By now, you surely are aware that our brains retain the
ability to generate neurons and change over our lifetimes,
breaking the scientific paradigm prevalent during the 20th
century. And you have read about the growing number of
brain games and brain fitness programs offered. Now, you
may wonder, why is all this happenning now?
To understand that, let's review 10 important events that
took place in 2007, a seminal year for the field.
1.In January, many mainstream media publications, such as
Time Magazine and CBS News, started to publish major
stories on neuroplasticity and "brain exercise", following
the publication of the ACTIVE study, in the Journal of the
American Medical Association in December 2006, where
significant percentages of the participants age 65 and
older who trained for five weeks improved their memory,
reasoning and information-processing speed. Even more
impressive, when tested five years later, the participants
in the computer-based program (for information-processing)
had less of a decline in the skill they were trained in
than did a control group that received no cognitive
training, and the results were more clear and consistent
than in the non-computer-based programs (for memory and
reasoning). In all programs, though, the payoff from mental
exercise seemed far greater than we are accustomed to
getting for physical exercise — as if 10 workouts at
the gym this month were enough to help keep you fit five
years from now.
2.January: two superb popular science books, Train Your
Mind, Change Your Brain (Ballantine Books) by science
journalist Sharon Begley, and The Brain That Changes Itself
(Viking) by psychiatrist Norman Doidge, make
neuroplasticity research accessible to a general audience,
exploring the research and rationale behind a variety of
structured "mental exercise" programs, both computer-based
and not (like meditation).
3.May: A 10-question Checklist is released to evaluate the
growing number of programs making brain-related claims, at
an event co-sponsored by the American Society on Aging and
SFSU Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.
4.June: The Journal of Gerontology publishes a special
Summer Issue fully devoted to Cognitive Training research
studies.
5.June: Nicole Kidman becomes the face of "Brain Training",
highlighting the commercial success of Nintendo Brain Age
in the US and Europe, following the previous success in
Japan. Brain Training becomes a household expression.
6.June: The Center for Disease Control and the Alzheimer's
Association release a Cognitive Health Roadmap to guide the
growing research and improve public health education in
order to "To maintain or improve the cognitive performance
of all adults."
7.September: Susan Greenfield, neuroscientist and Director
of the Royal Institution in the UK, endorses MindFit
program, which trains 14 different cognitive skills.
8.November: At the Gerontology Society of American meeting
in San Francisco, Dr. Elizabeth Zelinski of the University
of Southern California Andrus Gerontology Center, who led
the IMPACT study based on Posit Science's program that
trains auditory processing, reports very positive initial
(not yet published) results.
9.November: The Brain Resource Company, specialized in
developing cognitive assessments for clinical trials, signs
a multi-million dollar contract with an insurance company
to develop more sensitive diagnostic brain "markers" and
assessments to enable wider adoption of cognitive
assessments.
10.December: PBS releases an special program on
neuroplasticity, featuring Michael Merzenich's research
and Posit Science Brain Fitness 2.0 program.
Now you see why this field is growing so rapidly. Please
stay tuned!
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Alvaro Fernandez is the CEO and Co-Founder of
SharpBrains.com, which covers the brain training and brain
health fields. SharpBrains has been recognized by
Scientific American Mind, Newsweek, Forbes. Alvaro holds MA
in Education and MBA from Stanford University, and teaches
The Science of Brain Health at UC-Berkeley Lifelong
Learning Institute. You can learn more at
http://www.sharpbrains.com/
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