Starting this month we will cover interesting new brain fitness products & services on a regular basis, both via this blog and via our monthly newsletter (you can subscribe at the top of the page).

Please note that we do not endorse any products, or make any comment on their validity or supporting research, by covering them in our blog & newsletter.  We will mention whatever we think, from an editorial point of view, is noteworthy from a research, commercial, or innovation perspective, since we have seen that many people rely on SharpBrains to stay abreast of developments in the field.

if you are interested in a deeper exploration on the specific research and business drivers behind different companies and products, we suggest you consider acquiring our Report on the State of the Brain Fitness Software Market 2008.

Note: We will categorize relevant posts as “Brain Fitness Industry”.

Ever wondered what explains the sometimes surreal, often misguided, health policies by our government? Well, it is beyond our humble brains to capture and articulate what may be going on…but we now see that lack of access to quality information is certainly not the main problem. Decision-making processes, and structural incentives, would probably merit more attention….

I mention this because we are really impressed by the just-published 24-page special issue on Preventing Memory Loss by Congressional Quarterly Researcher, one of the main publications in Capitol Hill.

The publication is not free, but worth the price for anyone active professionally in the healthcare sector, or interested in learning about latest research and policy trends, from academics to students. You can buy Buy the Electronic PDF ($4.95) or Buy the Printed Copy ($15 – $5 discount using promotion code “L8BRAIN” = $10).

Description

As the nation’s baby boomers age, they are increasingly worried that their memories will deteriorate — and with good reason. An estimated 10 million boomers will develop Alzheimer’s disease or another memory-destroying neurodegenerative condition in the coming years. Policy makers and health officials worry that the resulting bulge in the number of sufferers will burden the nation’s already strained health-care system. In the wake of these concerns, a vibrant brain-fitness industry is offering a variety of ways to help people keep their brains healthy, including the use of cognition-enhancing drugs and exercise. But many experts say much of what the public is being told is of limited value, at best. Intensified brain research begun years ago at the National Institutes of Health is just now beginning to produce data that scientists hope will advance efforts to prevent memory loss, but they worry that flat federal funding since 2003 may compromise the drive for solutions.

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Hi,

It’s Andreas, the neuroscience intern from Norway.

Lately, you might have noticed the comedian Judson Laipply’s awesome movie clip, the Evolution of Dance on Youtube?

The dance is part of Laipply’s “Inspirational Comedy” and has become a huge success. As a neuroscientist I’m interested in what are the neural substrates of dance? Further, I thought of ways to express this in an easy way so that people can learn more about the dance and the brain in a fun way. The result is my new Youtube video: A neurocomment on Laipply’s movie clip.

[youtube QQNhP2oOexU]
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Hi!

I’m happy to announce that we have just launched the first Brain fitness channel on Youtube. Today, I just found an exciting movie clip which has made a lot of buzz the last couple of days. It’s made by a German research group and shows how apes use water-spitting as a problem solving tool.

Problem solving is considered the most complex of all intellectual functions. According to the study published in Biology Letters this Tuesday, oran-gutans are not just flexible strategists, they’re also speedy learners.
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