Mental/brain capitalism@AlvaroF, 11/30/11 9:14 AM

Alvaro Fernandez (@AlvaroF) 11/30/11 9:14 AM Update: Time to become mental capitalists and invest in our brains? #constantcontact conta.cc/tsQM56

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Kevin McGrew, PhD

Educational Psychologist

Brain training fitness wars begin

A small brain fitness war started this week, with the opening (and negative) salvo the report of a large-scale BBC study reported at the BPS Blog (Brain training games don't work).  Of course, the report caught on with a number of stories in various media (Nature release;  Wall Street Journal).

IMHO, the best response, with many valid criticisms of the research, comes from the best brain training fitness source on the net....Sharp Brains.  Be sure to read their response prior to forming an opinion.  I tend to side with Sharp Brains on this debate.

Technorati Tags: educational psychology, school psychology, neuropsychology, cognition, intelligence, brain fitness, brain training, Sharp Brains, cognitive enhancement

Neuroplasticity and clinical and educational interventions @ SharpBrains

Interesting post at Sharp Brains on clinical and educational interventions and neuroplasticity.

Sharp Brains brain fitness book

SharpBrains, the leading independent source on the rapidly growing brain fitness market, has just published its first book:

The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness:  18 Interviews with Scientists, Practical Advice, and Product Reviews, To Keep Your Brain Sharp

Check it out.

Technorati Tags: psychology, school psychology, educational psychology, education, neuropsychology, neurotechnology, brain fitness, Sharp Brains

Sharp Brains April brain fitnesss roundup

The #1 independent source on the growing field of brain fitness (Sharp Brains) has posted its "April Roundup" of interesting articles, reports, etc.  Check it out.

Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, school psychology, neuropsychology, neurotechnology, brain fitness, Sharp Brains

Brain fitness tipping point ?

Interesting post at SHARP BRAINS

http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2009/01/19/brain-fitness-training-heads-towards-its-tipping-point/

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Top 10 SharpBrains brain fitness books

http://m.beta.bloglines.com/items?mode=unread&subid=39777030&sort=desc

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Best brain fitness 2008

Thanks to SHARP BRAINS for being the best brain fitness resource of
the year.

http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2008/12/31/brain-fitness-update-best-of-2008/

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2008 top 10 cognitive fitness events

A usual a great post at SHARP BRAINS.

http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2008/12/02/top-10-cognitive-fitness-events-of-2008-webinar/

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Global brain fitness consortium

As usual another great post from SHARP BRAINS.

http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2008/10/30/update-global-consortium-for-neurocognitive-fitness-innovation/

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Brain teasers

From the always great Sharp Brains

http://m.beta.bloglines.com/items?mode=unread&subid=39777030&sort=desc

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Sharp Brains news

I have an FYI feed on my two major blogs that provides constant
updates from their blog. Occassionally I like to feature a post or
two. The link below should take you to an important post regarding a
new research sponsorship program they have just announced.

http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2008/10/14/announcing-the-premium-research-sponsors-program/

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Implications of major brain research

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> Another great summary post from SHARP BRAINS.
>
> http://m.beta.bloglines.com/items?mode=unread&subid=39777030&sort=desc
>
>
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Video games help your brain?

Interesting post from SHARP BRAINS.

http://www.sharpbrains.com/blog/2008/08/24/videogames-for-cognitive-training/

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SharpBrains Update: Emerging Tools, Not Magic Pills

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From: SharpBrains

June 2008 #1

SharpBrains Brain Fitness Newsletter Dear Friend Brain Fitness Webinar Series: Our first Brain Fitness Webinar Series was a success with several hundred participants and great feedback. If you could not participate, you can still review the presentation slides by clicking Here. A key message from the series: it is exciting that our brains remain more flexible, at all ages, than was once thought possible. The implications? Every single owner of a brain can benefit from learning more about how to maintain the "It" in "Use It or Lose It." And which tools, if any, can be helpful. But, remember, there are no magic pills for cognitive health and performance. Market News National Neurotechnology Initiative: Neurotech leaders ask for help to support a pending bill on funding for applications of brain research. Lumos Labs raises $3 m in venture capital: This website provides a stimulating user experience at a reasonable cost. However, there is no clinical validation showing the efficacy of their specific brain training program. If you are in the market for programs than make brain-related claims, please check out our 10-Question Evaluation Checklist. Click Here. Report for Brain Fitness Centers: We are happy to see more organizations, from retirement communities to health systems, benefit from our market report to navigate the brain fitness field and make better informed decisions. Research Executive Functions, Education and Alzheimer's Disease: What we find exciting is the growing amount of research showing how specific cognitive skills (attention, memory, etc....) can be improved. An important reason why the search for a "magic pill" will prove elusive is because there is a variety of brain structures and functions to care care of, not just one. An area that deserves more attention: our frontal lobes and so-called executive functions. Promising Cognitive Training Studies for ADHD: Dr. David Rabiner reports the results from two recent scientific studies highlighting that "cognitive training interventions may provide an important complement to traditional medication treatment and behavior therapy" to help children with attention deficits. Education Cognitive and Emotional Development Through Play: Enough about "exercise" and "training". Dr. David Elkind, author of The Power of Play: Learning That Comes Naturally, discusses the need to build a more "playful culture." Health and Wellness Physical or Mental Exercise for Brain Health?: Both are important. Advice for a couch potato: Be Active. For a teenager: Don't Drop Out of School, Go To College. For a middle age person: Make Sure you Have a Stimulating Job. For a retired person: Find and Try to Master A New Hobby Every Few Years. Professional Development Your Trading Brain: Expert or Novice: Information is power, yet, how often do we ask ourselves, "how does my brain work?". Trader and neuropsychologist Dr. Janice Dorn provides an in-depth discussion to help traders make better decisions and be more successful. Brain Teasers Brain Games: Spot the Difference. You can exercise your brain without spending a dime. In fact, you may well already be. We hope you enjoy this newsletter. Please stay tuned for the next one at the end of June. It will include a fascinating interview with Dr. Arthur Kramer on the cognitive benefits of physical exercise and his cutting-edge cognitive training work with the Navy and air controllers. Have a stimulating week! The SharpBrains Team email: afernandez@sharpbrains.com phone: (415) 318.3467 web: http://www.sharpbrains.com

Brain fitness report accolades

More deserved praise for Sharp Brains recent brain fitness software market report. Check link below.

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Brain health fitness industry summary

Excellent summary of the state-of-the-art of the brain fitness industry at Sharp Brains.

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Can we train Gf (fluid IQ)?

Check out the following from one of my favorite blogs- Sharp Brains:

• "A recent scientific study is being welcomed as a landmark that shows how fluid intelligence can be improved through training. I interviewed one of the researchers recently (Can Intelligence Be Trained? Martin Buschkuehl shows how), and contributor Dr. Pascale Michelon adds her own take with the great article that follows. Enjoy!"

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More on brain fitness buzz

Another article in the New York Times re: the growing brain fitness market/movement.

Technorati Tags: psychology, neuropsychology, neurotechnology, neuroscience, brain fitness

State of the brain fitness software revolution

Brain fitness. Clearly a hot buzz phrase the past few years. What does it mean? What is happening? Where is it headed? Should I purchase some of the advertised software/technology to keep my mind fresh and protected from the influence of aging? Curious minds want to know...and Sharp Brains has provided the most comprehensive synthesis of the brain fitness software field to date.

As mentioned previously, Sharp Brains recently published "State of the Brain Fitness Software Market 2008." Before proceeding I need to mention that, IMHO, the Sharp Brains organization is the leading critical voice in the field of brain fitness. I've often called them the Ralph Nader of brain fitness. Thus, I believe their first "state of the market" report should receive serious attention by anyone interested in this emerging field. It is my understanding that a similar hardware report is in development. I can't wait!

It is not possible to summarize the information packed 87-paged report in a blog post, so I'll only provide a few tidbits.

First, as stated at the Sharp Brain web page:

• The report tracks developments at over 20 public and private companies offering tools to assess and train brain functions and provides important industry data, insights and analysis to help investors, executives, entrepreneurs, and policy makers navigate the opportunities and risks of this rapidly growing market. The report discusses the implications of cognitive science on healthy aging and a number of disorders such as attention deficits, dyslexia, stroke and traumatic brain injury, schizophrenia, autism, mild cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer’s disease. The report also provides information and frameworks to help institutional buyers make informed purchase decisions about brain fitness programs.

A few (select) highlights:

• Revenues for the US brain fitness software market was estimated to reach $225 million in revenues in 2007...reflecting a large increase from $100 million in 2005. Clearly the brain fitness movement has reached and passed the tipping point.
• Considerable confusion exists in the market. Many products and claims proliferate, but, according to Sharp Brains, only five programs have demonstrated positive cognitive effects in tightly controlled research studies (e.g., studies that use randomized controlled trials). Readers are encouraged to visit the Sharp Brains web page and blog for objective evaluations of new and emerging brain fitness product claims.
  
• The consumer brain fitness market showed significant gains from 2005 to 2007 (from a few million in 2005 to $80 million). Consumers should expect an increasing array of products directly targeted at the end-user consumer. Expect a number of new software and technology start up companies to join the bandwagon this year.
  
• Nintendo's Brain Age and training games are credited as being one of the major forces in the increased interest in brain fitness.
• There are four primary customer segments: consumers, healthcare & insurance providers, K12 school systems, and fortune 1000 companies, military,and sports teams.
• Does any of this glitzy stuff work? It depends. As is the case with most cognitive or educational interventions, short-term (proximal) improvement (measured in weeks) is often demonstrated. However, the evidence for long-term (distal) improvement and maintenance is minimal to none, and consists largely of circumstantial evidence. Long-term improvement due to cognitive-based interventions has been one of the more elusive searches for the holy grail in the area of intelligence.
  

I could go on, and on, and on. If you are interested in capturing an accurate picture of the state of the brain software research and market there is only one option...purchase their report. The report is organized into seven chapters:

• Why now? Market Overview
• The Science of Brain Fitness: Neuroplasticity, Neurogenisis and the Cognitive Reserve
• Consumers--Taking Charge of Their Brain Health
• Healthcare and Insurance Providers--Focus on Preventive Health
• K12 School Systems--Responding to Learning Disabilities in New Ways
• Fortune 1000 Companies, Military and Sports Teams--Improving Productivity
• Future Directions: Market trends 2007-20015.

Other brain-related blogs have commented on this report. For example, check out the Brain Injury News and Information Blog.

Finally, given that I'm an educational psychologist who has consulted on a research project (using randomized control and treatment groups) that demonstrated short-term (proximal) positive academic effects for the Interactive Metronome technology (click here for more information and here for conflict of interest disclosure), I was most interested in the conclusion that the K-12 educational market "remains largely untapped due to limited research linking cognitive training to academic performance." I hope this changes. I predict that there will be increased interest in the application of brain fitness software and hardware in the K-12 school-age market, most likely driven first by parents purchasing products in hopes of improving the educational performance of their children.


Technorati Tags: psychology, educational psychology, school psychology, neuropsychology, neurotechnology, brain fitness, Sharp Brains, software, intelligence, IQ, Interactive Metronome