Recently, scientists at MIT tested a specially-designed nutritional drink to see whether it could improve cognitive function in patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease. (Here’s an article in CNN on the subject.) The drink includes three key nutrients: uridine, choline (part of the vitamin B family) and DHA (an omega-3 fatty acid). These are nutrients that [...]

‘If you want to keep safe out there, you must use your peripheral vision.’ So said the mentor in the orange vest. I was in a crowd of about 100 cyclists who were about to embark on their first criterium bicycle race. Criteriums are circuit races that are held on short road circuits.  In this [...]

One of the reasons I like working at Posit Science is that they are committed to being a corporation that gives back to the community and the world at large. In November, the company donated $1 million worth of software to over 500 public libraries in Massachusetts. During the month of December, for every purchase [...]

A few months ago, my 6-year-old daughter was in the hospital. Her hospital roommate was a two-year-old girl with brain cancer.
I talked to this girl’s mother, and as it turned out, she had done everything she knew how to do to raise her daughter in an especially healthy environment. She and her husband had moved [...]

11:05 am: This session has now concluded. That is the end of my blogging from the Sharp Brains summit. All the best, Peter.
11:04 am: Dr. Stern believes that improving executive functioning performance with training can increase cognitive reserve. Improving cognitive reserve may delay or reverse the effects of aging.
10:56 am: Now speaking is Dr. Yaakov [...]

1:38 PM: That’s it for our live blog today- Peter Delahunt will start the live blogging tomorrow morning at 8 AM for Day 2 coverage.  We hope you enjoyed the live blog and that you’ll be back tomorrow!
1:35 PM: Elkhonon Goldberg is the Chief Scientific Advisor to SharpBrains. He begins by discussing the role of [...]

The evidence in favor of brain training just keeps rolling in: even a small amount of brain training in brain fitness software like InSight or DriveSharp can cut the crash risk of older driver’s in half. Don’t believe me? Check at this recent study presented at this year’s annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board [...]

I’ve been reading a fascinating book called Traffic by Tom Vanderbilt.  He writes about many of the challenges that driving presents to the brain.  In one section he quotes a survey of a road in Maryland where information is presented to the driver every two feet (think of traffic signs, road markings, stoplights, street names… not [...]

Recently Alvaro Fernandez of SharpBrains interviewed Dr. Michael Merzenich about his thoughts on a variety of topics, from safe driving to personal brain trainers to lifelong cognitive vitality. They also discussed Dr. Merzenich’s vision of a future filled with personal brain trainers and and improved cognitive assessments. You can read the full article (and a [...]

In my last post I said that a CEO should be focused on just a few things:

Clear strategy with common understanding among all team members
Shared vision on the objectives and priorities that align with that strategy
Ensure the company has sufficient resources to pursue the strategy
Resources are allocated to create the best possible balance between short [...]