My apologies for not writing in a few days…the Global Agenda Summit in Dubai has required all my attention – I will summarize the great experience when I land back in San Francisco tomorrow night.

The concepts of night and day do become challenging when working for a few days in a place with a 12-hour time difference with one’s home base. Sleep is indeed very important to maintain top cognitive shape…which leads me to a fascinating news announcement:

Health insurance firms offering online cognitive therapy for insomnia (Los Angeles Times)

- “helping consumers get a good night’s sleep has become a priority for most of the top-tier U.S. health insurance companies, including WellPoint, Aetna, Cigna, Kaiser Permanente and several Blue Cross plans. Their new programs don’t involve sleeping pills. Instead, insurers are advocating the use of cognitive behavior therapy. Traditionally, the therapy has been done largely through face-to-face sessions, but many of the programs are now available online.”

- “And use of sleeping pills has skyrocketed. A study this year Read the rest of this entry »

The Wall Street Journal had a very interesting article yesterday, titled To Be Young and Anxiety-Free, focused on the value of cognitive behavioral therapy to help children with high levels of anxiety learn how too cope better and prevent the snowball scenario, when that anxiety grows and spirals out of control resulting in depression and similar

- “…new research showing that treating kids for anxiety when they are young may help prevent the development of more serious mental illnesses, including depression and more debilitating anxiety disorders.”

- “Of course, most kids have fears without having a full-blown anxiety disorder. And some anxiety is healthy: It makes sense, for example, to be a little nervous before a big test. Doctors and psychologists do caution that the increased focus on childhood anxiety could lead to an overdiagnosis of the problem. What makes anxiety a true illness is when it interferes with normal functioning or causes serious emotional and physical distress.”

- “But the use of antidepressants in children has come under fire because Read the rest of this entry »

Some recent brain training and health news:

1) A Promising Debut for Computerized Therapies

2) Fitness protects brain in Alzheimer’s patients

3) Brain Fitness Program Classic comes to Mac

4) Posit Science gains ownership of Scientific Learning (NSDQ: SCIL)´s BrainConnection.

5) Brain training on your mobile 

6) You must remember this: how the mind works

Here you have the links and my commentary for these news: Read the rest of this entry »

Not a day goes by without a significant depression-related announcement. Yesterday, one could read that Older Women More Likely to Suffer Depression (than Older Men; in the Washington Post). Today, we see that St. Jude Starting Trial On Brain Stimulation For Depression (CNN). A few days ago, Blue Cross of California Launched Maternity Depression Program (press release).

Time to step back and ask ourselves questions such as, “What is going On”, “What is Depression”, “What Treatments Work, and What is the Latest Research”. Fortunately, thanks to our collaboration with Greater Good Magazine, Jill Suttie offers a fascinating answers to those questions-and more. Enjoy.

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Closing the Circuit

Helen Mayberg’s research could revolutionize depression treatment.

— By Jill Suttie.

At some point in their lives, 5 to 12 percent of American men and 10-25 percent of women will suffer an episode of depression, making it the most commonly diagnosed mental disorder today. Unlike normal sadness, which passes with time, depression feels unstoppable and causes people to lose interest in nearly all activities. Because it affects a person’s ability to eat, sleep, work, and function normally, it exacts a huge cost on the economy, estimated at $30 billion dollars annually. The cost in human suffering cannot be measured.

Millions of people diagnosed with depression turn to medication as a treatment, and many of the most popular Read the rest of this entry »

Very good article in MarketWatch titled Beating forgetfulness and boosting the brain. Probably the best we have seen so far providing an overall industry perspective on a nascent field. I recommend reading the whole article, but here you have some teasers:

• “As boomers age, the drive to correct such discomfort has implications for health and wellness, employment and corporate training — even sports. It’s giving rise to a burgeoning business of brain-boosting products and services, as well as exploration into “cognitive enhancing” prescription drugs.”
• “The market for brain-fitness software targeting U.S. adults is estimated to be $80 million to $100 million this year, up from $60 million last year and $2 million in 2005, according to SharpBrains, a San Francisco-based portal that helps individuals and companies navigate brain-training information, products and services.”
• “It’s also easy to confuse age-related memory problems with the effects of undiagnosed depression or anxiety, which are reversible, said Dr. Gene Cohen, director of the Center on Aging, Health & Humanities at George Washington University Medical Center”
• “The business of brain training started taking off after Read the rest of this entry »

We were very happy to discover that Scientific American Mind has highlighted SharpBrains in their June/July 2007 issue!

Here’s what they had to say:

“Everyone knows the importance of staying physically fit. But what about staying mentally fit? Research in the past several years has shown that mental “workouts” may improve memory, relieve stress and even help stave off Alzheimer’s. This new site is an online gym for the mind, offering a blog about the science of brain fitness and links to relevant research. It also sells “exercise” software and offers personal training.”

If you are here due to that introduction, we’d like to welcome you and show you around a bit. You might enjoy:

• The Neuroscience Interview Series in our brain health blog, in which we interview some of the leading neuroscientists in brain fitness, including:
  • Dr. Elkhonon Goldberg on Brain Fitness Programs and Cognitive Training,
  • Cognitive Simulations for Basketball Game-Intelligence: Interview with Prof. Daniel Gopher,
  • Working Memory Training and RoboMemo: Interview with Dr. Torkel Klingberg,
  • Memory training and attention deficits: interview with Notre Dame’s Bradley Gibson,
  • and an upcoming interview with Yaakov Stern, the leading researcher behind the Cognitive Reserve theory
• Our collection of Brain Teasers and Puzzles
• A selection of Hot Topics in Brain Health and Fitness
• Or, sign up for our free monthly brain fitness newsletter that keeps you up to date with the latest articles and events in brain fitness

But most of all, enjoy yourself, learn something new, and let us know what you think!

Zack Lynch from NeuroInsights reminds us that the earlybird registration for the Neurotech Industry Investing and Business conference is about to expire. You can register by April 13th to save $300.

Conference Details:

Date: May 17 – 18, 2007
Location: Westin San Francisco, Millbrae, CA

Highly recommended conference for anyone working on biotech, medical devices, diagnostics and neurotechnology in general, and with added value for anyone interested in learning more about science-based Brain Fitness thanks to what we hope will be a groundbreaking panel:

Title: Brain Fitness Through Software and Neurofeedback

Thursday May 17th, 4.45-5.30pm

Description: Spurred by the discovery of neuroplasticity, the aging baby boomer population and demand for safe treatments for childhood ADHD, software companies, large and small, are venturing into the realm of Read the rest of this entry »