By: Alvaro Fernandez
We are excited to invite you to the first virtual, global SharpBrains Summit (January 18-20th, 2010). The SharpBrains Summit will feature a 
“dream team” of over 25 speakers who are leaders in industry and research from 7 countries, to discuss emerging research, tools and best practices for cognitive health and performance. This inaugural event will expose health and insurance providers, developers, innovators at Fortune 500 companies, investors and researchers, to the opportunities, partnerships, trends, and standards of the rapidly evolving cognitive fitness field.
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
By: Alvaro Fernandez
We are very excited to announce the first SharpBrains Summit, a virtual conference to take place January 18-20th, 2010. Over 25 leading speakers (see confirmed speakers below) and a professional audience will discuss emerging innovation and technology for lifelong cognitive health and performance. The Summit will highlight the convergence of neurocognitive research, non-invasive technology and healthcare, discuss emerging best practices, and help predict how a growing range of tools may provide solutions to cognitive health and performance-related issues.
We are now finalizing agenda and contacting sponsors and partners. Details will be ready, and registration open, by the end of October. In the meantime, please Save the Date if you are interested in participating: January 18-20th 2010 (Pacific Time).
- Conference: January 18-19th. A series of 30-minute sessions (20-minute presentation, 10-minute Q&A), to discuss Market and Research Insights, together with online discussions and, in some cities, social gatherings of participants.
- Expo Day: January 20th. Product demos by Sponsors.
Confirmed speakers and themes:
Monday, January 18th, 2010:
Cognition and Neuroplasticity: The New Healthcare Frontier
- Alvaro Fernandez, CEO, SharpBrains
- David Whitehouse, Chief Medical Officer, OptumHealth Behavioral Solutions
- William Reichman, President, Baycrest
- P Murali Doraiswamy, Biological Psychiatry Division Head, Duke University
Tools for Safer Driving: Teenagers and Older Adults
- Steven Aldrich, CEO, Posit Science
- Peter Christianson, President of Young Drivers of Canada
- Jerri Edwards, Assoc. Professor University of South Florida
Clinical Applications: Researching, Identifying, Treating Cognitive Deficits
- Keith Wesnes, Practice Leader, United BioSource Corporation
- Jonas Jendi, CEO, Cogmed
- Michel Noir, President, Scientific Brain Training
- Elkhonon Goldberg, Chief Scientific Advisor, SharpBrains
Read the rest of this entry »
By: Alvaro Fernandez
Karolinska Institute’s Dr. Torkel Klingberg has just released in the US his excellent book The Overflowing Brain: Information Overload and the Limits of Working Memory
 
The title was first released in Sweden with great success, and our co-founder Dr. Elkhonon Goldberg gave a Foreword to the new US edition.
Dr. Klingberg will be writing an essay for SharpBrains readers soon, so we can discuss the importance of this topic and his work in depth. Let me now link to two thought-provoking reviews of the book:
Attention Must Be Paid (Inside Higher Ed)
- “The weak link in the information age seems to be our human hard-wiring. So one gathers from The Overflowing Brain: Information Overload and the Limits of Working Memory (Oxford University Press) by Torkel Klingberg, who is a professor of developmental cognitive neuroscience at the Stockholm Brain Institute. A review of recent research on how attention and memory actually function within our gray matter, it is a work of scientific popularization rather than a handbook on how to minimize the cognitive drain of distraction.”
- “To simplify Klingberg’s already pared-down analysis, we can distinguish between two kinds of attention. One is controlled attention: the directed effort to apply one’s concentration to a particular task. The other is stimulus-driven attention, which is an involuntary response to something happening in the environment. (You can tune out the conversations going on around you in a restaurant. But if a waiter drops a tray full of dishes, it is going to impose itself on your awareness.)”
- “Klingberg reports that a two-year study in his lab showed that it was possible to increase working-memory capacity Read the rest of this entry »
By: Alvaro Fernandez
Roundup of interesting news in this emerging field:
1) Brain Health Leaders Team Up to Prevent Crashes.
2) Adults Improve Critical Professional and Personal Skills Through New Cognitive Training Program.
3) Nature Neuroscience Podcast and London Taxi Drivers.
4) What Have You Changed Your Mind About, lately?.
5) The 2008 Mind & Life Summer Research Institute starts accepting applications.
6) The Mind & Life Institute has announced the 2007 Francisco J. Varela Research Award Recipients. Read the rest of this entry »
By: Alvaro Fernandez
Jeffrey Gonce, a Psychology teacher at Red Land High School (West Shore School District, PA) just asked his students to “complete a project describing a recent brain (or genetic) study that affects behavior.” The students could opt to post their articles online, and Jeffrey was kind enough to send us a link to read the results.
We enjoyed the overall level of the essays (you can read them all here), and truly enjoyed reading a beautiful, well-researched and better written essay by Alexandra M, 15. Which, incidentally, quotes from one of our favourite popular science books on the brain, John Ratey’s A User’s Guide to the Brain.
Enjoy!
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March 2, 2007
Alexandra M
It’s Christmas morning, and your brother rushes downstairs to see what “Santa” brought him. The morning goes by in a flurry of colorful wrapping paper and stringy ribbons until all that’s left is a big present in the center of your brother’s lap. The present that “Santa” brought him. As he rips open the paper, “Santa’s” chest swells with pride, he feels good and happy. As the brother runs around screaming about his new remote controlled F-14 Tomcat, “Santa” laughs and cleans up. But why did he feel that way? Read the rest of this entry »
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