First Global, Virtual Summit on Cognitive Health and Performance Features 200 Sharp Brains

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 12 /PRNewswire/ --  SharpBrains, a leading market research company focused on brain fitness, today announced the inaugural SharpBrains Summit, the first global and virtual conference to discuss latest technologies for cognitive health and performance. The Summit takes place January 18-20th, 2010, and will gather over 200 professionals in 15 countries in a fully virtual manner.

"There's an explosion of research, products, interest and confusion on how to harness neuroplasticity for lifelong cognitive health and performance," said Alvaro Fernandez, organizer of the conference. "We are pleased to gather some of the most prominent minds shaping this field worldwide to discuss emerging trends,  opportunities and challenges."

The Summit features ten sessions during 2 conference days (Monday January 18 and Tuesday January 19th) and a series of sponsored demos during Expo Day (Wednesday January 20th).  

Conference sessions and key speakers include:

• My Continued Love Affair with the Brain. Marian Diamond, UC-Berkeley
• Cognition & Neuroplasticity: The New Health & Wellness Frontier. David Whitehouse, OptumHealth
• Tools for Safer Driving: The Opportunity with Teenagers and Adults. Steven Aldrich, Posit Science
• Baby Boomers and Beyond: Maintaining Cognitive Vitality. Elizabeth Zelinski, USC
• Next Generation Cognitive & Emotional Health Assessments. Evian Gordon, Brain Resource
• The Future of Cognitive Health Tech – Intel's Perspective. Margaret Morris, Intel's Digital Health Group
• Innovation, People and Technology. Chuck House, Stanford Media X
• Neurocognition & Medicine: Implications for Research, Diagnosis, Treatment. Keith Wesnes, United BioSource Corporation
• How Can Neuroscience Inform and  Refine Mental Health Care. Michael Merzenich, UCSF
• Integrating Cognition with Home Health and Medical Home Models. Jonas Jendi, Cogmed
• What's Next: Entrepreneurial And Funding Perspectives. Veronika Litinski, MaRS Venture Group
• Future Standards and Channels for Neuroplasticity-based Interventions. Charles Jennings, MIT

Several Summit Sponsors will display their latest offerings during Expo Day:

• Baycrest/ Cogniciti will introduce the new Memory@Work workshop, designed to teach what memory is, how lifestyle factors such as distraction and stress can affect memory, and how to enhance memory performance at work with the use of enabling strategies.
• CogniFit will demo CogniFit Personal Coach and CogniFit Senior Driver, two online programs designed to assess and main cognitive functions for healthy living and safe driving, respectively.
• Posit Science will demo InSight, a software-based cognitive training package designed to sharpen brain's visual system. This is the program being tested by Allstate for safer driving.
• Happy Neuron will introduce HAPPYneuron PRO, a new platform for professionals for the effective delivery and management of cognitive remediation and rehabilitation programs in a patient centric manner.

Complete details for the SharpBrains Summit 2010, and 3-minute How-To video, can be found online at http://www.sharpbrains.com/summit. Registration is open through January  16th, 2010.

Media Contact: Pascale Michelon, [email protected], 415.318.3467

About SharpBrains

SharpBrains is a market research & publishing firm devoted to helping companies, health providers, investors, policy makers and individuals navigate the brain fitness and cognitive health field. The company was co-founded by Alvaro Fernandez, member of the Council on the Aging Society run by the World Economic Forum, and Dr. Elkhonon Goldberg, internationally renowned neuroscientist. In 2009, SharpBrains released the report The State of the Brain Fitness Software Market 2009, and published the first-ever brain training consumer guide, The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness. For more information, visit www.sharpbrains.com.

About SharpBrains Summit Sponsors and Partners

The following sponsors and partners have made the Summit possible.

Sponsors: Baycrest, the Institute For The Future, EDGE Innovation Network, CogniFit, Posit Science, Happy Neuron, A.G.E. Matters, Arrowsmith Program.

Partners include: Stanford Media X, Neurotechnology Industry Organization (NIO), International Council on Active Aging (ICAA), MaRS, Center for Technology and Aging, Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA), USC School of Gerontology, Serious Games Initiative, Knowledge Media Design Institute (KMDI), International Society for Neurofeedback and Research (ISNR), and more.

SOURCE SharpBrains