A collection of recent announcement in the “brain games” or “brain training games” space:

The Wii sets new generational standards for the videogame industry

• “The ageing of the Japanese population compelled gamemaker Nintendo to widen its audience. Now, the Wii is leading the industry standards. But hardcore gamers are still too important to be neglected.”

Strain your brain the smart way

• “George Harrison, Nintendo’s senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications, has said that more than half of the company’s marketing for Wii is aimed at adults. And the system has been presented at conventions for the aging “gray gamer” population.” and talks about sudoku, Brain Age, Big Brain Academy, and more.

SBT Announces the Acquisition of Quixit

• “Scientific Brain Training (”SBT”), based in Lyon, France, today has announced that Read the rest of this entry »

The new edition of Newsweek brings us a great cover story titled Stronger, Faster, Smarter. “Exercise does more than build muscles and help prevent heart disease. New science shows that it also boosts brainpower—and may offer hope in the battle against Alzheimer’s.” Check it out!

We addressed the question Is physical fitness important to your brain fitness? recently:

According to Fred Gage, PhD, of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, “We now know that exercise helps generate new brain cells, even in the aging brain.”

According to the research of Richard Smeyne, PhD at Saint Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, with just two months of exercise there are more brain cells and that higher levels of exercise were significantly more beneficial than lower amounts, although any exercise was better than none. He also found that Read the rest of this entry »

Great March 19th issue of Newsweek Magazine, announcing the hiring of science writer Sharon Begley, who leads the cover story on The Evolution Revolution. You will find:

• The New Science of Human Evolution: “The new science of the brain and DNA is rewriting the history of human origins”.
• Live Talk: Sharon Begley on the new science of evolution
• Think Thin To Get Thin by Judith Beck (daughter of Aaron Beck, the founder of cognitive therapy, applying CT techniques to weight loss).
• Compassion Fatigue Hits Vet Caregivers: ”For thousands who treat veterans suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), ‘compassion fatigue’ is a very real problem” 
• “The literary landscape that shaped the baby boomers”

Talking about DNA, my wife and I just ordered our participation kit from National Geographic: The Genographic Project to learn more about our origins. Looks like a very worthy project. She, from Russian and German recent ancestors; me, born in Spain’s Basque Country. We will see what we find out!