_blank">https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01lxyzc/horizon-20122013-3-eat-fast-and-live-longer</a> <a href="#fnref:16" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:17"><p>Wilson P (10 February 2020). "What the science says about the 5:2 intermittent fasting diet". ABC Everyday. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 11 February 2021. This story, which was originally written by Pamela Wilson and published by ABC Health and Wellbeing, has been reviewed by Dr Rosemary Stanton OAM, nutritionist and visiting fellow, School of Medical Sciences, University of NSW, and was updated in 2019. Posted 5 Feb 2020, updated 10 Feb 2020 <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/everyday/what-the-science-says-about-the-5-2-intermittent-fasting-diet/11932126" target="_blank">https://www.abc.net.au/everyday/what-the-science-says-about-the-5-2-intermittent-fasting-diet/11932126</a> <a href="#fnref:17" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:18"><p>"International Symposium to Honor Pioneer in Neuroscience and Fasting". National Institute on Aging. May 29, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2020. one of the world's top experts on the potential cognitive and physical health benefits of intermittent fasting <a href="https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/international-symposium-honor-pioneer-neuroscience-and-fasting" target="_blank">https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/international-symposium-honor-pioneer-neuroscience-and-fasting</a> <a href="#fnref:18" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:19"><p>"International Symposium to Honor Pioneer in Neuroscience and Fasting". National Institute on Aging. May 29, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2020. one of the world's top experts on the potential cognitive and physical health benefits of intermittent fasting <a href="https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/international-symposium-honor-pioneer-neuroscience-and-fasting" target="_blank">https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/international-symposium-honor-pioneer-neuroscience-and-fasting</a> <a href="#fnref:19" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>