Presentation by co-authors Alvaro Fernandez and Dr. Elkhonon Goldberg of book: The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness: 18 Interviews with Scientists, Practical Advice, and Product Reviews, To Keep Your Brain Sharp (May 2009; $24.95) More info at: http://www.sharpbrains.com/book/ Description: While most of us have heard the phrase “use it or lose it,” very few understand what “it” means, or how to properly “use it” in order to maintain brain function and fitness. The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness is an invaluable guide that helps readers navigate growing brain research and identify the lifestyle factors and products that contribute to brain fitness. By gathering insights from eighteen of the world’s top scientists and offering tools and detailed descriptions of over twenty products, this book is an essential guide to the field of brain fitness, neuroplasticity and cognitive health. An accessible and thought-provoking read, The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness educates lifelong learners and professionals in healthcare, education, business, etc., on emerging trends and forecasts of what the future will hold.

2. Webinar agenda (July 21st, 2009) 5-10 min: Introduction and Context, by Dr. Elkhonon Goldberg 40 min: Book discussion, led by Alvaro Fernandez 10-15 min: Q&A © SharpBrains

6. What is this? How many do we have? © SharpBrains

7. A complex system Breathing, movement Goal-oriented behavior, thinking Emotions, memory Source: Rita Carter, Mapping the Mind © SharpBrains

8. Parts of the cortex © SharpBrains Decision making, planning, social behavior, emotion, memory... Spatial processing, attention, manipulation of objects Vision Memory, language, hearing, object perception by Morphonix

9. Debunking 10 Myths © SharpBrains. 1. Genes determine the fate of our brains. 2. Aging means automatic decline. 3. Medication is the only hope for cognitive enhancement. 4. We will soon have a Magic Pill or General Solution. 5. There is only one “it” in “Use It or Lose it”. 6. All brain activities or exercises are equal. 7. After age X, no new neurons are generated in the human brain. 8. We all have something called “Brain Age”. 9. That “brain age” can be reversed by 10, 20, 30 years. 10. All human brains need the same mental exercise.

11. What is attention and how to train it © SharpBrains “… we have found no ceiling for abilities such as attention, including among adults. The more training, even with normal people, the higher the results.“ - Dr. Michael Posner, Emeritus Professor at the University of Oregon, and first recipient of the Dogan Prize

12. What is lifelong learning? © SharpBrains “ Learning is physical. Learning means the modification, growth, and pruning of our neurons, connections–called synapses– and neuronal networks, through experience...When we do so, we are cultivating our own neuronal networks . We become our own gardeners ” - Dr. James Zull, Professor of Biology and Biochemistry at Case Western University

13. Learning and the brain © SharpBrains “ It seems clear that there are important skills that can be trained , that make for a better and more successful human being - such as the ability to defer gratification, sequencing, emotional intelligence, improved working memory, vocabulary, and processing skills. However, the type of assessments used today to measure schools' performance don't focus on these." - Eric Jensen, founder of Learning Brain Expo.

14. Cognition and Brain development © SharpBrains Parenting, mentoring, teaching, and mass media are examples of the cultural systems that humans have developed to help young people master the knowledge and skills they need to survive and thrive in complex environments. " - Dr. Robert Sylwester, Emeritus Professor of Education at the University of Oregon

15. Recovering from traumatic brain injury © SharpBrains “ There is much more optimism and hope today …about how many traumatic brain injury patients can improve, if given the opportunity to, through a supportive environment and physical and cognitive therapy ." - Lee Woodruff, co-author of In An Instant with husband, reporter and TBI survivor Bob Woodruff

19. What is this? © SharpBrains

20. Building a cognitive reserve to delay Alzheimer’s symptoms © SharpBrains “ Individuals who lead mentally stimulating lives, through education, occupation and leisure activities, have reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s symptoms. Studies suggest that they have 35-40% less risk of manifesting the disease ” - Dr. Yaakov Stern, Division Leader of the Cognitive Neuroscience Division of the Sergievsky Center at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, New York.

22. Why we need both physical and mental exercise © SharpBrains “ Ideally, combine both physical and mental stimulation along with social interactions . Why not take a good walk with friends to discuss a book? We lead very busy lives, so the more integrated and interesting activities are, the more likely we will do them." - Dr. Arthur Kramer, Professor of Psychology and Director of the Biomedical Imaging Center at the University of Illinois

23. Healthy aging enhanced with computer-based programs © SharpBrains "What was very surprising was that there was also a clear benefit in auditory memory, which wasn’t directly trained. In other words, people who were 75-years-old performed auditory memory tasks as well as average 65-year-olds, so we can say they reversed 10 years of aging for that cognitive ability ." - Dr. Liz Zelinski, Professor of Psychology at the University of Southern California Andrus Gerontology Center

25. Mental Exercise vs. Mental Activity Source: Maguire, Woollett, & Spiers, 2006 © SharpBrains If you lived in London, and wanted to grow your hippocampus, which job would you choose?

26. The link between brain training and weight loss. © SharpBrains "Today, thanks to fMRI and other neuroimaging techniques, we are starting to understand the impact our actions can have on specific parts of the brain.“ - Dr. Judith S. Beck, Director of the Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research, and author of The Beck Diet Solution: Train Your Brain to Think Like a Thin Person

27. The value of meditation © SharpBrains “… the reality is that meditation requires practice and dedication. It is not an easy fix… You need to match practice with need: understand the specific goals you have in mind, your schedule and lifestyle, and find something practical.” - Dr. Andrew Newberg, Associate Professor in the Department of Radiology and Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania

28. Achieving peak performance in high-pressure professions © SharpBrains “ Elite performers are distinguished by the structuring of their learning process… It is important to understand the role of emotions : they are not “bad”. They are very useful signals. It is important to become aware of them to avoid being engulfed by them, and learn how to manage them .” - Dr. Brett Steenbarger, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, SUNY Medical University

29. Can intelligence be trained? © SharpBrains “ (What surprised us the most was) the clear transfer into fluid intelligence , which many researchers and psychologists take as fixed. Second, I was surprised to see that the more training the better the outcome. The improvements did not seem to peak early. Third, that all trained groups improved , no matter their respective starting points". - Dr. Martin Buschkuehl, Researcher at University of Michigan

30. Working memory training at a pediatrician office © SharpBrains “ I don't see that schools are applying the best knowledge of how minds work . Schools should be the best place for applied neuroscience, taking the latest advances in cognitive research and applying it to the job of educating minds.” - Dr. Arthur Lavin, Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at Case Western School of Medicine

37. Applications for computer-based cognitive simulations. © SharpBrains “ What research has shown is that cognition, or what we call thinking and performance, is really a set of skills that we can train systematically . And that computer-based cognitive trainers or “cognitive simulations” are the most effective and efficient way to do so.” - Dr. Daniel Gopher, Director of the Research Center for Work Safety and Human Engineering at Technion Institute of Science

38. Promise for children with attention deficits © SharpBrains “ Cognitive training rests on solid premises, and some programs already have very promising research results .” – Dr. David Rabiner, Senior Research Scientist and the Director of Psychology and Neuroscience Undergraduate Studies at Duke University

39. Working Memory Training © SharpBrains “ We have shown that working memory can be improved by training... I think that we are seeing the beginning of a new era of computerized training for a wide range of applications” – Dr. Torkel Klingberg, Director of the Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Lab at Karolinska Institute

40. Improving driving skills © SharpBrains “… a crossword puzzle is not a form of cognitive training . It can be stimulating, but it is not a form of structured mental exercise that has been shown to improve specific cognitive skills." - Dr. Jerri Edwards, Associate Professor at University of South Florida's School of Aging Studies