Dr. Richard Wurtman is the most renowned researcher to date regarding the discovery of how specific nutrients modulate brain neurotransmitter synthesis, function and brain health. He discovered the role of melatonin in sleep as well as the breakthrough research showing that certain forms of choline supplementation can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia and slow the progression of these conditions in the early stages.

Dr. Richard Wurtman graduated from medical school in 1960 and, in 1967, was invited to open a lab at MIT in the department of Nutrition and Food Science. In the 1980’s MIT opened a new department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, where Dr. Wurtman soon became a significant research contributor. He was a professor of Neurophysiology at Harvard- MIT Division of Health Sciences & Technology. He retired in 2011 after publishing around 1,000 research papers. Dr. Wurtman died on December 13, 2022. He collaborated very closely with his wife Judith Wurtman, Ph.D, whose name appears as a co-author on many of Dr. Richard Wurtman’s published papers. Judith was a clinical researcher at MIT for many years and has written five books and more than 40 peer- reviewed articles.