Research-based information on Brain Fitness and Cognitive Health, authored by Alvaro Fernandez and over 10 Expert Contributors.
Quick update: 2 very interesting news, 2 excellent blog carnivals.
1) Forget Brain Age: Researchers Develop Software That Makes You Smarter (Wired). Thanks Senia!
- "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"
Some great new editions of our favorite blog carnivals:
- Encephalon, Forthy-Third Edition: the best of recent neuroscience and psychology blog posts.
- Grand Rounds Volume 4, Number 30: superb overview of the health & medicine blogosphere.
- Carnival of HR #31: great resources for Human Resources professionals.
Here you are have the bi-monthly Digest of our 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).
Brain Fitness News and Events
Upcoming Events: I will be speaking at five Health, Education and Gaming events over the next couple of months to introduce findings from our recent market report. Please introduce yourself if you attend any of these events.
Preventing Memory Loss-Special Issue: Congressional Quarterly Researcher, one of the main publications on Capitol Hill, published an impressive 24-page special issue titled Preventing Memory Loss. Highly recommended if you want to be on top of the latest research trends and their policy implications.
Ever wondered what explains the sometimes surreal, often misguided, health policies by our government? Well, it is beyond our humble brains to capture and articulate what may be going on...but we now see that lack of access to quality information is certainly not the main problem. Decision-making processes, and structural incentives, would probably merit more attention....
I mention this because we are really impressed by the just-published 24-page special 
issue on Preventing Memory Loss by Congressional Quarterly Researcher, one of the main publications in Capitol Hill.
The publication is not free, but worth the price for anyone active professionally in the healthcare sector, or interested in learning about latest research and policy trends, from academics to students. You can buy Buy the Electronic PDF ($4.95) or Buy the Printed Copy ($15 - $5 discount using promotion code "L8BRAIN" = $10).
Description
As the nation's baby boomers age, they are increasingly worried that their memories will deteriorate --- and with good reason. An estimated 10 million boomers will develop Alzheimer's disease or another memory-destroying neurodegenerative condition in the coming years. Policy makers and health officials worry that the resulting bulge in the number of sufferers will burden the nation's already strained health-care system. In the wake of these concerns, a vibrant brain-fitness industry is offering a variety of ways to help people keep their brains healthy, including the use of cognition-enhancing drugs and exercise. But many experts say much of what the public is being told is of limited value, at best. Intensified brain research begun years ago at the National Institutes of Health is just now beginning to produce data that scientists hope will advance efforts to prevent memory loss, but they worry that flat federal funding since 2003 may compromise the drive for solutions.
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.
Quick links to excellent resources:
1) FEATURE-Brain fitness seen as hot industry of the future (Reuters)
2) Learning & the Brain Conference for Educators and Clinicians. April 26-29, 2008. Cambridge, MA
3) Brain Health Across the Lifespan Seminar for Health & Aging Professionals. May 15th, 2008. San Francisco, CA
For more info, Continue Reading »
Some great blog carnivals this week; visit them if you want to read good blog posts on the following topics:
- Update 1: great edition of the Philosophers’ Carnival.
- Update 2: Encephalon #40: all topics neuroscience and psychology.
- Grand Rounds last week and this week: on health and medicine.
- Carnival of Education #160: on educational issues.
- Carnival of Mathematics #27.: great collection of math-related resources.
Our January Newsletter received a good deal of feedback from many readers. Based on it, our new approach is to select the top 10 most important articles every other week. Please take a look at this first experiment, and let us know you feedback.
(Also, remember that you can subscribe to receive our blog RSS feed, or to our monthly newsletter at the top of this page if you want to receive this newsletter by email).
News and Events
Stress Management is Key Factor For Cognitive Fitness: a great cover story in US News & World Report, and an excellent article in Prevention Magazine that was highlighted on the Today Show this week, both feature the importance of Continue Reading »
The movement to have US presidential candidates discuss Science and Technology in a devoted debate has been picking up steam. Date and place are scheduled: April 18th at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.
- cosponsored by the AAAS, the Council on Competitiveness, the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine, and signed by over 100 leading American universities and other organizations
- Friday Business Week ran this story.
- Intel Chairman Craig Barrett and former HHS Secretary Donna Shalala have Continue Reading »
Today we host a very stimulating essay on the importance of problem-solving and encouraging complex game-playing for children's complete "cognitive nutrition". Enjoy!
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Children's Complex Thinking
-- By Tom O'Brien and Christine Wallach
Pop over to your neighborhood school and visit some classrooms. Is what’s happening cognitively nutritive? That is, does it satisfy present needs and provide nourishment for the future health and development of children's thinking?
Or is it punitive, with little concern for present nourishment and future health and development?
The Genevan psychologist and researcher Hermina Sinclair said, Continue Reading »
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