© 2012 Alexandra C. R.

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Is a Dubious ‘Brain Health Quiz’ Stoking Alzheimer’s Anxiety to Lure Patients? (Undark):

“…Alarmist medical advertising is pretty funny on television, but it can be far more troubling in real life. Although I’ve never been alerted to impending death, I recently received an advertisement from my own trusted health care provider warning that I may have Alzheimer’s disease, although I have no known symptoms and no complaints. Read the rest of this entry »

Quick heads-up about a timely conference taking place late next week.

What: This year the conference is completely devoted to virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) technologies and behavioral change, exploring the application of immersive technologies for treating and researching addictions, ADHD, anxiety, PTSD, psychosis, pain, depression, psychosomatic illness and more.

Where: Li Ka Shing Center for Learning and Knowledge
291 Campus Drive, Stanford, California 94305

When: October 6-7th, 2017

–> To Learn More & Register, please click HERE.

The Conference in Context:

• Five reasons the future of brain enhancement is digital, pervasive and (hopefully) bright
• Infographic on the Digital Brain Health Market 2012-2020
• 10 neu­rotech­nolo­gies about to trans­form brain enhance­ment and brain health
• 2017 SharpBrains Virtual Summit: Brain Enhancement in the Digital Age (December 5-7th, 2017)
• Neurotechnology can improve our lives…if we first address these Privacy and Informed Consent issues

The Brainnovations Pitch Contest just started accepting submissions from startups worldwide working on ways to harness brain research and emerging technologies to help every human being thrive in the digital age.

Startups: Please submit your idea and pitch your solution in front of our expert Judges and 2017 SharpBrains Virtual Summit participants for a chance to get feedback, boost industry recognition, meet like-minded pioneers and win a prize package that could give a boost to your venture and solution.

Who Should Apply

The competition is open to every startup in the space that meets the following criteria:

• Has been operating for five years or less
• Has a running website
• Can be structured as a for-profit or non-profit, but needs to show a clear revenue model
• If it is selected as a Finalist, one of the Co-founders can present a Pitch at the Summit, on December 6th, 2017 (requires no travel, as event is virtual)

GUIDELINES, FAQS AND SUBMISSION FORM HERE

We look forward to a fantastic Pitch Contest and Summit overall!

This is the Brainnovations Judging Panel…our very own “Sharp Tank”!

12 Finalists will get to pitch on December 6th, and the Sharp Tank will select a Winner per category, facilitated by Alvaro Fernandez, SharpBrains‘ CEO & Editor-in-Chief, and Dr. Bob Bilder, Director of the UCLA Tennenbaum Center for the Biology of Creativity.

Top Brainnovations in Healthcare will be judged by:

• Dr. Adam Haim, PhD, Chief of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
• Dr. David Barash, Chief Medical Officer and ED of Global Health at GE Foundation
• Dr. Edward Kliphuis, Investment Director at Merck Ventures
• Dr. Karen Postal, President of the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology (AACN)

Top Brainnovations in the Workplace will be judged by:

• Charlie Hartwell, Operating Partner at Bridge Builders Collaborative
• Danny Dankner, CEO and Co-founder of Applied Cognitive Engineering
• Lisa Neuberger, Managing Director of Strategy + Innovation at Accenture Corporate Citizenship
• Kathleen Herath, Associate Vice President Health & Productivity at Nationwide Insurance

Top Brainnovations in Education will be judged by:

• Bill Tucker, Senior Advisor to the K12 Education Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
• Eduardo Briceño, CEO and Co-founder of Mindset Works
• Neil Allison, Director of Business Model Innovation at Pearson North America
• John Cammack, Angel Investor

Top Brainnovations for Quality of Life will be judged by:

• Alexandra Morehouse, Chief Marketing Officer at Banner Health
• Ariel Garten, Founder and Chief Evangelism Officer at InteraXon
• Dr. Bill Reichman, President and CEO of Baycrest
• Colin Milner, Founder and CEO of the International Council on Active Aging (ICAA)
• Zack Lynch, General Partner at JAZZ Venture Partners

This Call for Submissions is open from September 21st till October 31st, 11 PM US Pacific Standard Time. Time to rev up those sharp brains!

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Tackle football before age 12 may boost risks of cognitive, mood disorders (Ars Technica):

“Taking hard knocks early in life could shove football players toward neurological problems later, a new study suggests.

Among 214 former amateur and professional male football players, those who started playing early—particularly before the age of 12—had greater risks of reporting depression and impaired behavioral regulation and executive function around their 50s, researchers found Read the rest of this entry »

With 12 weeks to go, we’re excited to announce some incredible sponsors and partners fully on board to support and ensure an excellent 2017 SharpBrains Virtual Summit (December 5-7th).

Let’s give a major shout-out and huge thank you to the following 2017 Sponsors and Partners:

Gold Sponsors

AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, social welfare organization with a membership of nearly 38 million that helps people turn their goals and dreams into real possibilities, strengthens communities and fights for the issues that matter most to families. Its Global Council on Brain Health (GCBH), founded in collaboration with Age UK, is an independent collaborative created to provide trusted information on how to maintain and improve brain health.

VieLight has a mission to engineer and commercialize non-invasive devices harnessing photobiomodulation that are safe and effective, easy to use and affordable – all to truly help improve one’s quality of life. Officially incorporated in Canada in 2011, Vielight’s footprint currently covers North America, Europe, Australia and more.

Silver Sponsors

The Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation (ARPF) is dedicated to reducing the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease by conducting clinical research and providing educational outreach. Established in 1993, its mission is to make available information to empower people to build healthy brains, including its new Brain Longevity Therapy Training.

The Arrowsmith Program, available in public and private schools in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand is a comprehensive suite of cognitive programs for students with learning disabilities that targets 19 areas of the brain that are most commonly involved in learning.

Banner Health is one of the largest nonprofit health systems in the USA, employing more than 50,000 dedicated and caring staff members in 29 hospitals and other settings, including home care and hospice, research facilities, long-term care, nursing registries, surgery centers, physician clinics and practices, laboratories and rehabilitation services.

Lumosity was founded to help people keep their brains challenged thanks to a simple online tool allowing anyone to train core cognitive abilities. From neuroscience to visual art, they combine diverse disciplines to create engaging brain training programs and, through the Human Cognition Project, they collaborate with over 100 leading researchers, clinicians and teachers from institutions around the world.

Partners

If your organization would like to get involved as a Summit Sponsor or Partner, there’s still time and a few opportunities remaining! Please check details here and contact us.

–> To Learn More about the Summit & Register, please click here.