Alvaro: Re: predictions: one more musing carried over from attending the Anti-Aging conference at UCLA this summer — produced by Aubrey de Grey’s Methuselah Foundation: As several herein have noted, public policy and broad public education through marketing may make a huge difference. An entire afternoon of the Anti — Aging conference was spent discussion marketing issues, e.g., how to entrain the political culture to put anti-aging research and education at the top of its agenda!

(P.S. Wish I could join you at the brain and anti aging conference in S.F. tomorrow.… the academic year is just starting!)

Vijay: Great question, as the term fitness presumes the logics of comparison and relativism. As well, it is a word that carries with it the presumptions of 19th century Darwinian evolution. It might be worth situating the question within a systems framework such that the inquiry is made relevant to the context. Fitness in what time and space? For what task? Relative to what neural functions of the brain?

Neuroscientists, what say you?

A prescient list grounded in empirical review. With vanguard research hitting critical mass, I can imagine brain training becoming the next hot trend like “yoga,” kick-boxing, or Kabbalah. Pick the celebrity and get ready to market!

A few other thoughts:

The Knowledge, Health and Corporate Cultures will run with this as brain training is a powerful addition to any skill set for high performance e.g.

1. Doctors and P.A.‘s will take responsibility for brain training only if med schools start introducing Brain 101. I suspect the training will run more easily through team based holistic centers.

2. Schools A-K and post-secondary will incorporate low tech courses for age appropriate populations. The Yoga Alliance has already started to work on the A-K demographic; the Center for Contemplative Studies has started making inroads into the university and college sector.

And uni’s like UCLA are finding ways to include neuro-training in their leadership and management degree and extension programs.

3. With the U.S. government now offering large grants for low tech intervention into the PSTD crisis, I suspect we will see more of this, especially as war seems to be an inevitable condition of creating economic growth (C.F. Gore Vidal).

4. Social Networking Generation: Informed, interactive and engaged, the mindshare/facebook generation is a powerful group for moving brain technologies to the fore. Youth culture is already tapped into low and high tech means of entraining the brain. The neuro-coaches will grow out of this generation and join the ranks who started years ago, sitting and chanting for unity of consciousness!

On that note, the resounding effects of the Jill Bolte Taylor talk at TED this year, leads me to suggest that we should not underestimate the efforts made by spiritual leaders and communities, e.g. Art of Living and the descendents of the T.M., who carry the low tech practices of breathing and mantra meditation across the globe and forward into the 21st c.

I predict The Mind Life Institute will continue to help bridge the science/religion gap.

5. Brain Technology advanced by Indian and Chinese cultures: consider the demographics alone. Then think about the great mind/body philosophies to grow out of each civilization: Pranayana; Tai Chi Ch’uan. The youth of Asia will return to their roots. I’ve lived there and seen the evidence.

6. Finally, Brain Technology as Sustainable Design?
I look forward to the new “green” generation of biofeedback toys to come from the enlightened ranks of bio-engineering.

Wouldn’t it be a blast if everyone’s prediction came through?

thank you!