As you may have seen, this week we announced a relationship with the French National Research Center and the Pierre & Marie Curie University (UPMC) at La Pitié-Salpétrière Hospital in Paris. The research program aims to measure the positive effects of HAPPYneuron‘s products on the cognitive rehabilitation of patients suffering from depression and Alzheimer’s disease. We are talking not just about preventative training activities to defer the onset of age related brain decline, but the actual regaining of cognitive function through rehabilitation. This is a very exciting prospect for so many who suffer from the debilitating effects of Alzheimer’s disease.

The team at the Pierre & Marie Curie University Hospital are indeed dedicated and committed to this project which we are very optimistic about the positive outcomes and we are excited to be working hand-in-hand with them.

A second objective of the collaboration is to develop distance therapy procedures that can be applied and used by practitioners in the rehabilitation of patients without the patient’s need too visit the doctor’s office in person. This will have huge implications for people located in rural areas and those that may be house bound or find it difficult to get to a doctor’s office for therapy. For the medical practitioner, the goal is to guide the patient’s therapy through phone interaction with the assistance of a cognitive informational dashboard to assess the patient’s compliance and progress.

Lastly, we expect to focus on further research on emotional rehabilitation.

We look forward to sharing the results of this research as it evolves.

I was reading a government report on aging related statistics, and was intrigued to note that about 15% of men aged 65+ report memory loss compared with only 11% of women of the same age group and the gap widens significantly after the age of 85. So I ponder….why is it that women have a higher propensity to take preventative measures to engage in brain training at higher rate then men, with a view to staying sharp and deferring decline? So here’s a brain teaser - which is the cause and which is the effect? Interested in your thoughts…

AMERICANS may worry about heart disease, stroke and diabetes, but they downright dread Alzheimer’s disease, a recent survey found. For good reason. One in eight adults over 65 is affected by the disease.

Those who are spared know they may end up with the burden of caring for a parent or a spouse who is affected. Even though the number of older adults with dementias is rising rapidly, only a few drugs that have been approved to treat symptoms are on the market, and they slow down the disease but do not cure it. Researchers, however, are more optimistic than ever about the potential of the aging brain, because recent evidence has challenged long-held beliefs by demonstrating that the brain can grow new nerve cells and that Brain Training can be a big help. Read the informative New York Times article here…..

I thought to share with you a recent interview with Founder Dr. Bernard Croisile, Neurologist, Neuropsychologist and Happy Neuron’s Chief Scientist, about age related brain decline and what can be done.

As we age, what issues do people most complain about?

When we age, certain cognitive difficulties are usually more annoying than really hindering. These difficulties are usually due to a greater sensitivity to interferences (noise, conversations with several persons), a lesser attention and greater amount of time to simultaneously analyze several pieces of informations (cooking and understanding a slightly technical conversation at the same time). Information processing is often more superficial, organizing and sorting data to be memorized occurs more slowly and producing mental images becomes more difficult. Hence, it can become more difficult to remember information and it takes more time to recall memories (names) or recent events (e.g. the reason why you actually went into a room).

Why should cognitive abilities be trained?

By training cognitive abilities, the difficulties we sometimes painfully experience in everyday life can be corrected. Studies have also shown that rich and varied cognitive stimulation can delay onsets of age related decline and Alzheimer’s Disease by a number years. Cognitive training consists of reinforcing brain plasticity which forms new connections between brain neurons, strengthens neural networks and, as scientists have recently discovered, regenerate new neural pathways.

How can cognitive functions be trained?

For a start, simple things such as having a rich social life, reading, doing crosswords or playing cards, cooking or gardening, already constitute natural and effective stimulation situations. Most important are variety, enthusiasm and motivation. However, one should be aware that cognitive functions cannot be trained like leg muscles. Even if playing bridge stimulates long-term memory for game rules and crosswords train word memory (spelling, definitions), playing cards will not help anyone find their keys or their car! It is therefore necessary to train all aspects of cognitive functions, especially those neglected by the routine of hobbies we are accustomed to. It should also added that training can only relevant when the lessons learned are applied to everyday life.

How often should one perform focused brain exercises?

We advise two to three training sessions a week, of about 45 minutes each, in order to maintain interest and alertness. Variety and frequency are most important.

When should one start worrying and see a doctor?

Memory difficulties occur at any age and under any circumstances: remembering a surname or a recipe, finding one’s glasses… These difficulties are just ordinary consequences of normal aging or of a fragile emotional state. Difficulties to concentrate are often due to anxiety, depression and stress. However, when aging, cultural knowledge and automatic movements (riding a bike, playing tennis, driving a car…) are not forgotten. Many of our actions are also often automatic, which explains the fact that one cannot always remember properly whether they have locked their door or not.

One should start worrying , as soon as these difficulties become a real handicap in daily life and occur repeatedly, such as people who cannot manage their schedule or budget any more, who always get lost and systematically forget what they have been told. In such a situation, one should seek medical advice to decide whether the person needs to see a neurologist or a geriatrician.

Thank you Dr. Croisile.

We are happy to offer this new game for preview to our members. Click here, login and play!

Game Description
Learn to recognize bird species by their song. You’ll need to discriminate between images of different species of birds and also between different types of songs. At times, these differences may be subtle, which makes this task especially challenging.

Cognitive Function Trained
This is a cross-modal task mainly involving the right tempo-parietal regions of the brain. The purpose of this game is to draw upon our working memories of visual and auditory characteristics of each bird, to practice visual-spatial scanning of the images on the screen, and to practice concentration for this type of material. In some cases, deductive reasoning is needed in order to choose the right match, eliminating the choices that have already been made and those that are most obviously wrong.

Benefit to Daily Life
In an increasingly noisy world, the ability to detect meaningful sounds in the midst of general background noise becomes very important. Our ability to distinguish such sounds can become less precise as we age. This game helps train the characteristics necessary to stay sharp in this area.

Young brains are plastic. This means that they can change and reorganize to adapt to deficits. Is it the case for older brains as well? Recent research suggests that the answer is yes!

Dilks, from John Hopkins University, and his colleagues, studied the brain of a stroke patient (B.L.). Behavioral and brain imaging evidence showed that reorganization had occurred in B.L.’s visual cortex following his stroke. This study, published in September 2007, was the first to show plasticity in this part of the adult brain.

Evidence for plasticity in the adult brain is great news for brain fitness! Healthy and fit brains may be more plastic, and thus more resistant to deficits caused by age and age-related diseases.
So… keep exercising your brain!

Read the original article here

Happy Neuron is proud to be selected, from a pool of 74 amazing entries, as a finalist in a competition entitled Why Games Matter: A Prescription for Improving Health and Health Care facilitated by Changemakers and the prestigious Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

This is a collaborative venture that showcases innovative and creative solutions that merge computer and video games with health and health care. The winner of the competition will be offered a wealth of resources including ideas, finances, and human capital in order to take their innovation to scale around the world. We invite you to be part of the decision making process.

The competition is open for voting now and the winners are announced November 7th. Any registered user can vote on the competition entries. Registration is open to the public and is FREE.

To register for FREE and vote click here…

Click on “Use it or Lose it! Brain Training for a better quality of life with age, By Happy Neuron Inc.”, read about it and vote.

Thanks for your support.

The question often arises whether elderly people who are unfamiliar with computers might become hesitant or discouraged when they attempt to engage in cognitive training exercises. Just the process of mastering computer access, even with just one application, can be a huge confidence building opportunity, which itself boosts brain stimulation.

Although elders may need more time, patience and assistance in learning computer systems, many are embracing this new technology. The use of Happy Neuron games via computer is part of the novel experience and learning process that one needs on a daily basis to maintain optimal mental health. It is in itself a cognitive stimulating activity.

Furthermore, computers and internet access have been widely argued to be vital to the quality of life of elders. Computers are touted as a means to minimize social isolation among elders who no longer participate in community activities as much as they use to. In addition, studies have showed that the use of computers can enhance self-esteem, meets needs for fun and mental stimulation, improves competencies and autonomy, and increases social interaction (i.e. correspondence via e-mail). It can also decrease levels of depression, loneliness, and stress (Billipp, 2001; White et al., 2002).

In essence, computers can provide an outlet for seniors to improve their psychological well-being and the benefits of learning a new skill can be significant. You’re never too old to learn something new. Your brain will thank you for it.

Late last week, I read an interesting article posted by Mobile Crunch, a blog site focused on trends in the mobile wireless world. They reported on a study by the International Journal of Neuroscience that shares it’s recent finding on a study of 300 mobile phone users and the effects on the brain. Read their summary of that report here….

.

Brain Activity Reduces risk of Developing Neurodegenerative Diseases

A new study now confirms our beliefs: Train your brain on a regular basis and you should be able to considerably reduce risks to develop Alzheimer’s disease.

In Chicago, a major 5 year project that studied over 700 patients aged 80 and over has just come to an end and the medical team’s findings are unequivocal: an elderly person not practicing a brain activity is 2.6 times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than a person with regular and stimulating brain activities such as reading, writing, listening to music or any other cultural activity.

The study also emphasizes the fact that these observations still apply when the activity is only taken up at an advanced age.

So it may never be too late to start training!

source: Reuters Health, Neurology 27, 2007