alvaro fernandez on brainf fitness

Brain Fitness for Peak Health and Performance

November 20th , 2008 Alvaro Fernandez

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What do you see?

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Overview of session

I. The Brain 101

II. What is “Brain Fitness”, and Why it Matters

III. A growing technology-enabled market

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What is this? How many do we have? How many connections can each have?

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Use It or Lose It

Source: New Horizons for Learning

Each brain is unique

The brain is made up of a hundred billion neurons. Each neuron can have between 1 and 10,000 connections to other neurons.

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The “3 brains”

1) Reptilian: breathing, movement

3) “Human”: thoughts

2) Mammalian: emotions, memory

Graph by Rita Carter, Mapping the Mind

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Parts of the cortex

Frontal Lobe Goal-oriented thinking and behavior.

Parietal Lobe Sensory information, orientation, calculation.

Temporal Lobe Auditory.

Occipital Lobe Visual.

Graph by Morphonix© SharpBrains.

The need for lifelong learning

Graph by Elkhonon Goldberg, The Wisdom Paradox

Encoding Encoding

Retrieval

The Memory Process

The “sins” of memory…and why “sins” may not be sins

Transience: adapt to new demands Absent-mindness: avoid information overload

and fragmentation Misattribution: encode information selectively

and efficiently Bias: facilitate emotional well-being Blocking: stress blocks memory to favor

action.

Source: Daniel Schacter, The Seven Sins of Memory

Overview of session

I. The Brain 101



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The Science of Brain Fitness

Neuroplasticity: the brain retains a lifelong capacity to change responding to experience.

Neuroimaging enables the scientific exploration of the live brain.

Cognition is a core set of brain functions-not just one. Some cognitive functions improve as we age – others typically

decline. The four “pillars” of brain health: nutrition, physical exercise,

stress management and brain exercise. Software-based applications can help assess and/ or train

specific brain functions. Cognitive assessments will become critical to identify

bottlenecks and measure progress. Cross-training the brain builds up the Brain/ Cognitive reserve. This is still an emerging field: much more research needs to be

done.

What is Brain Fitness/ a “sharp brain”

The general state of feeling alert, in control, productive, especially as the result of mental and physical exercise and proper nutrition.

Having the mental abilities required to function in society, in our occupations, in our communities.

It is not about “IQ”. It is about skills such as attention, memory, emotional self-regulation, planning, resist temptations…

Can it be measured today? Yes, but only by neuropsychologists and researchers. We expect to see cheaper and widely available assessments (perhaps via a 30-40 minute set of online assessments) over the next few years.

We each build our own Brain Reserve

To maximize chances of healthy aging, increasing focus on 4 main "brain health" pillars: a balanced diet physical exercise stress management brain exercise

Growing evidence suggests the earlier the better to build a Brain Reserve that may delay decline and problems such as Alzheimer's related symptoms. Studies have shown a risk reduction of up to 38% thanks to these lifestyle habits, with emphasis on physical and brain exercise.

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Working Memory capacity as we age

Source: Klingberg et al

Working Memory: the ability to keep several units of information “online”. For example, if I tell you know the 7 digits of my phone number.

Brain Reserve- Physical exercise

Enhances brain structure and function. Exercise improves learning through increased blood supply and growth hormones.

If you can only do one thing, focus on cardiovascular training—exercise that gets your heart beating faster, like walking, running, skiing, swimming, biking, hiking, tennis, basketball.


Brain Reserve- Good Nutrition

As a general guideline, what is good for your body is also good for your brain. Eat a variety of foods of different colors while avoiding foods with added ingredients or processed foods.

Add some cold-water fish to your diet (tuna, salmon, mackerel, halibut, sardines, and herring) which contain omega-3 fatty acids.

If you can only focus on one change, eat more vegetables, particularly leafy green ones.

Few supplements have shown long-term benefits on

memory and other cognitive functions.


Brain Reserve- Stress Management

Since chronic stress reduces and can even inhibit the creation of new neurons, stress management is important.

Practice meditation, yoga, or other calming activities as a way to take a relaxing time-out. If you want a more high-tech option, use biofeedback devices that measure heart rate variability and allow you to see your levels of stress in real-time.

If you can only do one thing, set aside 5-10 minutes to just breathe deeply and recharge.


Brain Reserve- Brain Exercise

Mental exercise enhances neuron survival and strengthen the synapses or connections among neurons.

The 3 key principles for good brain exercise are: 1. Novelty: you need to try new things, including things you

aren't good at. 2. Variety: given that the brain is composed of a variety of

functionally distinct areas, you need to ensure a complete mental “workout circuit” to maintain sharpness in all areas. Excessive specialization is not the best strategy for our long-term Brain Health.

3. Challenge: you need to be exposed to increasing levels of challenge, so the task is never too easy.

If you can only do one thing, learn something new every day.


What is this

Ideas to exercise our “mental muscles”

Motor coordination: learning how to dance, yoga, choreographed aerobics.

Emotions: meditation, cognitive therapy, biofeedback. Memory: categorize information, visualize links. Sensory: wine tasting, let a chocolate melt. Language: write a haiku, do a crossword, learn a language. Visual: guided imagery, reading “mental” maps when we

drive. Attention: meditation, writing/ using lists. Executive functions: setting up goals, follow-up on them,

make decisions.

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Overview of session

I. The Brain 101



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2007 welcomed an emerging cognitive/ brain fitness market.

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Sales of brain fitness products in the US more than doubled from 2005 to 2007: from estimated $100m to $225m. CAGR: 50%.

The number of people over 50 will double in 30 years. And it’s Baby Boomers.

Growing number of studies on the value of computer-based programs

Source: Klingberg et al.

Evaluation checklist (available at www.sharpbrains.com)

1. Are neuropsychologists behind the program

2. What peer-reviewed research supports it

3. Is there a solid Scientific Advisory Board

4. What are the specific benefits claimed

5. What cognitive function does it train

6. How many hours/ days per week to use it

7. Do the exercises teach something new

8. Always challenging

9. Does the program fit user’s specific goals

10. No stress

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Build a Brain Reserve based on these Pillars

1. A balanced diet

2. Cardiovascular physical exercise

3. Stress management

4. Brain exercise: Novelty, Variety, Challenge (that doesn’t stress us out)

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Predictions Brain Fitness Market 2008-2015

Cognitive/ Brain Fitness goes Mainstream1. Increasing Focus on Brain Maintenance2. Better Integration of Physical and Mental Exercise3. Public policy initiatives to drive adoption

Leveraging Better Tools4. Wide Use of Cognitive Assessments as Baseline5. More and Refined computer-based programs6. Low-tech options to play increasing role

A Growing Eco-System7. Health professionals will need Professional Development8. Insurance companies will introduce incentives9. Increased Transfer from military research and applications10. Corporate Wellness and Training adds a Brain component

© SharpBrains 2008

An Introduction to SharpBrains

Market Research and Advisory Services focused on applications of Cognitive Science and Neuroscience.

Co-Founded by neuroscientist Elkhonon Goldberg and executive Alvaro Fernandez.

Website & newsletter with many free resources:

http://www.sharpbrains.com Articles Teasers Interviews with scientists Newsletter

Contact: [email protected]

Who buys our research publications?

Venture Capital Aberdare Ventures Binnacle Capital Osmium Partners

Health systems Kaiser Permanente Sutter Health Memorial Hospital

Research centers US Army Research Lab Harvard Medical Schools Oregon Center for Applied

Science

Cognitive Training Posit Science Dakim NovaVision

Cognitive Assessments Brain Resource CogState

Other AARP Sunrise Senior Living

Industry-leading publications at http://www.sharpbrains.com/

State of the Brain Fitness Software

Market 2008 ($495)

Brain Fitness Centers in Seniors Housing – A Field

in the Making ($25)

10-Questions Checklist to Evaluate Programs Making Brain Fitness

Claims (Free)

SharpBrains.com is a leading Brain Fitness educational resource.

alvaro fernandez on brainf fitness

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