Joseph Altman discovered adult neurogenesis, the creation of new neurons in the adult brain, in the 1960s.[1] As an independent investigator at MIT, his results were largely ignored. In the late 1990s, the fact that the brain can create new neurons even into adulthood was rediscovered, leading it to be one of the hottest fields in neuroscience. Altman continued his career at Purdue University, where he wrote several acclaimed articles and books on cerebellar development. He is now retired.
Also see André Gernez, Stem cell, Cerebellum