Bruce Sherman McEwen (January 17, 1938 – January 2, 2020) was an American neuroendocrinologist and head of the Harold and Margaret Milliken Hatch Laboratory of

Neuroendocrinology Neuroendocrinology is the branch of biology (specifically of physiology) which studies the interaction between the nervous system and the endocrine system; i.e. how the brain regulates the hormonal activity in the body. The nervous and endocrine ...

at Rockefeller University. He was known for his work on the effects of environmental and psychological stress, having coined the term allostatic load.

Career

McEwen received his bachelor's degree in chemistry from Oberlin College and his Ph.D. in cell biology from Rockefeller University in 1964. The McEwen laboratory was at the forefront of estrogen and glucocorticoid action in the brain for decades. McEwen's group demonstrated for the first time that estrogen can increase dendritic spine density in the CA1 subfield of the hippocampus. In addition, his lab also discovered stress-induced dendritic retraction in the CA3 hippocampal subfield. By pioneering the role of both gonadal and adrenal steroid action in the brain, the McEwen laboratory helped develop the modern concept of stress. His research has focused on

glucocorticoid Glucocorticoids (or, less commonly, glucocorticosteroids) are a class of corticosteroids, which are a class of steroid hormones. Glucocorticoids are corticosteroids that bind to the glucocorticoid receptor that is present in almost every verteb ...

stress Stress may refer to: Science and medicine * Stress (biology), an organism's response to a stressor such as an environmental condition * Stress (linguistics), relative emphasis or prominence given to a syllable in a word, or to a word in a phrase ...

and

neuron A neuron, neurone, or nerve cell is an electrically excitable cell that communicates with other cells via specialized connections called synapses. The neuron is the main component of nervous tissue in all animals except sponges and placozoa. ...

al degeneration. McEwen's notable students include

Robert Sapolsky Robert Morris Sapolsky (born April 6, 1957) is an American neuroendocrinology researcher and author. He is a professor of biology, and professor of neurology and neurological sciences and, by courtesy, neurosurgery, at Stanford University. In ad ...

, Elizabeth Gould, Catherine Woolley, Michael Meaney, and Heather Cameron. McEwen was a former president of the

Society for Neuroscience The Society for Neuroscience (SfN) is a professional society, headquartered in Washington, DC, for basic scientists and physicians around the world whose research is focused on the study of the brain and nervous system. It is especially well kn ...

and was a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...

and the

National Academy of Medicine The National Academy of Medicine (NAM), formerly called the Institute of Medicine (IoM) until 2015, is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Medicine is a part of the National Academies of Sciences, Eng ...

. McEwen published his first paper in 1959, and eventually published more than 700 peer-reviewed articles in journals including ''Nature'', ''JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, The New England Journal of Medicine, Neurobiology of Aging'' and ''The Journal of Neuroscience''. His expertise and work have been featured on ''ABC, NBC, CNN, PBS, NPR, BBC,'' and in ''The New York Times'', ''The Wall Street Journal'', and many others. He was co-author of the book ''The End of Stress As We Know It'', with science writer Elizabeth Norton Lasley, and another book ''The Hostage Brain'', with science writer Harold M. Schmeck Jr. He has received numerous awards including a share of the IPSEN Foundation Prize in Neuroplasticity, the Gold Medal award from the Society for Biological Psychiatry, the Pasarow Award in Neuropsychiatry, the British Endocrine Society's Dale Medal, the Goldman-Rakic Prize for Cognitive Neuroscience from the

Brain & Behavior Research Foundation The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that funds mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It like ...

and the Karl Spencer Lashley Award from the American Philosophical Society. McEwen was on the Scientific Advisory Board of Anti-AgingGames.com where he collaborated with

Nolan Bushnell Nolan Kay Bushnell (born February 5, 1943) is an American businessman and electrical engineer. He established Atari, Inc. and the Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre chain. He has been inducted into the Video Game Hall of Fame and the Consu ...

, the founding father of video games, and with a team of world-renowned behavioral neuroscientists to create memory, focus and relaxation games for healthy adults over the age of 35.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McEwen, Bruce 1938 births 2020 deaths Writers from Fort Collins, Colorado American neuroscientists 20th-century psychologists 21st-century psychologists Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences Oberlin College alumni Rockefeller University alumni American biologists Members of the National Academy of Medicine