SharpBrains

Several hundred people participated in our first Brain Fitness Webinar Series, and are glad how the experiment well. We are already thinking of topics and speakers for a second one, so stay tuned!

In case you couldn't attend them, we are sharing the slides we used (we did not record the webinar sessions). Here you go:

1) Webinar #1: Presentation Slides Here.

In “The State of the Brain Fitness Software Market, 2008,” I provided an overview of the science, market, and vendor landscape of the emerging brain fitness software market, based on our recent market report.
- Target audience: Executives, professionals, investors, reporters and bloggers interested in learning more about the brain fitness market.
- More information: Market Report.
 

2) Webinar #2: Presentation Slides Here.

In “Brain Rules for Thinking Smarter,” John Medina, developmental molecular biologist

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In the past two days, The New York Times has published two excellent articles on brain and cognitive fitness. Despite appearing in separate sections (technology and editorial), the two have more in common than immediately meets the eye. Both raise key questions that politicians, health policy makers, business leaders, educators and consumers should pay attention to.

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."

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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" 

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Over the last year we have gladly seen an avalanche of news on adult neurogenesis (the creation of new neurons in adult brains), following recent research reports. Further, we have seen how the news that physical exercise can enhance neurogenesis is becoming common knowledge among many health systems we work with.

Now, the obvious question that doesn't always get asked is, "What good are new neurons if they don't survive?". And that's where learning, enrichment, mental exercise, are critical.

We are glad to introduce a new Expert Contributor, Dr. Bill Klemm, a professor of Neuroscience at Texas A&M University, who summarizes much research on how new neurons are born-and what they need to live long happy lives.

New Neurons: Good News, Bad News

-- By Dr. Bill Klemm 

In the last few years, researchers have discovered that new nerve cells (neurons) are born, presumably from residual stem cells that exist even in adults. That should be good news for all of us as we get older and fear mental decline. The bad news is that these new neurons die, unless our minds are active enough.

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The LA Times just completed a wonderful 4-part series on how learning and memory work. The  NYT re-emphasized the importance of physical exercise for neurogenesis (the creation of new neurons). To put this news in better perspective, let's review some good lifestyle options we can follow to maintain, and improve, our vibrant brains. 

1. 1. Learn what is the "It" in "Use It or Lose It". A basic understanding will serve you well to appreciate your brain's beauty as a living and constantly-developing dense forest with billions of neurons and synapses. 
2. 2. Take care of your nutrition. Did you know that the brain only weighs 2% of body mass but consumes over 20% of the oxygen and nutrients we intake? As a general rule, you don't need expensive ultra-sophisticated nutritional supplements, just make sure you don't stuff yourself with the "bad stuff".
3. 3. Remember that the brain is part of the body. Things that exercise your body can also help sharpen your brain: physical exercise enhances neurogenesis.
4. 4. Practice positive, future-oriented thoughts until they become your default mindset and you look forward to every new day in a constructive way. Stress and anxiety, no matter whether induced by external events or by your own thoughts, actually kills neurons and prevent the creation of new ones. You can think of chronic stress as the opposite of exercise: it prevents the creation of new neurons.
5. 5. Thrive on Learning and Mental Challenges. The point of having a brain is precisely to learn and to adapt to challenging new environments. Once new neurons appear in your brain, where they stay in your brain and how long they survive depends on how you use them. "Use It or Lose It" does not mean "do crossword puzzle number 1,234,567". It means, "challenge your brain often with fundamentally new activities". 
6. We are (as far as we know) the only self-directed organisms in this planet. Aim high. Once you graduate from college, keep learning. The brain keeps developing, no matter your age, and it reflects what you do with it.
7. Explore, travel. Adapting to new locations forces you to pay more attention to your environment. Make new decisions, use your brain.
8. Don't Outsource Your Brain. Not to media personalities, not to politicians, not to your smart neighbour... Make your own decisions, and mistakes. And learn from them. That way, you are training your brain, not your neighbour's.
9. Develop and maintain stimulating friendships. We are "social animals", and need social interaction. Which, by the way, is why 'Baby Einstein' has been shown not to be the panacea for children development.
10. Laugh. Often. Especially to cognitively complex humor, full of twists and surprises. Better, try to become the next Jon Stewart (Note: I just corrected his name from "John"...which may call for a #11: Spellcheck!)

Now, remember that what counts is not reading this article-or any other-, but practicing a bit every day until small steps snowball into unstoppable, internalized habits...so, pick your next battle and try to start improving at least one of these 10 habits today! For more in-depth information on these topics, check our Brain Fitness Topics section.

The ABA (American Bar Association) Journal has a good article titled Law Hacks: 101 tips, tricks and tools to make you a more productive, less stressed-out lawyer, combining tips on email usage, software, and some brain tips from us:

• 67 "The Web site SharpBrains suggests self-improvement exercises. Try this one: Take five-minute visu­alization breaks with deep and regular breathing, picturing beautiful landscapes or pleasant or successful memories, especially after finishing a tough task."
• 68 "Improve your mental acuity by subtracting numbers, i.e., 7 from 200 (200, 193, 186, 179 ...) or practicing an exponential series (2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 ...). The point is not to become a math genius or be smarter than a fifth-grader, but just to keep your mind sharp."
• 69 "It takes a system to be productive, but it’s also useful to try something different every day to stay sharp. For example, try commuting differently or talking to new people."

Some more tips?

• Here is our full post on Brain Exercise FAQs.
• And the notes from a Stress Management Workshop we run at Accenture recently.
• You may also be interested in this article on Ten Important Truths About Aging: How we age is at least partially under our control, published by The Complete Lawyer, where you can learn why stress management is important, and more tips.
• And a Best practice for peak performance: emwave biofeedback

A collection of recent announcement in the "brain games" or "brain training games" space:

The Wii sets new generational standards for the videogame industry

• "The ageing of the Japanese population compelled gamemaker Nintendo to widen its audience. Now, the Wii is leading the industry standards. But hardcore gamers are still too important to be neglected."

Strain your brain the smart way

• "George Harrison, Nintendo's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications, has said that more than half of the company's marketing for Wii is aimed at adults. And the system has been presented at conventions for the aging "gray gamer" population." and talks about sudoku, Brain Age, Big Brain Academy, and more.

SBT Announces the Acquisition of Quixit

• "Scientific Brain Training ("SBT"), based in Lyon, France, today has announced that Continue Reading »

A new version of emWave® PC Stress Relief System (formerly Freeze-Framer) has been released with a new name, new games, new features, new interactive coach, and all new content.

New features and enhancements include:

• Categorized content sections with over 100 pages of reference information including Health and Well-Being, Health Professionals, Sports Performance, Workplace Performance, and Testing and Learning.
• The Coherence Coach™ teaches stress reduction and trains you to find "The Zone".
• Emotion Visualizer™ displays colorful images which change as you change your emotional state.
• Interactive games help you transform stress into creative energy.



• An integrated music player and improved audio feedback functionality.
• Integrated web access to online forums, troubleshooter and knowledgebase.
• Advanced data logging for pulse, inter-beat-intervals, power spectrum and more.
• New and improved tutorial and help system.
• and much more…

emWave PC collects information from your heart through a USB finger or ear-clip sensor that plugs into your computer and then translates that heart rhythm information into user-friendly graphics on your computer screen to help train you to relax and find "The Zone". As you reduce your stress, you see your heart rhythms change in real time as you move into a more balanced, productive mental state.

emWave PC allows you to track your progress and has three interactive games powered by your ability to transform stress into renewed energy. A new feature of emWave PC is its Emotion Visualizer, a practice application that provides images which adjust the degrees of color and movement as you adjust your emotional state.

If you purchased Freeze-Framer from us and are interested in a Software Upgrade Kit, please contact us.