Alvaro Fernandez

According to Peter Orszag's New York Times OpEd, Mal­prac­tice Method­ol­ogy:

Right now, health care is more evidence-free than you might think. And even where evidence-based clin­i­cal guide­lines exist, research sug­gests that doc­tors fol­low them only about half of the time. One esti­mate sug­gests that it takes 17 years...

Yesterday was World Alzheimer's Day. To raise awareness and funds, associations worldwide organized multiple activities including important Memory Walks, and a new report helped quantify the growing personal and economic burden of the disease.

Among the report findings:

• Close to 36 million people worldwide...

Dr. John Docherty is an Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at the Weill Medical College, Cornell University and Chief Medical Officer of Brain Resource. Trained as a clinical research fellow in neuropsychopharmacology at NIMH, he later returned as Chief of the Psychosocial Treatments Research Branch, responsible for all federally supported psychosocial...

The Boston Globe has a good article/ book review on the latest quasi-luddite attack on the Internet (an attack in the name of brain science no less, and with cool brain scans). The new book in question: "The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains."

Please join us in congratulating USA Hockey, Allstate, and Nationwide, for reaching the podium of the 2010 Brain Fitness Innovation Awards, unveiled today.

The podium's top position went to USA Hockey National Team Development Program (NTDP), a full-time development program aimed at preparing student-athletes for participation on...

Unless you live in a cave (and without wireless connection), you know Apple is about to announce its new Tablet.

Is that a good thing? A bad thing?

SharpBrains collaborator Luc Beadouin asks an important question that seems to have been neglected so far: Will the Apple Tablet Enhance...

Recently I had the fortune to interview Dr. Michael Merzenich, a leading pioneer in brain plasticity research, in his office at UCSF. In the late 1980s, Dr. Merzenich was on the team that invented the cochlear implant, and later founded Scientific Learning Corporation and Posit Science. You may have...

We recently ran an online survey among subscribers of our SharpBrains eNewsletter, and over 500 people said we have helped them make better personal or professional decisions on how to maintain and improve brain fitness. Most gave very illuminating examples, which we are reading and enjoying as we speak.

Respondents...

In the midst of much healthcare reform talk, not enough attention seems focused on ensuring health care systems' preparedness to deal with cognitive health issues -- with Alzheimer's Disease as the most dramatic example -- which are predicted to grow given aging population trends.

Today, September 21st, is World Alzheimer's...

Massachusetts lawmakers are considering a new elderly driver bill to improve driving safety, following a number of unfortunate accidents this year. You can expect a growing number of similar bills in the next few years, given our aging population, and also more focus on preventive measures to help older drivers...

Groundbreaking cognitive neuroscience research has occurred over the last 20 years - without parallel growth of consumer awareness and appropriate professional dissemination. "Cognition" remains an elusive concept with unclear implications outside the research community.

Earlier this year, I presented a talk to health care professionals at the New York Academy...

There are many recent studies and articles on the brain and how to maintain it in top shape -- let me connect a few dots and highlight several key resources and developments.

Public libraries have long offered the public more than books. And now, recent demographic and scientific trends are...

Think about this: How can anyone take care of his or her brain when every week brings a new barrage of articles and studies which seem to contradict each other?

Do supplements improve memory? Do you need both physical and mental exercise -- or is one of them enough? Which...

My wife and I just came back from an inspiring Goldman Prize Award ceremony, where seven grassroots environmental change-makers were recognized for their work and resiliency, and shared their passion and purpose with everyone attending the event. We did hear too from Al Gore, Tracy Chapman, Robert Redford, and the...

Today we discuss some of the brain implications of "always on" workplaces and lifestyles via a fascinating interview with Maggie Jackson, an award-winning author and journalist. Her latest book, Distracted: The Erosion of Attention and the Coming Dark Age, describes the implications of our busy work and life...

In April 2008, Baycrest, a leading research institute focused on aging and brain function, received $10-million from the Ontario Government to create a groundbreaking Centre for Brain Fitness. Its stated goal was to "develop and commercialize a range of products designed to improve the brain health of aging Ontarians...

The IMPACT study which we reported on in December 2007, funded by Posit Science, conducted by the Mayo Clinic and USC Davis, has just announced publication at the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. (Reference: Smith et al. A Cognitive Training Program Designed Based on Principles of Brain Plasticity: Results...

Below you have The 10 Most Popular Brain Fitness & Cognitive Health Books, based on book purchases by SharpBrains' readers during 2008.

But let me start by introducing what we expect will be a very influential book in years to come. Neuroscientist Torkel Klingberg has written a very stimulating...

Thinking about best ways to maintain your brain in top shape in 2009?

Let me share a quick definition of "brain fitness", and a ranking of the most popular articles of 2008 on the topic. I hope this will help you understand and navigate the array of options to maintain...

I recently had the fortune to interview Dr. Andrew Newberg, one of the leading researchers focused on meditation and the brain. Dr. Andrew Newberg is an Associate Professor in the Department of Radiology and Psychiatry and Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania....