[nasional_list] [ppiindia] Main internet = menjaga kebugaran otak bagi orang tua
- From: rahardjo mustadjab <bapakjewel@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: apakabar@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, ppiindia@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Niken Franks <nikenfranks@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 18 Feb 2005 09:43:50 +0000 (GMT)
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Scientists hone program to boost mental fitness
Software may soon help rejuvenate older brains
By Hampton Pearson
D.C. Correspondent
CNBC
Updated: 5:58 p.m. ET Feb. 17, 2005WALNUT CREEK,
Calif. - Think of it as taking your brain to the gym.
A cutting edge mental training program ? from a
company bent on changing the way we age ? is offering
new hope of a vibrant retirement for seniors and the
Baby Boomers not far behind them.
The Rossmoor Retirement Community in northern
California is a would-be paradise for the more than
10,000 residents over 55 who are living here. They
golf, they socialize, and they relax.
They also make time for ambitious activities ? like a
digital photography class. These folks are willing to
do just about anything to stay stimulated and strong.
?Fear of mental deterioration is a real concern of
older people,? said Len Krauss, 75, a Rossmoor
resident who runs the computer club there.
So when researchers from Posit Science Corporation
went searching for people to test drive technology
that could help reverse aging, they approached the
computer club and asked for about 150 volunteers. They
got more than 600.
Were they lining up for a sip from the fountain of
youth? Close. Dr. Michael Merzenich, Posit's Chief
Scientific Officer, describes the so-called ?cognitive
fitness? products as ?a set of training tools that
will be designed to rejuvenate the processing
machinery of an older brain ? to improve its
functionality so that it has the functionality of a
brain at a younger stage or point in life.?
Bringing 'neuroplasticity' to market
Merzenich, who helped invent the cochlear ear implant,
leads a scientific team that has more than 50 patents
and the backing of many esteemed global research
institutes. They're using more than $7 million in
venture capital to validate science known as
?neuroplasticity? and then commercialize it.
The current software suite ? still a work in progress
? uses both a human trainer and an ?e-coach.?
Volunteers run through a series of challenging mental
exercises. The program automatically adjusts ? pushing
each individual to the limit.
?We start with language and the operations of language
and focus/pound on this critical modality for
receiving information,? said Merzenich.
Undivided attention and clear listening move the mind
through the program's cognitive calisthenics. This
boot camp for the brain takes forty sessions over a
six- to eight-week period.
The end game of all these mind games is improved
mental function, including listening, seeing, problem
solving, fine motor skills and walking and balance.
Posit Science CEO Jeff Zimman says has yet to decide
which markets to target.
We consider anyone who is forty or over as somebody
who might benefit from the program.
?We consider anyone who is forty or over as somebody
who might benefit from the programs,? he said.
Down the road he believes the technology may be used
to treat chronic pain, depression and Alzheimer's and
Parkinson's disease ? all competitive,
multi-billion-dollar medical technology markets.
And to entice the younger crowd, ?they could as easily
be on a set-top box, or on a handheld device or on a
PDA or a cellphone,? said Zimman.
To succeed, Posit Science will need continued support
from the seniors, who are the lifeblood of the
research and a source of priceless feedback.
?We learned that some of the sound stimuli that we ask
people to listen are too hard for them to hear at
first,? said Dr. Henry Mahncke, the company's V.P. of
Research and Outcomes. ?We need to make them easier.?
Back at Rossmoor, the volunteers say the workout
changed their lives.
?I can now remember phone numbers better,? said
Krauss.
Ballroom dancer Diane Goldsmith can now keep up with
her light-speed, Generation Y grandkids.
?I?ve told them now ?I don?t care how fast you speak
to me,?? she said. ?I?m with it. I?m right on top. So
I won?t have to say ?What did you say???
Because the first generation product is targeted for
voluntary use by generally healthy people, the company
doesn't have to go through the typical regulatory
maze.
And if all goes according to plan, they hope to have a
complete product suite to rollout in select markets by
the end of the year.
(CNBC producer Steve Lewis contributed to this
report.)
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