Expo Day

If you want to see and discuss the latest programs and technologies for brain fitness, presented by Summit Sponsors, Wednesday January 20th is your day. Each demo will last 30 minutes, followed by 15 minutes of Q&A.

9am. Baycrest/ Cogniciti will introduce the new Memory@Work workshop, designed to teach what memory is, how lifestyle factors such as distraction and stress can affect memory, and how to enhance memory performance at work with the use of enabling strategies.

10am. CogniFit will demo CogniFit Personal Coach and CogniFit Senior Driver, two online programs designed to assess and main cognitive functions for healthy living and safe driving, respectively.

11am. Posit Science will demo InSight, a software-based cognitive training package designed to sharpen brain’s visual system. This is the program being tested by Allstate for safer driving.

Noon. Happy Neuron will introduce HAPPYneuron PRO, a new platform for professionals for the effective delivery and management of cognitive remediation and rehabilitation programs in a patient centric manner.

1pm. SharpBrains will help navigate this growing field by discussing The State of the Brain Fitness Software 2009 report and The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness consumer guide, and summarizing key Summit take-aways.

Learn more and register HERE. Please remember that registration closes on January 17th.

We want to thank our most recent sponsor, the Arrowsmith Program, a comprehensive suite of cognitive programs for students with learning disabilities available in public and private schools in Canada and the U.S. More information here.

And now, let’s review the (in our view) 15 most stimulating articles of 2009.

The Big Picture

100 is the new 65: Why do some people live, and well, to 100? Researchers are trying to find out, reports Meera Lee Sethi at Greater Good Magazine.

Learning about Learning: an Interview with Joshua Waitzkin: Scott Barry Kaufman interviews “child prodigy” Joshua Waitzkin on The Art of Learning.

Debunking 10 Brain Health Myths: Does your brain have a “Brain Age”? Is a Magic Pill to prevent memory problems right around the corner?  Check out the facts to debunk 10 common myths.

Why is working memory relevant to reading and mathematics: A recent large UK study identified 1 in 10 students as having working memory difficulties. Dr. Tracy Alloway elaborates why this matters.

Change Your Environment, Change Yourself: Dr. Brett Steenbarger explains why new environments  “force us to exit our routines and actively master unfamiliar challenges.”

Tools

Retooling Use it or lose it: Alvaro Fernandez discusses why routine, doing things inside our comfort zones, is the most common enemy of the novelty, variety and challenge our brains need.

Does cognitive training work? (For Whom? For What?): Dr. Pascale Michelon, dissects a couple of recent press releases and the underlying studies to clarifying what they mean – and what they don’t mean.

New Study Supports Neurofeedback Treatment for ADHD: Dr. David Rabiner reports the promising findings from the first well-designed controlled trial on the effect of neurofeedback treatment for ADHD.

Do Art Classes Boost Test Scores? Is there a “Mozart Effect?”: Some researchers suggest so; others are not convinced. Karin Evans offers a  thoughtful review of the evidence and asks, “Now, is this the right question?”

Does coffee boost cognitive functions over time? Dr. Pascale Michelon reports good news (long-term effects seem more positive than negative, so coffee leads to no clear harm) and bad ones (no clear beneficial effects on general brain functions).

Industry

Brain fitness heads towards its tipping point: How do you know when something is moving towards a Gladwellian tipping point? When insurance companies and policy makers pay attention, Dr. Gerard Finnemore reports.

Visual Representation of the State of the Market 2009: Paul Van Slembrouck beautifully presents the main findings of our 150-page market report, The State of the Brain Fitness Market 2009.

Michael Merzenich on brain fitness: neuroscientist Michael Merzenich discusses neuroplasticity, technology, safe driving, mental health, and the need for standards, automated assessments and “personal brain trainers”.

Brain Teaser

Stimulate your Concentration Skills: when one really wants to memorize a fact, it is crucial to pay attention. Dr. Pascale Michelon challenges you to count a few simple letters.

Resolution

Finally, an article that may inspire some New Year Resolutions. In Yes, You Can Build Willpower, Daniel Goleman discusses how the brain makes about 10,000 new cells every day, how they migrate to where they are needed, and how each cell can make around 10,000 connections to other brain cells. Implication? Meditate, mindfully, and build positive habits.

Wishing you a Happy and Productive 2010, and looking forward to meeting many of you (200 so far) at the inaugural SharpBrains Summit!

Executive Summary

A spate of recent global news coverage on brain fitness and brain training reflects a growing interest in natural, non drug-based interventions to keep our brains sharp as we age. This interest is very timely, given an aging population, increasing prevalence of Alzheimer’s rates, and soaring health care costs in the US that place more emphasis than ever on prevention and lifestyle changes.

US brain fitness market: significant and growing

We estimate the size of the US brain fitness market was $225m in 2007 – more than double what it was in 2005. Whereas K12 school systems were the largest buyers in 2005, consumers were responsible for most of the growth from 2005 to 2007. We estimate that the consumer segment grew from a few million in 2005 to $80m in 2007, and foresee significant market growth driven not only by consumers but also by healthcare and insurance providers.

Market dynamics

As we speak to diverse audiences about this emerging field around the country we are frequently asked the following questions:

- Why are we talking about the brain fitness field at all?

Over the past decade, teams backed by neuroscientists around the world from the U.S. to Japan, Israel, and Sweden have been developing brain fitness software products with commercial applications. Since 2005, the market for brain fitness software products has grown significantly. One of the companies that has perhaps done the most to spark the commercial adoption of brain fitness products is Nintendo with its Brain Age and Brain Training games. Nintendo has shipped millions of copies globally since its launch in 2005. Less visible is the growing number of developers that are bringing to market brain fitness products with more solid clinical validation.

- Who is buying these brain fitness software products?

We see four key customer segments purchasing commercialized brain fitness software products in the US: consumers (mostly adults over 50 looking for ways to protect their memory and prevent or delay dementia, as well as some younger adults); healthcare and insurance providers (ranging from hospitals to nursing homes and retirement communities seeking the latest treatments for their patients and members); K12 administrators (interested in applications that can help students with dyslexia and related learning difficulties); and Fortune 1000 companies, the military and sports teams (looking for advancements in productivity).

- Is there science behind the claims made by brain fitness software products? Do these products work?

It depends how “working” is defined. If “working” is defined as quantifiable short-term improvements after a number of weeks of systematic brain training to improve specific cognitive skills, then yes, a number of the brain fitness software programs do seem to work. If, on the other hand, “working” means measurable long-term benefits, such as better overall brain health as we age, or lower incidence of Alzheimer’s symptoms, then the answer is that circumstantial evidence suggests they may work. But, it is still too early to tell.

- What are the public policy implications?

Given the enormous benefits of widespread initiatives to help delay the onset of dementia in the aging US population, both in terms of quality of life for citizens and healthcare cost savings, the US government and healthcare community are watching these trends carefully. For example, the Center for Disease Control recently partnered with the Alzheimer’s Association to develop a comprehensive Cognitive Health roadmap to better guide research efforts and improve public education on the lifestyle habits that every proud owner of a brain could benefit from following.

Open questions

Since this is a new, rapidly growing field, we have many open questions about the industry, which will only be clarified with time:

- Will consumer behavior change to adopt preventive brain exercises that take more time and effort than swallowing a pill? If so, what is the profile of consumers who are most likely to change their lifestyle? Even if brain fitness has no side effects, will users show the commitment required to see results?

- How can consumers and executives assess which cognitive priorities require most attention and track progress due to brain training? Where can they turn for quality information and education to navigate through the emerging research and the overwhelming number of new programs – to separate the hype from the reality? In the absence of clear biomarkers, will cognitive assessments become commonplace as objective baselines?

- What business model and offering will succeed? Software product sales? Online subscriptions? Fun games with unproven brain benefits? Programs that improve the mental skills involved in specific activities, such as driving? Applications that help slow down the progression from Mild Cognitive Impairment to full-blown Alzheimer’s symptoms? Is this content-driven “edutainment”?

- Will therapeutic applications be regulated by the FDA?

- Will large-scale peer-reviewed research support a wider set of consumer applications?

Top three trends to watch: 2007-2015

What are some of the trends that anyone trying to understand this growing market should follow?

Here are some of our predictions that are expanded in Chapter 7:

- Brain fitness goes mainstream. An increased emphasis on brain fitness and maintenance will spread to retirement communities, gyms and health clubs. Will health clubs one day offer brain fitness programs, and perhaps “brain coaches” alongside rowing machines and step-masters? We think so.

- Leveraging better tools. Better and more widely available assessments of cognitive function will enable all of us to establish an objective baseline of how our minds are evolving, identify priorities for “workouts” and lifestyle interventions, and help us measure progress. Just as we find a variety of machines in health clubs today, in the future we can expect different programs tailored to train specific cognitive skills. New and improved computer-based brain fitness tools will come to market, and low tech options will also provide great value. There is more and more research on how meditation and cognitive therapy, to mention two examples, can be effective in literally rewiring parts of the brain.

- A growing ecosystem around those tools, including widespread incentives to use brain fitness products. For example, insurance companies will introduce incentives for members who want to follow brain fitness programs and companies will offer brain fitness training programs to attract and retain mature workers who want access to the best and the latest innovations to keep their minds sharp.

—–

The State of the Brain Fitness Software Market 2008

– Published March 11th, 2008 (click Here to learn more and acquire your copy) 

This 87-page report is the first to define the brain fitness software market, summarize the science behind brain plasticity and cognitive training, and analyze the size and trends of its four customer segments: consumers, healthcare & insurance providers, K12 school systems, and fortune 1000 companies, military, and sports teams.

The report tracks developments at over 20 public and private companies offering tools to assess and train brain functions and provides important industry data, insights and analysis to help investors, executives, entrepreneurs, and policy makers navigate the opportunities and risks of this rapidly growing market. The report discusses the implications of cognitive science on healthy aging and a number of disorders such as attention deficits, dyslexia, stroke and traumatic brain injury, schizophrenia, autism, mild cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer’s disease. The report also provides information and frameworks to help institutional buyers make informed purchase decisions about brain fitness programs.

Report Highlights
Table of Contents
List of Figures
Companies Included
End Notes
Endorsements

The companies included in the report are:

Advanced Brain Technologies

Applied Cognitive Engineering

Brain Resource Company

BrainTrain

CNS Vital Signs

Cogmed

CogniFit

Cognitive Drug Research

Cogstate

Dakim

Gemstone

Houghton Mifflin

Lexia Learning

Lumos Labs

MyBrainTrainer

Nintendo

NovaVision

Posit Science

Scientific Brain Training

Scientific Learning

TeachTown

You can click Here to learn more and acquire your copy. 

 

“At Sutter Health Partners we recognize the importance of brain health and how much the health of the brain and the body are interdependent.  The market report helped us further target our coaching efforts to integrate brain fitness and upgrade our entire coaching platform.  It is easy to read and gives you the industry perspective in a thorough yet concise manner.  I highly recommend it!”

– Margaret Sabin, CEO of Sutter Health Partners and VP, New Product Development, at Sutter Health.

You may wonder, “what is the link between  wellness coaching and brain fitness”?

In practice, good health and wellness coaches provide excellent brain health advice, given that the areas they focus on (nutrition, physical exercise, stress management) do play an important role in maintaining our brains in top shape.

Additionally, pioneers  such as Sutter Health Partners are adding a Brain “lens” to their work. How?

First, by better understanding and explaining the brain benefits of what they already do, in order to provide additional motivation to stick with healthy behaviors. For example, most people will be able to recite multiple benefits of moderate cardiovascular exercise. But how many know  that it can also contribute to neurogenesis -the creation of new neurons – in adult brains?

Second, by starting to offer brain fitness guidelines to clients who want too go beyond crossword puzzles and sudoku.

I had a great training session with a number of Sutter Health coaches last week – let me summarize some of the main points we covered.

What is Brain Fitness?

The general state of feeling alert, in control, productive, especially as the result of mental and physical exercise and proper nutrition. Having the mental abilities required to function in society, in our occupations, in our communities. It is not about “IQ”. It is about skills such as attention, memory, emotional self-regulation, planning, managing distractions…

Can Brain Fitness be measured today?

Yes, but, today, only by neuropsychologists and medical professionals. We expect to see cheaper and widely available assessments (perhaps via a 30-40 minute set of online assessments) over the next few years, thanks to the work underway to make quality computer-based assessments available to a growing number of clinicians, insurance companies, sports teams and the military.

What is the research background that explains the emergence of the brain fitness field?

1- New paradigm in brain research: today it is clear that the brain retains a lifelong capacity to change responding to experience (neuroplasticity), paving the way for lifestyle-based interventions.
2- Neuroimaging tools such as fMRI enable, for the first time i history, the scientific exploration of the live brain.
3- The brain has a core set of brain functions-or “mental muscles”. Our vocabulary must expand beyond “memory” and  “intelligence” if we are to help move “Use It or Lose It” from theory to practice.
4. Some brain functions improve as we age – others typically decline. And there is major variability among groups of individuals.
5- The four “pillars” of brain health: balanced nutrition, physical exercise, stress management and brain exercise.
6- Cross-training the brain builds up the Brain Reserve.
7. Well-directed mental exercise (meditation, cognitive therapy, software-based programs) can be effective to train specific skills and provide needed mental stimulation.
8. Cognitive assessments will become critical to identify bottlenecks and measure progress.
9. The earlier we start, the better. But it is never too late to start.
10. This is still an emerging field: much more research needs to be done.

One of the top 10 predictions on the brain fitness/ brain training market we included in our our Brain Fitness Market Report said that:

“10. Brain training will be added to corporate wellness and leadership initiatives. Large employers with existing corporate wellness and leadership programs will introduce brain fitness specific programs aimed not only at improved health outcomes but also at increased productivity and cognitive performance in the workplace.”

Coaches will play a major role in helping clients navigate this field, as initiatives such as Sutter Health’s indicate. Stay tuned!

– Mind Games (subscription required)

– Dakim, Lumos Labs, Posit Science and other “brain fitness” startups are starting to gain mind share — and capital — from venture firms.

The reporter and I spoke as Lumos Labs received its $3m round, and we discussed other fundable start-ups, featuring CogniFit. Which, as mentioned over the weekend, just raised $5m.

If case you are a new SharpBrains reader, perhaps visiting us after reading this VCJ article, let me provide a quick overview of the category and our Market Report (which is annual, not quarterly as the article states):

A) Report Highlights

We estimate the size of the US brain fitness software market at $225M in 2007, up from $100m in 2005 (50% CAGR), analyzing the size and trends of four customer segments: consumers, healthcare & insurance providers, K12 school systems, and fortune 1000 companies, military, and sports teams. Two segments fueled the market growth from 2005 to 2007: consumers (grew from $5m to $80m, 300% CAGR) and healthcare & insurance providers (grew from $36m to $65m, 35% CAGR).

Ten Specific Highlights from The State of the Brain Fitness Software Market 2008 report include:

1) 2007 was a seminal year for the US Brain Fitness software market, which reached $225 million in revenues – up from an estimated $100 million in 2005.

2) Over 20 companies are offering tools to assess and train cognitive skills to four customer segments: consumers; healthcare and insurance providers; K12 school systems; and Fortune 1000 companies, the military, and sports teams.

3) The Nintendo Brain Age phenomenon has driven much of the growth. The consumer segment grew from a few million in 2005 to an estimated $80 million in 2007.

4) There is major confusion in the market, so education will be key. Users and buyers need help to navigate the maze of products and claims.

5) Over 400 residential facilities for older adults have launched computerized “brain fitness centers.” Sales to the healthcare and insurance provider segment grew from $35 million in 2005 to an estimated $65 million in 2007.

6) More than five programs have shown results in randomized controlled trials. Cognitive functions that can be trained include: visual and auditory processing, working memory, attention, and decision-making.

7) A product has obtained 510(k) FDA clearance for rehabilitation of stroke and Traumatic Brain Injury patients. Another product is being used by a growing network of ADHD specialists.

Large-scale, fully-automated cognitive assessments are being used in a growing number of clinical trials. This opens the way for the development of inexpensive consumer-facing, baseline cognitive assessments.

9) The potential for K12 Education remains largely untapped due to limited research linking cognitive training to academic performance.

10) Companies, sports teams and the military are finding opportunities to improve productivity. The aging workforce will make this a must.

 

B) Table of Contents

Editorial

Executive Summary

Chapter 1: Why now? Market Overview

• Brain fitness software market: the focus of this report
• Four customer segments of the brain fitness industry
• Part of the larger neurotechnology market
• Brain fitness became a media darling in 2007
• Confluence of market forces drives growth
• Demand: range of consumers and institutional buyers of brain fitness products
• Science: new findings spark focus on brain fitness market
• Supply: separating hype from reality in the claims of brain fitness software products
• Policy: brain fitness starting to shape public policy agenda
• Navigating the brain fitness software program landscape
• Interview with Dr. Yaakov Stern – The connection between building a cognitive reserve and delaying alzheimer’s symptoms

Chapter 2: The Science of Brain Fitness

• New brain paradigm: lifelong capacity to change and create new neurons
• Neuroimaging: enabling scientific exploration of the brain
• Cognition: core brain function
• Some cognitive functions improve as we age – others typically decline
• The four “pillars” of brain health
• Software-based brain fitness programs: effective to train specific skills
• Cognitive assessments: critical to identify bottlenecks and measure progress
• Cross-training the brain builds up the cognitive reserve
• An emerging field: much more research needs to be done
• Interview with Dr. Jerri Edwards – Improving Brain Functioning for better Driving and Aging

Chapter 3: Consumers – Taking Charge of Their Brain Health

• Nintendo creates global awareness for “brain training”
• Growing appetite for “casual games” among players over forty
• Baby boomers move the market by sheer size
• Consumer interest in health and wellness
• Growing concerns about herbal supplements
• Commercial software products flood market with inconsistent claims
• A number of critical questions remain unanswered
• Company profiles: select consumer brain fitness products

Chapter 4: Healthcare and Insurance Providers – Focus on Preventive Health & Clinical Conditions

• ”Brain fitness centers” becoming mainstream in residential facilities
• A major incentive for insurers: delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s symptoms
• Emerging clinical applications
• Stroke/ Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitation
• Attention Deficit Disorders
• Potential future clinical applications
• Use of computer-based cognitive assessments in large-scale clinical trials
• Open questions
• Company profiles: select brain fitness products sold through healthcare or insurance providers
• Interview with Torkel Klingberg – Expanding Working Memory for kids with ADD/ ADHD
• Interview with Elizabeth Zelinksi – Healthy Aging Enhanced with Computer-based Programs

Chapter 5: K12 School Systems – Responding to Learning Disabilities in New Ways

• Early K12 brain fitness applications
• Mismatch between academic needs and the claims of existing offerings
• A great resource: the US Department of Education’s “What Works Clearinghouse”
• Scientific Learning’s history and plans
• What Works Clearinghouse’s take on Fast Forword
• Houghton Mifflin’s Earobics
• Other program developers
• Open questions
• Interview with Dr. Bradley Gibson – Linking Computer-based Cognitive Training to Academic Performance

Chapter 6: Fortune 1000 Companies, Military & Sports Teams – Improving Productivity

• Fortune 1000 companies increase health & wellness budgets
• In light of the aging workforce, a focus on brain fitness is a logical extension
• In companies starting to embrace serious games, brain fitness may be a new application
• Military and sports teams leverage new brain fitness technologies
• Programs to improve driving skills proliferate
• Few pure-breed players, but some market leaders are starting to take notice
• Interview with Dr. Daniel Gopher – Applications for Computer-based Cognitive Simulations

Chapter 7: Future directions: market trends 2007-2015

End Notes

 

C) Companies Included in the report:

Advanced Brain Technologies

Applied Cognitive Engineering

Brain Resource Company

BrainTrain

CNS Vital Signs

Cogmed

CogniFit

Cognitive Drug Research

Cogstate

Dakim

Gemstone

Houghton Mifflin

Lexia Learning

Lumos Labs

MyBrainTrainer

Nintendo

NovaVision

Posit Science

Scientific Brain Training

Scientific Learning

TeachTown

I will publish the interview notes next week. For the moment, let me paraphrase his answer to the question: “Why are computerized programs like the one you used fundamentally different from, say, simply doing many crossword puzzles?”.

His answer was that for 3 reasons:

1. Adaptive: The constant adaptability of the challenge level, thanks to real-time assessments. The person using the program is truly pushed to his or her peak level all the time, thereby “stretching” the targeted ability.
2. Complex: The presentation of a very complex task, mixing different forms of stimuli (auditory, visual) and with time pressure.
3. Transferability: The tasks can be designed in a way that doesn’t allow for the development of “strategies” to beat the game. One needs to truly expand capacity, and this helps ensure the transfer of the skill to non-trained domains.

All this is not to say that computerized programs are the only way to exercise our brains. There are many other ways, such as meditation, or mastering new skills. And there are other important factors in our overall cognitive health, like physical fitness and stress management. Having said that, technology, when designed and used well, can expand the realm of the possible.

Some of the media coverage:

Forget Brain Age: Researchers Develop Software That Makes You Smarter (Wired).

- “In a limited trial, he and his team were able to make 34 test subjects significantly better at answering IQ test questions after training them on a completely separate memory task” 

-”The improvement seems to be dosage dependent,” Buschkuehl said. “We saw a linear increase in performance with increase in training time.” 

To be continued…(next week)

1) First, Exercise Your Brain, or Else You’ll … Uh …, by Katie Hafner (5/3/08). Some quotes:

- “At the same time, boomers are seizing on a mounting body of evidence that suggests that brains contain more plasticity than previously thought, and many people are taking matters into their own hands, doing brain fitness exercises with the same intensity with which they attack a treadmill.”

- “Alvaro Fernandez, whose brain fitness and consulting company, SharpBrains, has a Web site focused on brain fitness research. He estimates that in 2007 the market in the United States for so-called neurosoftware was $225 million.”

- “Mr. Fernandez pointed out that compared with, say, the physical fitness industry, which brings in $16 billion a year in health club memberships alone, the brain fitness software industry is still in its infancy. Yet it is growing at a 50 percent annual rate, he said, and he expects it to reach $2 billion by 2015.”

- “Boomers believe they have ample reason to worry. There is no definitive laboratory test to detect Alzheimer’s disease”. 

- “Smart people find new ways to exercise their brains that don’t involve buying software or taking expensive workshops,” he (Note: magazine publisher David Bunnell) said.

Article: Exercise Your Brain, or Else You’ll … Uh …

Comments:  I enjoyed the conversations I had with the NYT reporter, Katie Hafner. The main 3 points I wanted to convey were, and are:

a) The brain fitness software programs mentioned in the article (and others) are no more than “tools” to exercise certain brain functions. None of the products on the market today offer an overall brain health solution. Some programs are helpful at training specific cognitive skills that tend to decline with age, others improve attention or decision making skills, and still others help assess cognitive functions. If health, education and corporate executives as well as consumers become more familiar with the progress that cognitive science has made over the last 10-20 years, they will be able to make informed decisions about which, if any, tools, may help. This is what “smart people” do: adapt to new environments and use new tools appropriately - without falling prey either to manufacturers’ inflated/ confusing claims, or negating the value of those tools as a general principle.

Eric, Henry: please address these questions, so we all contribute to helping consumers and institutions navigate through this emerging landscape of “brain fitness gyms” and separate what is real today from what is promising and may be real tomorrow.
A) Questions posted in The Brain Fitness Program DVD post.

Hello Eric, thanks for stopping by. We recommend users check our 10-Question Evaluation Checklist, because there is no research enough today to “prescribe” any specific intervention for everyone. Each user must decide what may be the best tool for him or her.There are many important cognitive skills to take care of, so a very narrow intervention is not necessarily what every single person would benefit from, justifying time commitment and expense.Let me ask you
1- how you you know what benefits Arlene has in mind? if she is looking to reduce likelihood of potentially developing Alzheimer’s symptoms, for example, physical exercise or a variety of socially and mentally stimulating activities have more research support than any specific computer-based program

2- how many studies have been published as of today in peer-reviewed journals supporting the validity of your program

3- what is the median age for people in published studies? what may be relevant for people in their 70s may not be the top priority for people in their 40s or 50

4- What is the use protocol in published studies? hours of training per week?

5- Does published research show far transfer into non-trained domains such as visual memory and executive functions?

6- can you provide an overview of all major cognitive skills and where auditory processing fits in

7- Have you seen the published research backing other programs such as Cogmed, SpaceFortress, cognitive therapy, biofeedback? I find it surprising that (despite the apparent great quality of the IMPACT study, not published yet), you can make claims like the ones you make in your comment.

Looking forward your response.

B) Questions posted in the Interview with ACTIVE’s Jerri Edwards post.

Henry, thank you for your comment. It adds good context, and does well in encouraging more companies invest in good research. It also raises several questions that I’d love you to address:
1- Computerized cognitive training has been around for a while, with a variety of approaches. You may also have read my interviews with Daniel Gopher and Torkel Klingberg, for example. It would be highly surprising to learn that some of the requirements to make it work have been patented, as you seem to imply.

2- It is public information that Posit Science has been working on a visual processing program for over a year. And this acquisition just happened. So the obvious questions are a) how are you going to integrate 2 different products and approaches, b) and in such a short timeframe, by March?

3- In fact, more research will be needed to show the efficacy of whatever you launch in March, which is not the same that has been used in the ACTIVE and other trials.

4- May I suggest, to you and all other developers, that we need to see more solid controls? watching some educational DVDs is not the best high-quality control that will allow you to claim your cognitive training has been shown to be better than other cognitive training products, simply that cognitive training itself works.

Thank you.

—————-

For context, this is our 10-Question Program Evaluation Checklist

It provides superb food for thought. And some of them will sound familiar to readers of this blog:

* 6. Normal brain aging gets more attention: More research and development is being focused on thinking impairments that only partially limit independence and quality of life for senior citizens, adults and school aged children. Neurosoftware will penetrate nursing homes and schools, as brain fitness software becomes new first-line treatment strategy.
* 8. Prevention evidence grows: You are what you eat; smoking is as bad as we thought; and new studies reveal the effects of environmental substances on Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and others.
* 9. Emotional disorders research advances:  New research continues to link neurogenesis to treatment of depression.  A better understanding of PTSD should lead to new treatment regimes.

Want to read probably the best overview of the neurosoftware/ brain fitness software market? Check this article, fresh from the oven: Thank Boomers for Buffing Up Brain Market.

To clarify the numbers mentioned: we project $225m in the US alone (growing from $70m in 2003), broken-down as follows: $80m for the Consumer segment, $60m in K12 Education, $50m in Clinical applications, and $35m in the Corporate segment. The Consumer segment, with a healthy aging value proposition, is the most recent one but the most rapidly growing.

If you are looking for some fun mental stimulation now, here you have our selection of Brain Teasers.

Now, how do you know which of the new programs can help you more, or whether you need any of them? which ones are simply entertaining Games vs. which ones look like “Games” but are really Training, improving, specific cognitive and emotional skills? Well, that’s why we are publishing the SharpBrains Checklist below, to help you navigate through the overwhelming and conflicting media reports and company announcements.

We have spent over 18 months interviewing scientists and reviewing available Brain Fitness and Exercise Programs worldwide, and want to share with you, right now, the research-based criteria we use to evaluate them.

10 Questions to Choose the Right Brain Fitness Program for You (and a brief explanation of why each question is important)

* 1. Are there scientists, ideally neuropsychologists, and a scientific advisory board behind the program?

(Neuropsychologists specialize in measuring and understanding human cognition and brain structure and function.)

* 2. Are there published, peer-reviewed scientific papers in PubMed written by those scientists? How many?

(Pubmed is a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine that includes millions of citations science journals. If a scientist has not published a paper that appears in that database, he or she cannot make scientific claims.)

* 3. What are the specific benefits claimed for using this program?

(Some programs present the benefits in such a nebulous way that it is impossible to tell if they will have any results or not…”brain training” itself is a limited benefit, because activities like gardening or learning a new language provide “brain training too”…you need to see something more specific, like what cognitive or emotional skill that program is aimed at)

* 4. Does the program tell me what part of my brain or which cognitive skill I am exercising, and is there an independent assessment to measure my progress?

(The question is whether the improvement experienced in the program will transfer into real life. For that to happen we need assessments that are distinct from the exercises themselves.)

* 5. Is it a structured program with guidance on how many hours per week and days per week to use it?

(Brain exercise is not a magic pill. You have to do the exercises in order to benefit, so you need clarity on the effort required.)

* 6. Do the exercises vary and teach me something new?

(The only way to exercise important parts of our brain is by tackling novel challenges.)

* 7. Does the program challenge and motivate me, or does it feel like it would become easy once I learned it?

(Good brain exercise requires increasing levels of difficulty)

* 8. Does the program fit my personal goals?

(Each individual has different goals/ needs when it comes to brain health. For example, some want to manage anxiety, others to improve short-term memory…)

* 9. Does the program fit my lifestyle?

(Some brain exercise programs have great short-term results but are very intense. Others may be better over time)

* 10. Am I ready and willing to do the program, or would it be too stressful?

(Excess stress reduces, or may even inhibit, neurogenesis-the creation of new neurons-. So, it is important to make sure not to do things that stress us in unhealthy ways.)

We hope this information is useful. Feel free to share it!

For more information on each question and printable layouts, see:

	10 Questions to Choose the Right Brain Fitness Program for You Download
	10 Questions to Choose the Right Brain Fitness Program for You (bookmark size) Download

 

You can also find more information in our Brain Fitness Topics section. And over 40 stimulating mind games in our Brain Teasers section.

Question:
Are there herbal and vitamin supplements that will protect my memory?

Key Points:

• Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids found in cold-water fish may be helpful to long term brain health.
• Folic acid may also be helpful to both cognitive function and hearing.
• Ginkgo biloba and DHEA do not appear to help your brain.
• There is still more research to be done and never dismiss the placebo effect!

Answer:

Perhaps. The New England Journal of Medicine published an article debunking DHEA, a steroid precursor to testosterone and estrogen used to fight aging. The conclusion of a two-year study at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and University of Padua in Italy showed it did not improve strength, physical performance, or other measures of health. The study’s lead author, Dr. Nair said, “No beneficial effects on quality of life were observed. There’s no evidence based on this study that DHEA has an antiaging effect.”

Ginkgo biloba is another over-the-counter memory-enhancing supplement frequently mentioned. Yet, Paul Solomon from Williams College found “when taken following the manufacturer’s instructions, ginkgo provides no measurable benefit in memory or related cognitive function to adults with healthy cognitive function.” Nicholas Burns from the University of Adelaide, Australia found longer-term memory improved in healthy 55-79 year olds, but no other cognitive measure improved for either younger or older participants. Sarah Elsabagh from King’s College London found ginkgo initially improved attention and memory. However, there were no benefits after 6 weeks, suggesting that a tolerance develops quickly. Not an overwhelming endorsement.

Omega-3 fatty acids found in cold-water fish such as mackerel, herring, salmon, and tuna look more promising. Giuliano Fontani’s work at the University of Siena in Italy associated omega-3 supplementation with improved attentional and physiological functions, particularly those involving complex cortical processing.

Folic acid supplementation also shows promise of protecting and improving cognitive function in older adults, according to a 2007 study published in Lancet by Jane Durga and colleagues. It may also reduce age-related decline in hearing.

What can you do right now?

1. Eat a balanced diet with plenty of green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale and collards.
2. Get plenty of physical exercise.
3. Stay cognitively active.
4. Reduce your stress.
5. And as always, talk with your doctor about any health concerns.

Further Reading

• Durga J, Verhoef P, Anteunis LJ, Schouten EG, Kok FJ. Effects of folic acid supplementation on hearing in older adults: a randomized, controlled trial. Ann Intern Med. 2007;146:1-9.
• Durga J, van Boxtel MP, Schouten EG, Kok FJ, Jolles J, Katan MB, Verhoef P. Effect of 3-year folic acid supplementation on cognitive function in older adults in the FACIT trial: a randomised, double blind, controlled trial. Lancet. 2007;369:208-16.
• Fontani G, Corradeschi F, Felici A, Alfatti F, Migliorini S, Lodi L. Cognitive and physiological effects of Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation in healthy subjects. Eur J Clin Invest. 2005;35:691-9.
• Morris MC, Evans DA, Tangney CC, Bienias JL, Wilson RS. Associations of vegetable and fruit consumption with age-related cognitive change. Neurology. 2006;67:1370-1376.
• Nair KS, Rizza RA, O’Brien P, et al. DHEA in elderly women and DHEA or testosterone in elderly men. N Engl J Med. 2006;355:1647-59.
• Solomon PR, Adams F, Silver A, Zimmer J, DeVeaux R. Ginkgo for memory enhancement: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2002;288:835-40.