10 Predictions on How Digital Platforms will Transform Brain Health in 2013

News announcement ,      Compared to physical fitness, the fitness of the brain is often overlooked by both individuals and health systems, but it is easy to see positive and broad changes on how brain health is defined, monitored, maintained, and enhanced across the lifespan, and digital platforms are going to play a key role.    Here are 10 pre­dic­tions, many of which will likely be real­ized before the end of 2013, based on "The Digi­tal Brain Health Mar­ket 2012-2020: Web-based, mobile and biometrics-based technology to assess, monitor and enhance cog­nition and brain func­tioning," our new mar­ket report.    More than one mil­lion adults in North Amer­ica alone will take a self-administered brain health check-up via their iPad or Android tablet.  More than one mil­lion ama­teur ath­letes will bet­ter man­age pos­si­ble con­cus­sions by tak­ing cog­ni­tive base­line tests via a mobile device.  More than 150,000 teenage and adult AAA mem­bers will access web-based brain train­ing to become safer drivers.  Biometrics-aided med­i­ta­tion will become the next big thing in cor­po­rate and con­sumer wellness.  iPad-based cog­ni­tive screen­ings will inform more diag­noses of Alzheimer's dis­ease and MCI than neuroimaging.  Patients with mul­ti­ple scle­ro­sis in at least 10 coun­tries will be offered online cog­ni­tive train­ing together with drug-based ther­apy to help address their condition. Insom­nia and depres­sion will be first-line treated with com­put­er­ized cog­ni­tive behav­ioral ther­apy in at least two national health services.  The industry's first brain-based bio­marker to pre­dict depres­sion treat­ment responses will be cleared by the FDA.  Brain train­ing firm Lumos Labs and/or biometrics-based devel­oper Neu­roSky will file for an IPO.  At least one major insurer will launch an edu­ca­tional cam­paign to help adults proac­tively take charge of their own "brain fit­ness" nav­i­gat­ing emerg­ing research and dig­i­tal brain health tools.  As a growing number of consumers, innovators, and decision-makers invest in new ways to better monitor and enhance cognition across the lifespan, we are witnessing the rapid growth and development of a new field to support lifelong brain fitness. We can expect several drivers to fuel continued growth and innovation. Equipment that used to be expensive and cumbersome is becoming user-friendly and inexpensive, tablets and mobile phones are becoming a major delivery vehicle for solutions, more and more people are proactive about managing their lifestyle to optimize brain functioning.    Now it is your turn. Do you agree or disagree with these predictions? Is any of them directly relevant to you, your family, your work? Please add your two cents to the conversation via Twitter, Facebook, ...    Cheers,   - The SharpBrains Team   We are hosting a webinar to discuss these predictions and main market report findings on Wednes­day, Jan­u­ary 30th, from 1:00 to 2.30pm ET. The webi­nar is reserved for indi­vid­u­als and orga­ni­za­tions who order the market report. The agenda will include: Main mar­ket find­ings and predictions Brief updates from CES 2013 in Las Vegas and the World Eco­nomic Forum Annual Meet­ing in Davos Intro­duc­tions and open Q&A   To order market report and participate in webinar, please visit The Dig­i­tal Brain Health Market 2012-2020: Web-based, mobile and biometrics-based tech­nology to assess, mon­i­tor and enhance cogni­tion and brain func­tion­ing   Registered participants in previous SharpBrains Summits can order the market report at a discount before January 29th. Please reply to this email for details.   If you are a reporter working on a related story for a national/ international media outlet, please drop us a line