The Calgary Harald and other Canadian papers bring a good article:
I'd only add that the revenue figures suggest we are really talking about a highly-dynamic and growing "baby-market", which one day (hopefully, soon enough for all of us to benefit) will mature to become a real "industry". We see very positive signs, but there is still a lot of (mentally stimulating) work to do.
Here 
you have SharpBrains' 30 most popular articles, ranked by the number of people who have read each article in 2008.
Please note that, since the first article already includes most of our most popular brain teasers, we have excluded teasers from the rest of the ranking. (If those 50 are not enough for you, you can also try these brain teasers).
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| 1. Top 50 Brain Teasers and Games to Test your Brain It is always good to stimulate our minds and to learn a bit about how our brains work. Here you have a selection of the 50 Brain Teasers that people have enjoyed the most. |
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| 2. The Ten Habits of Highly Effective Brains Let's review some good lifestyle options we can follow to maintain, and improve, our vibrant brains. My favorite: don't outsource your brain (even to us). |
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| 3. Why do You Turn Down the Radio When You're Lost? You're driving through suburbia one evening looking for the street where you're supposed to have dinner at a friend's new house. You slow down to a crawl, turn down the radio, stop talking, and stare at every sign. Why is that? Neither the radio nor talking affects your vision. Or do they? |
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| 4. Brain Plasticity: How learning changes your brain You may have heard that the brain is plastic. As you know the brain is not made of plastic! Neuroplasticity or brain plasticity refers to the brain’s ability to CHANGE throughout life. |
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| 5. Top 10 Brain Training Future Trends In an emerging market like brain fitness training, it is difficult to make precise projections. But, we can observe a number of trends that executives, consumers, public policy makers, and the media should watch closely in the coming years, as brain fitness and training becomes mainstream, new tools appear, and an ecosystem grows around it. |
Over the next weeks we are going to be sharing the Executive Summary of our market report The State of the Brain Fitness Software Market 2008 with members and clients of several partner organizations (the British Columbia Seniors Living Association, where I will be speaking this Thursday, Neurotech Reports, where I will speak on October 24th, and the Health 2.0 conference, where we are sponsoring a panel on gaming for health), so it is only fair that we first share it with our own readers.
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 Continue Reading »
We just received this quote of how a major health system is using our Brain Fitness Market Report:
"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. Continue Reading »
The August issue of Venture Capital Journal brings a very good piece on the emerging brain fitness software (also called "neurosoftware") category:
-- 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):
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.
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: Continue Reading »
Busy as we have been, we only recently compiled the list of organizations who have purchased our Brain Fitness Market Report so far. We were impressed by the quality and variety represented, and the cross-sector demand for quality information in the emerging brain fitness/ cognitive health category. Seeing the list helps us prioritize efforts and coverage of market and research news and trends.
Below you have a selection of main categories, and a few selected clients:
· Research centers and universities: Harvard Medical School, US Army Research Lab, MaRS Discovery District, Oregon Center for Applied Science, University of Texas at Austin, University of Michigan.
· Older adults organizations and communities: AARP, Sunrise Senior Living, Belmont Village Senior Living.
· Healthcare Providers: Sutter Health, Memorial Hospital Health System, NeuroCare Network, Mindmedi Clinic. Continue Reading »
A few recent accolades for our just released Market Report:
"An in-depth and credible market research report that provides an objective view for investors and executives looking for gaming and health opportunities in the growing "brain training" space. This report is a must-read to understand the state of the market, the players, and key trends."
-- Daniel Goldman, founder of Total Entertainment Network and former executive at Posit Science Corporation.
"This report is a must have for those in the brain health industry. Finally, an easy to use objective resource organizing the flurry of global brain health activities. The State of the Brain Fitness Software Market report not only tells the story of cognitive training and brain fitness, but provides a broad range of data allowing one to more swiftly navigate the current terrain and future landscape."
-- Debra Raybold, Director, Brain Health Center, Memorial Hospital Health System, South Bend, Indiana.
"This report is comprehensive to say the least. It provides an essential service for long term care organizations who want to provide mind-enhancing programs and services. There is a Continue Reading »
Here you are have the bi-monthly Digest of our 10 most Popular blog posts. (Also, remember that you can subscribe to receive our blog RSS feed, or to our newsletter at the top of this page if you want to receive this digest by email).
After many months of work we have just released our inaugural report The State of the Brain Fitness Software Market 2008 for corporate executives, health care professionals, and investors. This report defines the emerging brain fitness software market and analyzes the size and trends of its four customer segments. For top 10 highlights and to purchase the report at a 10% discount (before March 20th) click here: Report: The State of the Brain Fitness Software Market 2008
Brain Fitness News and Events
NEWS FEATURE-Brain fitness seen as hot industry of the future (Reuters 03/12): The most comprehensive article we have seen so far covering this emerging field, based on our market report and with original reporting. Highly recommended read.
After many months of work (and we hope many new neurons and stronger synapses in our brains), we have just released our inaugural report on the emerging Brain Fitness Software Market, the first to define the brain fitness and training software market and analyze the size and trends of its four customer segments. We estimate the size of the US brain fitness software market at $225M in2007, up from $100m in 2005 (50% CAGR). The two segments that fueled the market growth: consumers (grew from $5m to $80m, 300% CAGR) and healthcare & insurance providers (grew from $36m to $65m, 35% CAGR).
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/ Brain Training 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.
- Next »
