Louis B. Flexner
Louis B. Flexner | |
|---|---|
| Born | Louis Barkhouse Flexner January 7, 1902 Louisville, Kentucky |
| Died | March 29, 1996 (aged 94) |
| Education | University of Chicago (BS) Johns Hopkins University (MD) |
| Known for | Proving that the brain synthesizes proteins rapidly |
| Spouse | Josefa B. Flexner |
| Parent(s) | Ida Barkhouse and Washington Flexner |
| Relatives | Simon Flexner, Abraham Flexner (uncles) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Biochemistry of memory |
| Institutions | University of Pennsylvania Johns Hopkins University |
Louis Barkhouse Flexner (January 7, 1902 – March 29, 1996) was an American biochemist, a researcher into the biochemistry of memory. Flexner proved, among other things, that the brain synthesized proteins at a much faster rate than had been widely held before him. He also established a link between protein synthesis and the brain's functions of learning and memory. Flexner was a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the founding director of the Institute of Neurological Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania, chair of anatomy at the University of Pennsylvania, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the American Philosophical Society. The National Academies Press called him "a major scientific figure".