Programs focus on brain fitness
March 20th 2010 14:37
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By Helen Dennis
This week's column continues our discussion of brain health, a topic raised by reader M.K.
The subject of brain health is an exploding area for research, service and business. And the good news is that we have some influence over our cognitive abilities as we age.
Here is some information on some brain fitness programs developed by companies in the U.S. and abroad. It is offered as information, rather than an endorsement:
Posit Science: Founded in 2005, this San Francisco company bases its program on the work of more than 50 scientists in the U.S., Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Its computer-based brain fitness program targets neurological processes necessary for accurate listening, effective thinking and strong memory.
The program consists of six core exercises that encourage faster sound processing to the brain; give the brain practice distinguishing between similar sounds; aim to improve memory; push the brain to remember information in order; work on short-term memory; and promote remembering details.
Posit Science also has a DriveSharp program designed to help older people drive more safely, with exercises that include improving focus, reaction time and memory.
CogniFit: Established in Israel in 1999, this company offers a computer-training program called CogniFit Personal Coach. The program, based on 30 years of scientific research, consists of a baseline assessment, results analysis
and individualized training components designed to provide improvement specifically where needed.
Fourteen cognitive abilities are identified as essential for daily functioning. Among them are reaction time, short-term memory and spatial perception.
CogniFit also has a Senior Driving Program designed to help people maintain their driving skills as they age, focusing on 10 cognitive abilities related to driving.
NeoCORTA: Founded in 2008 in Washington, D.C., this company has a mission to empower adults of all ages to optimize their brain fitness. The program is based on 200 scientific studies.
Adults answer a brain fitness questionnaire measuring 32 key areas related to cognition, emotion, lifestyle and behaviors, psychosocial factors, medical status and functional status. Results are sent to NeoCORTA, where they are analyzed.
Based on those results, a Personal Brain Fitness Report is created, reviewed by a clinician (board certified in neurology and psychiatry), and a personalized action plan is developed.
Brain Age: This Nintendo program was inspired by the work of prominent Japanese neuroscientist Ryuta Kawashima. It is based on solving simple math problems, counting currency and unscrambling letters on the Nintendo DS touch screen. (You have to purchase the touch screen and game.)
Participants take a series of tests, with the score determining brain age; activities are provided and progression is tracked.
Lumosity's Brain Games: These games focus on speed, memory, attention and flexibility, with game titles such as Birdwatching, Raindrops, Lost in Migration and Word Bubbles. The program offers assessments and a brain profile.
How does one choose a computer-based brain fitness program? Forbes magazine published this list of 10 questions to ask, courtesy of SharpBrains, a marketing and research firm within the brain fitness industry:
Are scientists, ideally neurologists, behind the program?
What peer-reviewed research supports the program?
Is there a scientific advisory board listed on the company's Web site?
What are the specific benefits claimed for those who use the program?
Does the program indicate what part of the brain is exercised and what cognitive function it can improve?
Is it a structured program with guidance on how many hours and days per week to use it?
Do the exercises in the program teach me something new?
Does the program challenge me so it's never too easy and keeps me interested?
Does the program fit my goals?
Am I ready and willing to do the program, or would it be too stressful?
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Comment by signals
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Good for talking about brain health, katyzzz. In 2020 Alzheimer's will become the biggest health problem in the US.
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