Last year I wrote about this remarkable new initiative by the World Economic Forum here (proposal) and here (reflections, emerging discussion). This year’s update:

• Overview: Network of Global Agenda Councils
• List of Councils: Here
• List of Members: Here
• Members of Ageing Society Council: Here
• Info on 2009 Summit: Here
• Report from 2008 Summit: Here (opens PDF in new window)

Twitter: #WEFDubai. Will tweet during the event, and blog about it next week.

What are some of the fascinating topics you can explore and discuss with this group of bloggers?

Science & Us

The Evolving Mind: What’s the point of daydreaming?

Credit: Johan Stigwall, via Flickr

Generally Thinking: What is the brain impact of different types of meditation (focused, open monitoring, compassion)?

The Emotion Machine: Can blogging help you control your environment and manage stress?

Greater Good Magazine: Want to live longer and bettter?

Collective Imagination: Can you share a powerful uncanny experience?

Science & Friends

via LiveScience

Lab Rat: Pros and Cons of having amphibian skin?

Science in Paradise: Do sharks get cancer?

Mauka to Makai: Can bunnies offer new light on what comes after Viagra, how to deal with nuclear feces, and new sources of electricity?

Kind of Curious: Did dinousaurs migrate? dead or alive?

Migrations: Do beliefs on evolution affect one’s ability to appreciate birding?

Science & Society

Science & Soul: Can we reverse corn monoculture trends?

Genomics Law Report: If a Direct-To-Consumer genomics company goes bankrupt, what happens to your data? does HIPAA cover it?

And this concludes today’s edition.  Kelsey will host next edition (December 7th) at Mauka to Makai;  you can submit posts using this handy form. And if you’re interested in hosting Scientia at your blog, contact Grrlscientist!

Register Today

Learn more and register Here today, at discounted early-bird rates, to receive these benefits:

• Learn: Full access to all Conference live sessions, and Downloadable Recordings and Handouts
• See: latest technologies and products during Expo Day
• Connect and Discuss: become a member of the SharpBrains Network for Brain Fitness Innovation (members-only LinkedIn Group) through the end of 2010, access online chats during the summit, meet other registrants in your city
• Understand the Big Picture: access 10 Research Executive Briefs prepared by leading scientists

On top of those early-bird discounts, we offer an additional 15% discount for SharpBrains readers who want Regular Admission. Discount code: sharp2010. You can register Here.

Agenda/ Speakers

Monday, January 18th, 2010:

(Preliminary schedule, US Pacific Time)

8-9.15am. Cognition & Neuroplasticity: The New Healthcare Frontier

• Alvaro Fernandez, SharpBrains
• David Whitehouse, OptumHealth Behavioral Solutions
• William Reichman, Baycrest
• P Murali Doraiswamy, Duke University

9.30-11am. Tools for Safer Driving: The Opportunity with Teenagers and Adults

• Steven Aldrich, Posit Science
• Shlomo Breznitz, CogniFit
• Jerri Edwards, University of South Florida
• Peter Christianson, Young Drivers of Canada

Noon-1.30pm. Baby Boomers and Beyond: Maintaining Cognitive Vitality

• Kunal Sarkar, Lumos Labs
• Elizabeth Zelinski, USC Davis School of Gerontology
• Dan Michel, Dakim
• Elkhonon Goldberg, SharpBrains

2-3.30pm. Next Generation Cognitive & Emotional Health Assessments

• Evian Gordon, Brain Resource
• Misha Pavel, OHSU
• Albert “Skip” Rizzo, USC

Tuesday January 19th, 2010:

8-9.15am. Neurocognition & Medicine: Implications for Research, Diagnosis, and Treatment

• Keith Wesnes, United BioSource Corporation
• Jonas Jendi, Cogmed
• Adam Gazzaley, UCSF
• Michel Noir, SBT / HappyNeuron

9.30-11am. How Can Neuroscience Inform and Refine Mental Health Care

• Michael Merzenich, UCSF
• Torkel Klingberg, Karolinska Institute
• Joshua Steinerman, Albert Einstein – Montefiore Medical Center
• Yaakov Stern, Columbia University

Noon-1.30pm. Integrating Cognition with Home Health and Medical Home Models

• Kenneth Kosik, UC Santa Barbara
• Holly Jimison, Oregon Health & Science University
• Jesse Wright, University of Louisville

2-3.30pm. What’s Next: Entrepreneurial And Funding Perpectives

• Tim Chang, Norwest Venture Partners
• Richard Levinson, Attention Control Systems
• Lisa Schoonerman, VibrantBrains
• Veronika Litinski, MaRS Venture Group

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010:

Expo Day

• 8am. Baycrest
• 8.30am. EDGE Innovation Network
• 9am. CogniFit
• 9.30am. Posit Science
• 10am. SBT/ HappyNeuron
• Note: more Sponsors to come soon

You can see full Agenda and Speaker Bios Here.

Sponsors

Baycrest, located in Toronto, is one of the world’s premier academic health sciences centers focused on aging. Through its strengths in research and education, Baycrest is using the power of inquiry and discovery to improve the health of tomorrow’s elderly while at the same time care for and enhance the quality of life of the elderly today. Baycrest runs a Geriatric Health Care System, a Research Centre for Aging and the Brain, and a Centre for Education on Aging. Fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, Baycrest is playing a unique and important role in training and enlightening future professionals who will have the responsibility of caring for our aging population. We also have linkages, partnerships and appointments at other academic centres across the country, continent and beyond.

The EDGE Innovation Network was formed in December 2006 as a collaborative, open-environment initiative enabling members and supporters to work together to enhance the delivery cycle of technology and innovation to the warfighter. Over the past 18 months, EDGE membership has grown from 15 to 58 members representing U.S. and international military and government agencies, high-tech industries and five U.S.-based universities. Sponsored by General Dynamics C4 Systems, the EDGE provides subject matter expertise, advanced product portfolios and equipment, facilities and laboratories for developing and testing technologies, products and systems at faster cycle times than are currently possible on funded programs while enhancing the effectiveness, agility and survivability of users worldwide.
 

CogniFit’s brain fitness programs provide an initial baseline assessment of the cognitive abilities that are most affected by aging, before creating personalized training programs. No two training programs are the same. Based on more than 30 years of neuro-scientific research, CogniFit’s scientifically validated, patented brain fitness programs are personalized to each user’s skills and needs to help enhance their cognitive performance and health.
 

Posit Science is the leader in delivering clinically proven brain fitness software that brings brain science from the lab to the people, improving everyday lives. The company combines breakthrough research and a focus on great customer experiences to create products that are engaging and help users think faster, focus better and remember more. Staff neuroscientists collaborate with more than 50 scientists from leading research institutions such as Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins as well as engineers and product marketers to design, build and test our computer-based programs. Posit Science products are available online and through health, long-term care and auto insurers. Posit Science is also featured in the PBS documentary “The Brain Fitness Program.”

HAPPYNeuron’s mission is to apply knowledge and research from the field of Cognitive Neuroscience to the stimulation and enhancement of the brain’s natural ability to adapt, learn and regenerate. Our goal is to provide scientifically rigorous and validated cognitive stimulation programs to consumers, clinician and researchers to address healthy brain aging and the treatment of a variety of cognitive impairment conditions. In doing so, we hope to realize the vision of an improvement of brain function, health and vitality, and make a positive impact in the lives of the individuals who participate in the programs. HAPPYneuron Inc. is a majority owned subsidiary of Scientific Brain Training (NYSE Euronext: MLSBT).

 
Learn how to become a sponsor Here.

Partners

Stanford MediaX s a collaboration of Stanford and industry that brings together Stanford’s leading interactive technology research with companies committed to technical advancement and innovation. Media X is affiliated with the H-STAR Institute (Human-Sciences and Technologies Advanced Research Institute).

 
The Neurotechnology Industry Organization (NIO)  is a non-profit trade association that represents companies involved in neuroscience, academic neuroscience research centers, and brain-illness advocacy groups across the United States and throughout the world.
 

MaRS Discovery District is a large scale, mission driven innovation centre located in Toronto and networked across Ontario, focused on building Canada’s next generation of technology companies. MaRS works closely with entrepreneurs to grow and scale their ventures into global market leaders in life sciences and health care, information, communications and digital media technologies, cleantech and advanced materials, as well as innovative social purpose business.

 
Games for Health by the Serious Games Initiative develops a community and best practices platform for the numerous games being built for health care applications.
 

The Center for Technology and Aging is a non-profit organization with a purpose to advance the diffusion of technologies that help older adults lead healthier lives and maintain independence. It was founded in 2009 with a grant from The SCAN Foundation and is affiliated with the Public Health Institute.

 
Learn how to become a Partner Here.

 
You can learn more about the SharpBrains Summit Here. Looking forward to a very stimulating event!

The press release: Nine Leading Research Teams Selected to Study How Digital Games Improve Players’ Health

• “Digital games are interactive and experiential, and so they can engage people in powerful ways to enhance learning and health behavior change, especially when they are designed on the basis of well-researched strategies,” said (UC Santa Barbara’s Dr. Debra) Lieberman.
• “The pace of growth and innovation in digital games is incredible, and we see tremendous potential to design them to help people stay healthy or manage chronic conditions like diabetes or Parkinson’s disease. However, we need to know more about what works and what does not — and why,” said Paul Tarini, team director for RWJF’s Pioneer Portfolio. “Health Games Research is a major investment to build a research base for this dynamic young field. Further, the insights and ideas that flow from this work will help us continue to expand our imagination of what is possible in this arena.”

All 9 studies sound interesting, 3 of them are closer to what we track:

1. University of California, San Francisco (San Francisco, CA) A Video Game to Enhance Cognitive Health in Older Adults. As people age, they lose some of their ability to sustain their attention and to focus their attention on their main task while ignoring distractions. This study aims to improve these and other related cognitive skills by using a driving game in which players practice paying attention to relevant information, such as traffic signs, and ignoring irrelevant information, such as billboards. The study monitors brain activity with electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings and observes eye position and game performance in younger adults (ages 18 to 30) and older adults (ages 60 to 80) before and after six weeks of game play. The study assesses changes in cognitive ability, brain activity and transfer of game-related skills to similar cognitive operations and activities that take place in daily life.
2. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA) Reward Circuitry, Autism and Games that Teach Social Perceptual Skills – tests effects of facial perception games on the brain activity and facial perception skills of 8- to 12-year-old children who have been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Children with ASD tend to have difficulty perceiving and interpreting facial expressions and recognizing a person’s identity by observing their face. The games used in the study challenge them to notice subtle differences in faces and expressions and give them opportunities to rehearse these skills and receive feedback on their performance. Behavioral testing and use of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) of players’ brains before and after playing the games for 50 hours over the course of eight weeks will help the researchers determine how the games influence facial perception skills and how the brain changes in response to these game experiences.
3. Long Island University (Brooklyn, NY) Dance Video Game Training and Falling in Parkinson’s Disease — compares the use of a commercially available dance pad video game, Dance Dance Revolution, to two traditional treatment options that help people with Parkinson’s Disease reduce their risk of falling by increasing their balance, strength, endurance, motor coordination and visual-motor integration. The two traditional treatments are rhythmic stepping and treadmill training with music. The researchers assess balance, motor function, reaction time and self-confidence to evaluate the game in comparison to the two traditional treatments. They also use functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to observe participants’ brain activity.

The press release: Here.

More information: Health Games Research.

Related articles:

• Are Videogames Good for YOU?
• Playing the Blame Game: Videogames Pros and Cons
• 10-Question Checklist to Evaluate Brain Games

“The Lumosity.com version of Dual N-Back replicates the training previously used in the lab while making it available online. The program will be used to facilitate further research in memory and intelligence training, with the Lumosity Research Platform supporting data collection and study administration.”

“The online availability of the dual n-back task is a great step forward for our ongoing research and we are happy having found Lumos Labs as a competent partner,” says Dr. Buschkuehl.

Also note that the researchers are now recruiting healthy 18-35 year-old volunteers to participate in an ongoing study. (Participants must be able to travel to Ann Arbor, Michigan for testing). Learn more Here.

You may also enjoy this interview with Dr. Buschkuehl on their working memory training work.

Description: While most of us have heard the phrase “use it or lose it,” very few understand what “it” means, or how to properly “use it” in order to improve brain function and fitness. This talk will provide an overview of the most recent research, guidelines and resources to “Use It and Improve It”, summarizing the main findings and topics from the new book The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness. We will debunk 10 common brain fitness myths; discuss how the brain works and the 4 pillars of brain maintenance; explain the difference between mental exercise and mental activity and identify practical ways to integrate this research into our work and lives for maximum brain health and performance.

To order book: Here. (has been among Amazon.com’s Top 10 Preventive Medicine books basically since publication!)

Over the last few weeks I have given a couple of AARP-sponsored talks, both in English and in Spanish (this was my first Spanish presentation on a topic I mostly discuss in English, so I did get some extra brain points by trying to translate “neuroplasticity” and “hippocampus” on the fly), and had a great couple of meetings with AARP staff to explore collaborations. AARP can obviously play a major role in how rationally this whole category of “brain fitness” evolves.

Here you have a couple of my favorite recent media interviews:

4-minute Video interview on the Gilbert Guide:
Book Reveals Secrets Once Only Known to Scientists

30-minute radio interview on WMBR (MIT campus radio station):
Paradigm Shifts: Brain Fitness (mine is the second interview, starts around the middle)

Finally, a growing number of bloggers are reviewing the book. This is what they say:

• Is Your Brain a Couch Potato (Doc Gurley at SF Gate)
• Essential reference for brain fitness, cognitive health, neuroplasticity (Highlight Health)
• Fitbrains learn how to learn (Dr. Larry McCleary)
• Learn about cognitive functioning (Teen Health 411)
• A great dedication: to your Unique Brain, and Unique Mind (Play with your mind)
• Very valuable interviews (Nucleus Learning)
• Authoritative research and perspective (Greenstein Institute)

You can order The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness here.

“On November 11-12, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), working with the Monitor Institute, will welcome a small group of researchers, academics, physicians and industry leaders in the fields of neurotechnology, neurodevelopment and behavior change for a “Forum on the Future Impact of Neuroscience and Behavior Change.”

The question: what could neuroscience innovation mean for the future of health and health care?

This blog post contains the list of  participants (honored to be one) and an excellent contextual overview. 

Foundation staff will blog and tweet the event (haven’t seen the hashtag yet); I will link to good materials and offer my own perspective focused on that “neurodevelopment” aspect and, overall, where/ how research and the real-world can “dance” with each other.

What a nice surprise. Hello. Nice to meet you!

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Note: Chronic Babe wins a complimentary copy of The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness for basically inventing cognitive sleep therapy. Congrats!

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Life and Death

MindHacks discusses an unexpected surge in brain activity when blood pressure drops to zero.

In Sickness & In Health suffers a death in the family. Adam shem tov. A man of good name.

BrainBlogger wonders, is religion a “natural” phenomenon?

Mind and Empathy

Behaviorism & Mental Health finds that everyone can have a mental illness – take a look at “Adjustment Disorder“.

ACP Internist reinforces the importance of empathy. Novel Patient encourages patients to dream big, Florecendotcom highlights how patients themselves contribute to patient safety. The Hippocratic Oaf discusses the feelings of a medical student. Clinical Cases wonders what doctors  in training carry in their white coats.

Advances in the History of Psychology examines an important early step in the journey to conceptualize cognition and emotion from a neural point of view.

The Fitness Fixer empathizes with her feet.

Brain

How to Cope With Pain discusses a controversial treatment for severe pain.

Neurophilosopher shows how vision (viewing one’s body) can modulate the senses of touch and pain. Fun experiments  included. Neurocritic takes things one step further, and takes us to the potential future of tattoo removal.

Providentia announces a new NFL Concussion Committee. 300,000 sports-related traumatic brain injuries occur in the United States alone each year.

SharpBrains answers 15 common questions related to neuroplasticity.

Medical Smartphones suggests smartphones can act as peripheral brains.

Cognitive Daily introduces us to the combination of fMRI research and genetic analysis to identify a genetic basis for anger.

Technology

Health Business Blog issues a warning to teleradiologists and other tele-providers.

Anticlue explains how to sell the concept of Electronic Health Records.

Shrink Rap offers the provider’s guide to Facebook. ACP Hospitalist covers Twitter obsession.

Diabetes Mine wonders about the safety of inhalable insulin.

Big, broad questions

Neuroanthropology, a neuroanthropology group blog, avoid the kind of cognitive bias that we at SharpBrains suffer all too often,  and asks, Why Neuroanthropology?

Teen Health 411 kindly reviews our recent SharpBrains book, and enjoys reading how humans developed cultural systems to help young people master the knowledge and skills they need to survive. Highlight Health likes the book too, placing it in the right lifelong context.

The Cockroach Catcher suggests a solution for ADHD in China: playing the piano.

Specific answers

Allergy Notes discusses a treatment for pregnant women with allergic rhinitis.

Medicine for the Outdoors introduces us to a useful device to manage bone fractures.

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Next edition of Grand Rounds: October 27th, CodeBlog.

Next edition of Encephalon: November 2nd, Providentia.

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Good night! good morning!

We are now finalizing agenda and contacting sponsors and partners. Details will be ready, and registration open, by the end of October. In the meantime, please Save the Date if you are interested in participating: January 18-20th 2010 (Pacific Time).

• Conference: January 18-19th. A series of 30-minute sessions (20-minute presentation, 10-minute Q&A), to discuss Market and Research Insights,  together with online discussions and, in some cities, social gatherings of participants.
• Expo Day: January 20th. Product demos by Sponsors.

Confirmed speakers and themes:

Monday, January 18th, 2010:

Cognition and Neuroplasticity: The New Healthcare Frontier

• Alvaro Fernandez, CEO, SharpBrains
• David Whitehouse, Chief Medical Officer, OptumHealth Behavioral Solutions
• William Reichman, President, Baycrest
• P Murali Doraiswamy, Biological Psychiatry Division Head, Duke University

Tools for Safer Driving: Teenagers and Older Adults

• Steven Aldrich, CEO, Posit Science
• Peter Christianson, President of Young Drivers of Canada
• Jerri Edwards, Assoc. Professor University of South Florida

Clinical Applications: Researching, Identifying, Treating Cognitive Deficits

• Keith Wesnes, Practice Leader, United BioSource Corporation
• Jonas Jendi, CEO, Cogmed
• Michel Noir, President, Scientific Brain Training
• Elkhonon Goldberg, Chief Scientific Advisor, SharpBrains

Preventive Applications: Maintaining Cognitive Functions for Independent Living

• Kunal Sarkar, CEO, Lumos Labs
• Elizabeth Zelinski, Professor at USD Davis School of Gerontology
• Dan Michel, CEO, Dakim

Tuesday January 19th, 2010:

New Cognitive/ Emotional Health Assessments

• Evian Gordon, CEO, Brain Resource
• Misha Pavel, Biomedical Engineering Division Head, OHSU
• Albert “Skip” Rizzo, Co-Director VR Psych Lab at USC

Integrating Cognition with Home Health and Medical Home Models

• Kenneth Kosik, Co-Director, UC Santa Barbara Neuroscience Research Institute
• Holly Jimison, Assoc. Professor, Oregon Health & Science University
• Jesse Wright, Director Depression Center, University of Louisville

Moving From Mental Health Disorders to Brain Functionality

• Torkel Klingberg, Professor Cognitive Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute
• Joshua Steinerman, Assoc. Professor, Albert Einstein – Montefiore Medical Center
• Yaakov Stern, Cognitive Neuroscience Division Leader, Columbia University

Entrepreneurial And Funding Perpectives

• Tim Chang, Partner, Norwest Venture Partners
• Richard Levinson, President, Attention Control Systems
• Veronika Litinski, Director, MaRS Venture Group

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For Whom: healthcare, high-tech, insurance, research, policy, decision-makers and practitioners, worldwide.

How: we’ll use online tools for webinars, discussions, networking, and have social gatherings in cities with enough critical mass. We want to replicate the “conference experience” as much as possible without having people travel from all over the place to one city and hotel.

We recently run an online survey among subscribers of our monthly eNewsletter, and over 500 people said we have helped them make better personal or professional decisions on how to maintain and improve brain fitness. Most gave very illuminating examples, which we are reading and enjoying as we speak.

Respondents also had many good questions to ask, so I have selected 15 common ones, paraphrased/ synthesized them below, and answered them by linking to our most relevant posts and resources. I hope you enjoy the FAQ session.

Q: I teach a brain fitness class at my library/ senior center/ school, using much of your info. Can you share some of your presentations?
A: Yes, we have just decided to share, using a Creative Commons Attribution No Derivatives License, the full presentation of my recent book talk at New York Public Library. As long as you give credit to SharpBrains and don’t modify it, you are free to use the presentation you can see and download HERE. The talk was videotaped, and will be available online soon, so please keep tuned.

Q: What exactly does neuroplasticity mean, and why is it so important for education and health?
A: Start by reading how learning changes your brain.

Q. Is this only relevant for older adults? Can I also apply it in the workplace (I am 47)
A. I strongly suspect you do have a human brain, so you may benefit from these Ten Habits of Highly Effective Brains. Further, HR departments would do well to start paying more attention to Cognitive Fitness and the Mature Workforce trends.

Q. I read so many conflicting things I don’t know where to start.
A. You are not alone. We should all be aware that It is Not Only Cars That Deserve Good Maintenance: Brain Care 101.

Q. How can my organization deliver brain fitness activities as a community service?
A. These articles will provide good guidelines and ideas: Retooling Use It or Lose It , and Public Libraries: Community-Based Health Clubs for the Brain.

Q. Everyone seems obsessed with brain games. What about meditation?
A. Check out Yes, You Can Build Willpower, and Mindfulness Meditation in Schools.

Q. Are software-based cognitive interventions effective?
A. As a category, it certainly seems so, as long as we ask the right questions, For Whom, For What?. For example, did you see this Science paper on how Cognitive Training Can Influence Dopamine System?.

Q. What about the trade-off between time invested vs benefits realized.
A. Efficiency and replicability of cognitive and brain-based outcomes seem to be, in fact, the strongest points of structured cognitive interventions. They seem to maximize the Cognitive Value of your Mental Workout.

Q. It sometimes looks like the whole field came out of nowhere, due to Nintendo Brain Age’s success, so we can’t be talking about something serious.
A: Nintendo did indeed create consumer awareness (for a product with little evidence) but “brain training” has solid roots in neuropsychology and cognitive neuroscience, as you can read in our interview with Elkhonon Goldberg.

Q. What about neurofeedback?
A. After years of much clinical use and little solid evidence, several important trials have been published in 2009, showing how neurofeedback can help diagnose and treat ADHD patients.

Q. How can one improve memory?
A. Well, the answer deserves a whole book, but we can offer some Tips to Improve Memory including Sleep, Practice and Testing.

Q. How can I choose one among the number of products making memory and brain claims?
A. We suggest you use this Evaluation checklist, and consider reading our consumer guide/ book.

Q. Any general tips for educators and lifelong learners?
A. Indeed, here you have these 10 Brain Tips to Teach and Learn.

Q. How can I keep track of all the new trends, companies and products? Our health system/ insurer/ senior community/ venture firm/ company needs to make good decisions.
A. Well, that’s why we publish market research, such as the one summarized in this Infographic: State of the Market 2009 and also recently launched a professional Network for Brain Fitness Innovation. You can also Save the Date for the upcoming SharpBrains Summit.

Q: Thank you for all the information you provide…but what I want more of is… brain teasers!
A. Understood. We will make sure to offer more, but you can try, right now, these Top 50 Brain Teasers and continue with more recent puzzles and brain games.