Neuroscientist Iván Izquierdo died on Tuesday morning (9) in his home in Porto Alegre. The information has been confirmed by the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), an institution with which he has been affiliated since 2004, where he helped found the Rio Grande do Sul Brain Institute (InsCer). The cause of death was not disclosed.
Izquierdo was born in Buenos Aires and moved to Brazil in 1973. He has lived in Porto Alegre with his family since 1977. In 1981 he was naturalized Brazilian.
During his career, the neuroscientist devoted himself to the study of the meskanisms of memory – how we acquire and lose memories and memories – and became one of the most important international researchers in the field.
One of the most important results is the proof of the existence of long-term and short-term memories, which are formed simultaneously but by different mechanisms.
“We are individuals because we have a memory. We are exactly what we remember. Each of us has a certain set of memories that are our own that we do not share with anyone. All of this seemed interesting enough to me, to devote myself to this topic for the rest of life, “said the scientist in an interview with Revista Pesquisa Fapesp in 2004.
In his 60 years of research and teaching, Izquierdo has published more than 700 scientific articles and received more than 60 national and international awards for his work.
The scientist was also a professor and researcher at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (Ufrgs) before joining PUCRS, a member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences and the US National Academy of Sciences. He was responsible for educating generations of neuroscientists who work today in teaching and research institutions in different parts of the world.
Izquierdo devoted himself to scientific dissemination by publishing books that made concepts he studied in the laboratory accessible to the layperson. An example of this is “The Art of Forgetting”, a book originally published in 2004 that was later translated into English.
“This is an invaluable loss for Brazilian neuroscience. In addition to being a talented researcher, he also trained outstanding scientists. He was an entrepreneur, incentive, and pioneer in neuroscience,” neurologist Jaderson da Costa, director of InsCer, told Folha . worked near Izquierdo for decades.
For Cristiane Furini, a professor at the PUCRS Medical School and researcher at the InsCer Memory Center, Izquierdo’s death is an irreparable loss. Furini, who entered the research center as a student, worked with the scientist for more than a decade.
“Not only was he a great neuroscientist, he was a great person. He was always ready to share his knowledge of science, literature, philosophy, and history,” says Furini.
Izquierdo’s entourage will take place on Wednesday (10) from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Metropolitan Crematorium in Porto Alegre.