IN THE MEDIA

From < >ABC News:

Forget brain drain, now it's brain gain
Posted Fri Sep 19, 2008 9:25am AEST
Updated Fri Sep 19, 2008 11:20am AEST

Western Australians will be the first in the country to have access to a brain fitness program which promises to improve memory function and cognitive ability by 10 years.

The computer software program is being launched today by Alzheimer's Australia, which says the programs are designed for older people with little or no experience using computers and will enable users to think faster, focus better and remember more.

Alzheimer's Australia says that if the programs are used 5 days a week for 8 weeks, a 130 per cent improvement in listening skills is expected, along with a 300 per cent improvement in a person's ability to process visual information.

David Gribble from Alzheimer's Australia says one of the programs can significantly improve a person's listening skills.

"Again clinical trial studies show that people improve their auditory processing by about 131 per cent," he said.

Mr Gribble says clinical trials have shown a 10 year improvement in memory function, while a person's ability to process visual information can improve by 300 per cent.

"Which of course has huge benefits for things like driving, playing sport, anything that requires rapid identification of visual information will benefit from that program as well."

<>http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/09/19/2368793.htm

IN THE MEDIA

The following is an excerpt from an article appearing 19 September 2008 on Bio-Medicine.org:

"New Brain Fitness Program to Fight Memory Loss

PERTH, Australia, Sept. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Western Australians will be the first in the country to take part in a brain fitness initiative that has been shown to improve a person's ability to think faster, focus better and remember more.

The brain health initiative will be launched by Australia's Aged Care Commissioner Rhonda Parker on behalf of Alzheimer's Australia WA at the Duxton Hotel on September 19th as part of Dementia Awareness Week 2008.

More than 30 peer-reviewed papers report on randomized controlled trials using the technology now being offered in two cognitive training software programs being distributed by Alzheimer's Australia WA. The studies show that participants using the software programs more than doubled their processing speed and had gains of more than 10 years in standardized measures of memory and attention. This has led to significant lifestyle benefits for people experiencing normal age-related changes in brain function.

Alzheimer's Australia WA General Manager David Gribble said the programs that will be offered in Australia were developed and extensively trialled by US company Posit Science in conjunction with one of the world's leading neuroscientists, Dr Mike Merzenich, and his team at the University of California. The programs have also been extensively researched over many years by renowned research institutions such as the Mayo Clinic, University of Southern California and Stanford University.

"The results from these studies have shown that people who went through the brain fitness programme added about 10 years to their cognitive abilities and memory functions," Mr. Gribble said.

"This meant people were more likely to live independently for longer, while reducing their health care expenditure and experience a better quality of life."

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IN THE MEDIA

The following is an excerpt from NineMSN, Saturday 20 September 2008:

"Brain-fitness plan can improve memory

A US-designed software program set to be introduced in Australia can add an average 10 years of speed, accuracy and recall to an individual's brain age, Alzheimer's Australia says.

The lobby group's West Australian branch has released the results of the two-year study to find the optimum brain-fitness plan to improve memory function and recall.

The brainchild of US neurosurgeon Mike Merzenich, the program needs to be used for 40 minutes a day, five days a week for eight weeks to have the optimum effect.

The trials, peer-reviewed in medical journals, also showed that listening skills improve by up to 131 per cent.

But Alzheimer's Australia says even if it is not maintained on a regular basis, the benefits can last for 12 to 18 months."

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