Today I had a great conversation with Martin Buschkuehl, one of the University of Michigan’s Cognitive Neuroimaging Lab researchers  involved in the cognitive training study that has received much media attention (New York Times, Wired, Science News…) since late April, when the study was published at the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Reference: Jaeggi, S. M., Buschkuehl, M., Jonides, J., & Perrig, W. J. (2008). Improving Fluid Intelligence With Training on Working Memory. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 105(19), 6829-6833 (You can read it here, with subscription).

Before you keep reading, let me clarify a couple of terms:

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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 »