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
As you have probably noticed, a growing number of Expert Contributors are writing in our blog, so that we can collectively discuss the latest research and trends on cognitive and brain health, and the implications of brain research in general for our everyday lives.Â
If you haven’t done so already, make sure to subscribe to our newsletter (above) and our RSS feed (on the right).
Below you have the profiles of some of our Contributors and links to their best articles with us so far. Enjoy!
Read the rest of this entry »
By: Alvaro Fernandez
Below you have a very insightful article on stress by one of our new Expert Contributors, Gregory Kellet, a researcher at UCSF. Enjoy! (Credit for Pic of Victoria Crater in Mars: Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, via Wikipedia).
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“My brain is…fried, toast, frazzled, burnt out.” How many times have you said or heard one version or another of these statements. Most of us think we are being figurative when we utter such phrases, but research shows that the biological consequences of sustained high levels of stress may have us being more accurate than we would like to think.
Crash Course on Stress
Our bodies are a complex balancing act between systems working full time to keep us alive and well. This balancing act is constantly adapting to the myriad of changes occurring every second within ourselves and our environments. When it gets dark our pupils dilate, when we get hot we sweat, when we smell food we salivate, and so forth. This constant balancing act maintains a range of stability in the body via change; and is often referred to as allostasis. Any change which threatens this balance can be referred to as allostatic load or stress.
Allostatic load/stress is part of being alive. For example just by getting up in the morning, we all experience a very important need to increase our heart rate and blood pressure in order to feed our newly elevated brain. Although usually manageable, this is a change which the body needs to adapt to and, by our definition, a stressor.
Stress is only a problem when this allostatic load becomes overload. When change is excessive or Read the rest of this entry »
By: Caroline Latham
We are delighted to introduce you to Wes Carroll who has graciously created a few new puzzles to bend all those sharp brains out there! Keep checking back, as we will continue to release new puzzles regularly.
Wes aspires to the Renaissance ideal of excellence in multiple fields: he is the head of Do The Math private tutoring services, Puzzle Master for the Ask A Scientist lecture series, and an internationally touring performer and teacher of music. Find out more at wescarroll.com.
With no further ado, the first puzzle!
Party For Polyglots
Difficulty: MEDIUM
Type: LOGIC
Question:
Of the 100 people at a recent party, 90 spoke Spanish, 80 spoke Italian, and 75 spoke Mandarin. At least how many spoke all three languages?
Have you solved it yet? If you are working the problem, making hypotheses, testing your ideas, and coming up with a solution, you are using your frontal lobes. This is great exercise because the frontal lobes follow the “last hired, first fired” adage. They are they last areas of your brain to develop and the first to suffer the ravages of time and stress. So, keep exercising! Just like your voluntary muscles, regular brain workouts will help you keep more active neuronal circuits in your brain which helps you function better today, as well as create a protective barrier against aging.
Click to read the answer.
Let us know what you think of the puzzle and please welcome Wes!
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