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!

100 is the New 65
- Why do some people live to 100? Researchers are trying to find out, reports Meera Lee Sethi, and they’re discovering how we might live better lives, not just longer ones.

Will Clark, 105, recently bought a van for a 5,000-mile road trip across the Midwest with his wife, Lois, who is 102.

Elsa Brehm Hoffmann loves bridge and is always ready for a party. Rosa McGee enjoys singing hymns to herself all day long. Will Clark makes a mean spaghetti and meatballs. What connects these three? They belong to the single fastest growing segment of the United States population: people over a hundred years old.

Hoffmann, McGee, Clark, and the nearly 100,000 other centenarians in the U.S. provide inspiration to the rest of us. But they also provide researchers with a tantalizing puzzle: Why do some people live so long? For years, medical researchers have been studying this select group, identifying some key factors to a long life. Now, a growing body of research is suggesting that longevity isn’t just linked to good genes and a healthy lifestyle; it’s also tied to cultivating a positive, resilient attitude toward life. These results validate a simple idea: that centenarians can teach us how to live not just longer lives, but better ones.

At the fore of this research is the New England Centenarian Study (NECS), which has enrolled more than 1,500 centenarians from around the world over the past 15 years. The study’s director, Thomas Perls, says these participants dispel the belief that the older someone gets, the sicker he or she becomes. Instead, he says, “the older you get, the healthier you’ve been.” In other words, people who demonstrate exceptional longevity tend to have had a lifelong history of good health.

Indeed, people who die in their 70s or 80s are plagued by degenerative illnesses in the years before their death; in contrast, Perls has found that nearly two thirds of centenarians either delay the onset of diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes—or escape them altogether. Plus, a substantial proportion of centenarians who survive such age-related illnesses do so without developing physical disabilities, enabling them to remain socially, mentally, and physically active. As a result, in a culture that romanticizes youth, Perls argues that centenarians embody “a thoroughly optimistic view of aging”—one that shows that prolonging life and enjoying it go hand-in-hand.

How do they do it?

To reach 100, research suggests that it definitely helps to have the right genes. Longevity clusters in families; Perls has documented as many as eight siblings in one generation who lived to 100. He’s also found that the children of centenarians have only one-third the risk of dying from cancer as the rest of us, and one-sixth the risk of dying from heart disease. Although specific genetic mechanisms behind long life are notoriously difficult to prove, there is some evidence that centenarians may be less likely to possess specific genetic variations that predispose people to problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and high cholesterol. Perls is currently studying the entire human genome, searching for genetic variations associated with other diseases that centenarians lack, as well as variations that may actively promote longevity.

But long life isn’t just a lucky break. Scientists’ best estimate, largely based on a landmark Swedish study of identical and fraternal twins, is that genetic factors account for only 20 to 30 percent of a person’s lifespan. Environmental and behavioral factors dictate the other 70 to 80 percent.

Much of what researchers know about how to reach extreme old age sounds like basic public health advocacy: Don’t smoke. Drink in moderation. Eat healthy. Exercise regularly. “What we can do to live longer is no secret,” says Peter Martin, who directs the Gerontology Program at Iowa State University and was a key contributor to a study of centenarians in Georgia, the Georgia Centenarian Study, which ran from 1988 to 2006.

But what is new is the growing evidence that our personalities affect our longevity. It’s easy to know what it takes to stay healthy. More difficult is believing we have the power to control our lifespans, mustering the will to make good choices, and simply loving life enough to make long-term investments in our health. “It’s personality,” says Martin, “that turns these things on.”

Though every centenarian is unique—they vary widely in terms of education, socioeconomic status, religion, and ethnicity—Martin reports that, as a group, they exhibit a distinct constellation of personality traits. For instance, they tend to display relatively high levels of what psychologists label “competence”—the ability to achieve goals—and “conscientiousness,” or self-discipline. These qualities may make it easier to follow through on the healthy habits the rest of us resolve to keep each New Year’s Eve but abandon by the end of January.

“It’s amazing how cognizant they are of the need to exercise and not just leave it to chance or nature,” says Lynn Peters Adler, who runs the National Centenarian Awareness Project, an advocacy group that celebrates the pleasures and accomplishments of aging. “One woman I know walks a mile every morning, no matter the temperature.” This may sound like a strict and dreary regimen, but Adler notes that there’s an exciting reason for it: This woman loves hiking the Grand Canyon, which she has done nearly a dozen times since her 75th birthday.

Martin’s research suggests that centenarians also seem to be more inclined to embrace new skills and experiences, defying the stereotype of the elderly as stuck in their ways. Will Clark is living proof. Now 105, he just acquired his first computer, which he uses to email friends and to research authors and golfers in which he’s interested. He’s even taken to Googling family members. “I can’t believe the things you can call up on this gadget,” chuckles the former dentist and military man.

Elsa Hoffmann, 102, with her great granddaughters.

Elsa Hoffmann, 102, epitomizes two other traits centenarians display at relatively high levels: extraversion and trust. “I love people and I like to find out their interests in life,” she says. “We get to be intimate almost when we meet.” Hoffmann’s schedule includes lunch dates, theater outings, fundraisers, shopping excursions, bridge and gin tournaments, and—every year for the past few years—a cruise with fellow country club members.

Though she derives boundless joy from all this social activity, it also happens to be good for her: A considerable body of epidemiological research has linked low levels of social connection with higher risks for mortality. (See Jill Suttie’s Greater Good article this month for more on the cognitive benefits of social connection.)

But even when life isn’t all about world travel and intellectual discovery, centenarians still seem to have a leg up on the rest of us: Their results on personality tests show that they may be better equipped to handle difficult situations without literally worrying themselves to death. Rosa McGee, for instance, has lived through cancer, the death of her husband of 25 years, and a foot condition that renders her essentially homebound. Yet her daughter Clara Jean describes her personality simply as “sweetness. She never fusses, never argues, never complains. It’s a contentment that is beautiful.”

Indeed, research also shows that centenarians are more likely than younger adults to engage in “cognitive coping,” using mental strategies to tackle difficult situations. Martin says he has seen centenarians take a variety of approaches to combating stress and negative emotions. Some write poetry about the loneliness of old age or the misery of illness; others replace lost physical pursuits with mental ones, like reading, or take comfort in deep religious beliefs.

None of these coping strategies are particularly innovative. But Perls, Martin, and their colleagues argue that they can add up to a lifetime’s worth of healthy stress-management. Centenarian research shows that avoiding anxious or neurotic behavior may not only help us increase our lifespans but better enjoy those extra years.

A higher bar for aging

Given how “fantastically well” he has seen his study participants doing in the later stages of their lives, Perls is frustrated by what he sees as our culture’s obsession with youth. He laments the fact that “we have an entire industry that tries to stop aging—it’s all nonsense.”

Leonard Poon, who heads the Georgia Centenarian Study and is a professor of public health and psychology at the University of Georgia, says it’s not just popular culture but politicians who are short-sighted in this regard. Poon bemoans the lack of congressional support for the fields of gerontology and geriatrics. “The White House Conference on Aging is held every 10 years to get grassroots recommendations,” explains Poon. “In the last one, President Bush did not show up.”

Their lack of political clout is ironic; in his interviews with centenarians, Martin has found that many are acutely interested in politics, and love discussing issues like the national debt. He says this vigorous involvement in community life is a joy that old age shares with youth.

But there are also new joys that take shape as one gets older. There is, for instance, the pleasure of what Martin calls “weaving your own life story and making sense of why we’re here.” It’s a pleasure that McGee clearly enjoys when she talks about her role orchestrating a year’s supply of food for a church in Mexico, and that Hoffmann feels when she fixes broken toys for her great-grandchildren and speaks to elementary schoolchildren about her life’s experiences. And there is, still, the pleasure of exploration. Clark reveled in it recently, when he bought a van and went on a 5,000-mile road trip across the Midwest with his wife, herself 102.

Rising life expectancy rates mean that most of us will live longer than previous generations. What remains in question is the quality of life we’ll have at 80, 90, or 100. Martin contends that the answer lies in the attitude we cultivate in our younger years. “Imagine that you’re 95,” he says. “You can’t see, you can’t hear, you’re lonely and dependent on other people—and it’s because of the anxious, disagreeable attitude you had all your life.”

On the other hand, he says, developing a positive attitude towards life while we’re young, though challenging at times, can set us up to be happy, healthy, and independent in old age.

In other words, aging well isn’t just a project for the elderly. It’s something we can work toward our entire lives.

“For our parents, the standard was aging gracefully,” says Adler. “The bar has been raised. Let’s aspire instead to age excellently.”

– Meera Lee Sethi is a Chicago-based freelance writer who reports on current issues in biomedicine, public health, social psychology, and neuroscience. She is a contributing editor for Utata.org. Copyright Greater Good. Greater Good Magazine, based at UC-Berkeley, is a quarterly magazine that highlights ground breaking scientific research into the roots of compassion and altruism.

Related articles by Greater Good Magazine:

• Arts and Smarts: Test Scores and Cognitive Development
• Cognitive and Emotional Development Through Play
• Mindfulness and Meditation in Schools for Stress Management

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.

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.

The School Issue: Preschool: Can the Right Kinds of Play Teach Self-Control? (New York Times)

- “Over the last few years, a new buzz phrase has emerged among scholars and scientists who study early-childhood development, a phrase that sounds more as if it belongs in the boardroom than the classroom: executive function. Originally a neuroscience term, it refers to the ability to think straight: to order your thoughts, to process information in a coherent way, to hold relevant details in your short-term memory, to avoid distractions and mental traps and focus on the task in front of you. And recently, cognitive psychologists have come to believe that executive function, and specifically the skill of self-regulation, might hold the answers to some of the most vexing questions in education today.”

- “The ability of young children to control their emotional and cognitive impulses, it turns out, is a remarkably strong indicator of both short-term and long-term success, academic and otherwise.”

A truly excellent article, highly recommended reading. The only aspect lacking is the absence of coverage/ analysis of training-based alternatives to developing self-regulation, such as meditation and computerized cognitive training, which can help address some of the issues raised in the article (limited scalability, difficulty in isolating influential variables). We covered this in-depth in our book interview with Michael Posner.

- Two community-based book talks hosted by New York Public Library and supported by the Einstein Aging Study at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Description: A fit brain? Can you exercise your brain and become mentally fit? Can you continue to learn and increase your brain’s capacity at any age? Alvaro Fernandez, CEO and Co-Founder of SharpBrains, says Yes!, and in this program he will show you how. Based on research compiled from leading scientists in fields of Neuroscience, Gerontology, and Cognitive Science, and presented in his book “The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness”, Alvaro Fernandez will provide ways to maintain and improve your cognitive health.

He will:
- Debunk 10 Myths of Brain Fitness
- Examine the 4 Pillars of Brain Maintenance
- Discuss the difference between Mental Exercise and Mental Activity
- Evaluate Brain Training Software
- Explore emerging trends

Book and Bio: Alvaro Fernandez, CEO and Co-Founder of SharpBrains, teaches “Science of Brain Health and Brain Fitness” at UC-Berkeley and San Francisco State University. He is the co-author of The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness.

When and where:
> September 23rd, 10am, New York Public Library, Bronx Library Center. 310 East Kingsbridge Road. (718) 579-4244. More information here.

> September 25rd, 1pm, New York Public Library, Stephen Schwarzman Building Auditorium. Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street. 917-ASK-NYPL (917-275-6975). More information here.

In the current edition of The Journal on Active Aging, I discuss why we need to Retool “Use it or lose it”, and why routine, doing things inside our comfort zones, is the most common enemy of the novelty, variety and challenge our brains need. You can read the full article for free Here.

Book Tour

We are glad to report that The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness continues to obtain excellent endorsements:

“This is the only book that I know of that seamlessly integrates latest information about cognitive health across the lifespan. Very useful to anyone interested in brain care.”

–Arthur Kramer, Ph. D., Professor of Psychology at University of Illinois

“…we now have a rock solid primer on brain health that we can recommend with confidence…I found it particularly effective to start the book with a list of ten brain myths that need debunking.”
–Michael C. Patterson, former Manager NRTA/ Staying Sharp at AARP

The official book tour starts this week, and includes New York Public Library!
09/08: Club One Fitness Center, Petaluma, CA
09/09: San Francisco State University OLLI
09/11: ASA Brain Health Day, Oakland, CA
09/23: New York Public Library, Bronx Library Center
09/25: New York Public Library, Stephen Schwarzman Building
10/06, SmartSilvers MIT Northern California, Palo Alto, CA
10/14: UC-Berkeley OLLI, CA

You can find all the details here. If you haven’t read the book yet, you can order it via Amazon Here (print book) or Here (Kindle edition). Or ask your local bookstore or library.

Brain Reserve

Let’s see…

1. Pick the only part of your body that does not contain fat:

a. Arm
b. Thigh
c. Brain
d. None

Answer: d) Fats are also present in the brain: in neurons’ membranes to keep them flexible. These fats are the omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids molecules. (Page 32 of the book)

2. Pick the only food product that doesn’t contain Omega-3 fatty acids

a. Tuna
b. Walnut
c. Kiwi
d. Jelly Beans

Answer: d) Fatty acids can be found in cold-water fish (such as mackerel, herring, salmon, and tuna), kiwi, and walnuts. (Page 33)

3. Pick the only food product that doesn’t contain antioxidants

a. Olive oil
b. Milk
c. Nuts
d. Berries

Answer: b) Antioxidants can be found in vegetable oils, nuts, green leafy vegetables (e.g., spinach), citrus fruit, and berries. (Page 33)

4. Chronic Stress cannot:

a. Prevent you from being creative
b. Kill brain cells
c. Prevent you from sleeping
d. Kill liver cells

Answer: d) Prolonged exposure to adrenal steroid hormones like cortisol, which is released into the blood stream when we are stressed, can lead to cell death and block the formation of new neurons. (Page 35)

5. What type of physical exercise is the best for your brain health?

a. Weight lifting
b. Aerobic exercises
c. Flexibility exercises

Answer: b) Aerobic exercise because it is the type of exercise that increases blood flow to the brain the most. (Page 38)

6. Pick the ability, if any, that cannot be improved as we age:

a. Concentration
b. Memory
c. Language
d. None

Answer: d) the brain can learn and change even as we get older. Studies have shown that middle age as well as older individuals can maintain and improve a variety of cognitive functions. (Page 39)

7. Which of these does NOT affect your risks of developing Alzheimer’s?

a. Your family history
b. Your education
c. Your head size

Answer: c) High levels of education are associated with lower risks levels for Alzheimer’s disease. It is possible that the effect of education is related to the effects of intellectual stimulation. Well-educated people are more likely to have cognitively stimulating jobs and stimulation helps protect the brain. If one of your relatives had late onset Alzheimer’s, your risks are increased by 2-3%. (Page 41)

8. Which statement should you NOT tell yourself when considering buying a brain training program?

a. I would like the exercises to vary and teach me something new
b. I hope the training will not be too stressful
c. I will use the program with my grandma as well
d. I would like it to have an independent assessment to measure my progress

Answer: c) The choice of a brain training products depends on one’s goals and needs. If one products fit your goals, it will not necessarily fit the goals of somebody else (here your grandma) and may therefore, not work for this other person. (Page 98)

9. What type of brain training has been shown to help people who are afraid of spiders?

a. NovaVision
b. Cognitive Therapy
c. EmWave Stress Relief

Answer: b) Cognitive therapy can help patients with phobia to develop cognitive and behavioral skills to modify dysfunctional thinking and actions, even influencing patterns of amygdala activation. (Page 78)

10. What brain training approach has been subject to multiple serious scientific studies?

a. Cogmed working memory training
b. Posit Science Classic
c. Nintendo Brain Age
d. RESPeRATE

Answer: a), b), and d). Those three products have been analyzed in multiple well-designed clinical studies, while those by Nintendo haven’t. (Pages 103-105)

How well have you done?

For much more information on the brain, brain health and cognitive fitness, check out The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness.

– Pascale Michelon, Ph. D., is SharpBrains’ Research Manager for Educational Projects. Dr. Michelon has a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology and has worked as a Research Scientist at Washington University in Saint Louis, in the Psychology Department. She conducted several research projects to understand how the brain makes use of visual information and memorizes facts. She is now an Adjunct Faculty at Washington University.