One of the founders of modern neuroscience, Marian C. Diamond produced the first definitive evidence of neuroplasticity — demonstrating that the brain physically changes in response to experience. Her research at UC Berkeley showed that rats raised in enriched, play-filled environments developed measurably thicker cerebral cortices, while those in impoverished environments showed cortical thinning. Her early findings supported the creation of the Head Start programme. Her analysis of Einstein's preserved brain — finding an unusually high ratio of glial cells to neurons — changed neuroscience paradigms. A beloved lecturer and teacher, she demonstrated that neuroplasticity persists well into extreme old age.
