Several months back a good friend Vera Brandes who is the head of music medicine research at Paracelsus Medical University in Salzburg sent me a link to an event happening at the university in our home town of Ogden, Utah. The event- The Interdisciplinary Society for Quantitative Research in Music and Medicine Inaugural Music  & Medicine Symposium.  I had heard nothing of the young organization or the event about to take place in my own backyard. I was embarrassed a friend in Austria had to bring it to my attention. It was hard to believe such an important event was being held in our field of music effects research, in Ogden, and we knew nothing of it!  

So…Once I got the news I contacted the organizer Dr. David Akombo, co-founder of the organization and Assistant Professor of Music at Weber State University. We arranged a meeting, and quickly found many synergies. In short order ABT became the main sponsor and David and I went to work to expand the one day symposium to a full week of events with a partnership between Advanced Brain Technologies, Weber State University and The Interdisciplinary Society for Quantitative Research in Music and Medicine.

A Week of Sound, Music and the Brain is Five Powerful Events in ONE!

June 2-6, 2011 some of the world leaders in music medicine research will gather in Ogden, Utah along with students, musicians, educators, healthcare providers, and others interested in music and the brain.

Event highlights:

June 2- Healing at the Speed of Sound™ Workshop. A Day with Don Campbell and myself, ABT Provider Forum, and ABT Open House.

June 3- ISQRMM Inaugural Music & Medicine Symposium. Keynote address by Mark Jude Tramo of  The Institute for Music & Brain Science, research papers presented by investigators from across the world, live music performances, and a workshop I will lead on music listening therapy.

June 4-6- TLP Provider Certification Course for healthcare, education and music professionals to certify to offer The Listening Program® and other ABT solutions to their clients and students.

This is going to be a life changing week for those who attend.

I hope you will join us and help spread the word! Please visit the event website to register online and learn more.

Subscriptions are free. To sign up visit the Advanced Brain Technologies homepage.

I was fortunate to co-produce Music for the Mind with Richard Lawrence and Dr. Kamran Fallahpour, and later a second program with Greg Lawrence and Dr. Fallahpour. I am greatly looking forward to contributing to a lecture on the intricate music of Ostad Elahi, a master musician and virtuoso of the tambour, this lecture takes us on a magical journey of the power of his music.

The lecture is at Winifred Smith Hall, Clair Trevor School of Arts, University of California, Irvine on Thursday February 3rd, 2011 from 7-9 pm. It is sponsored by UCI Clair Trevor School of Arts, UCI Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine, The Department of Pharmaceuticals Sciences, and The Nour Foundation.

Program

Welcome- Dean Joseph Lewis II- Dean, Clair Trevor School of Arts

Keynote Speech- Professor Jean During- Director, Department of Ethnomusicology, French National Centre for Scientific Research (CRNS)

Discussion- Dr. Kamran Fallahpour, Director, The Brain Resource Center and Alex Doman, Founder & CEO, Advanced Brain Technologies 

Musical Performance- Professor Jean During and Mr. Porya Foghani

Proceeds will be doanted to the center initiatives on autism.

If you live or will be in Southern California  on February 3rd I hope you will consider joining us for this exciting and eductional evening!

This event is organized by ADHD expert  Dr. Rory Stern and ADHD Coach Tara McGillicudy.

Tomorrow Rory and Tara will host a discussion with Dr. Paul Cates and myself titled:

ADHD Treatment Success: Using BrainBuilder® Software for Working Memory Training

This discussion will center on issues with diagnosis differentiation, medication, “attention windows”, IQ, and treatment focusing on early research results using Advanced Brain Technologies BrainBuilder® software to help people diagnosed with ADHD.  I hope you will be able to join us tomorrow, September 15th for this dynamic conversation!

About the 2010 ADHD Awareness Expo

ADHD is greatly misunderstood. People are held back because they are asked to march to a drum that doesn’t beat for them.  In recognition of ADHD awareness week here in the US, I’d like you to join us for the first ever Virtual ADHD Awareness Expo. You’ll get access to the experts from the comfort of your own home, all week long, when it is convenient for you.

Register today for free and get access to presentations, demonstrations, and the latest information from leading experts, authors, and companies serving the ADHD community.

In the summers of 2004-2008 we ran the Advanced Brain Technologies (ABT) International Conference in the beautiful settings of The Canyons Resort in Park City, and Zermatt Resort in Midway, Utah. ABT providers, customers, professionals, parents and others would travel from the world over for 3 days of lectures, workshops, music, networking, food and friendship.  All of us united through a shared interest in helping people attain all they can in life by improving their brain health and performance.

When the global financial crisis hit we made the difficult decision to discontinue the conference until the economic recovery. And still we wait… While the right decision, we and those accustomed to our annual event have been feeling an immense void.  So, rather than put on the BIG EVENT, we decided to organize 1 day of great presentations, music, and networking at our first ever East Coast Symposium in New Jersey this October.

The ABT Symposium 2010 is taking place at Children’s Specialized Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey on October 24, 2010.

New research on Advanced Brain Technologies neurosoftware and neuromusic programs will be presented. Learn about the Lucker model of auditory processing and his theory about the effects of The Listening Program® (TLP). Discover Learning Ears, Ear-Voice training that works with TLP to improve learning, language and communication abilities. Hear about a TLP brain injury protocol being trialed at a pediatric rehabilitation hospital.Listen to diverse case presentations from practicing ABT providers. Experience live music performances which will demonstrate the effects of live music performance on group dynamics. Engage in a discussion about activity recommendations for listeners. And, Network with other therapeutic and educational professionals.

The focus of this highly anticipated symposium will be new information on research, treatment strategies, and programs for diverse client populations ranging from neurotypical to brain injured.

We have a great line up of speakers including Dr. Jay Lucker from Howard University speaking on auditory processing , music from world renowned artist Nacho Arimany, and much more… Early bird discounts are available for professionals through September 15th, and we have special pricing for students and parents. For those who may be interested in training as ABT Certified Providers of The Listening Program®, you can join us at the same location on the 22nd and 23rd of October for our certification course. Please join us! To register or for more information including a list of speakers, special hotel rates, etc.  please visit ABT Symposium 2010.

Children listened to 30 minutes of music a day through a special audio system which provided the music through both auditory pathways, air and bone conduction. The outcomes are positive and have been presented at European conferences. We now await approval for a large scale clinical trial to confirm these results in a larger sample size.

Continence problems severely impact quality of life, self esteem, and have large costs associated with supporting these children as they enter school. Our protocol holds promise to help children with toilet training problems, reduce costs of services to them, and help them live a happier more fulfilling life.

Note that the program name in the article is incorrect. What is referenced as the Listening Project is supposed to be The Listening Program® developed by Advanced Brain Technologies in Ogden, Utah.

Read the full article

UPDATE: Thank you to the staff at the Liverpool Echo for making the correction to the program name!

Thanks to Mary Cim, our brilliantly creative Art Director at Advanced Brain Technologies, The Brain Understanding Itself has received a facelift. Please comment and let me know what you think!

For those of you who are as fortunate as I to be an American citizen I wish you each a Happy Independence Day. Interestingly since I live in Utah and July 4th falls on a Sunday this year, we are celebrating tomorrow, July 3rd. I have never been able to quite get my hands around this idea, but in this great state of Utah this is how it is done.

Regardless of the day of celebration, July 4th Weekend is always a special time for me and one in which I feel immense gratitude to our founding fathers for their foresight and wisdom, to our military personnel for their commitment and bravery, and my family, friends, and fellow citizens as we unite and celebrate what it means to be Proud Americans!

Enjoy your parades, picnics, and fireworks and God Bless America!

“A Study to Establish Whether the Use of The Listening Program is Effective in Improving Auditory Skills for Children with Autism” was presented by Gwyneth Jeyes  at the Developmental Practitioners Association Conference “Children Matter” In Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom back in September.

Twelve children on the autism spectrum ranging in age from 5 yrs. 8 mo. to 12 yrs. 4 mo. in Northern Ireland participated in the study. Results from the SCAN-C test for Auditory Processing Disorders demonstrated improvements in auditory skills in all children who completed The Listening Program® method of music listening therapy.

The Listening Program® has been widely used for more than a decade to reduce auditory hypersensitivites, improve auditory discrimination, increase communication skills, and social engagement for children on the autism spectrum. The outcomes of this research are encouraging, consistent with other studies,  and warrant the design of  a larger, controlled study to explore the feasibility of more widespread use of this music listening therapy method to improve auditory processing skills for children with autism spectrum disorders.

To read the full study

This study was originally presented by John Esteves at the 2008 Advanced Brain Technologies International Conference in Midway, Utah, July 2008.  A summary is in the new book just published by Springer Vienna and New York,  edited by Roland Haas and Vera Brandes Music That Works: Contributions of Biology, Neurophysiology, Psychology, Sociology, Medicine and Musicology ISBN 978-3-211-75120-6  http://www.springer.com/springerwiennewyork/medicine/book/978-3-211-75120-6

 To read or download the full study please click here.

Advanced Brain Technologies featured in T

This annual report profiles the top 20 companies in the brain fitness software market.  Despite being one of the first movers in the brain fitness market with the introduction of the original BrainBuilder® software program in 1999 Advanced Brain Technologies is grouped in the “Wait and See” category in terms of  market position. This is due to our focus not being exclusively brain fitness software.

As a market leader in music-based intervention we are diversified beyond software unlike the other leading companies in the report which offer strictly software based solutions for assessment and improvement of cognitive functions.  

With new research and developments in market sectors including; consumer, healthcare, K-12, corporate, and military, our market position will be shifting significantly in the next 12 to 24 months.

Report Highlights

1) Growth market: Consumers, seniors’ communities and insurance providers drove year on year sustained growth, from $225m in 2007 to $265m in 2008. Revenues may reach between $1 billion to $5 billion by 2015, depending on how important problems (Public Awareness, Navigating Claims, Research, Health Culture, Lack of Assessment) are addressed.

2) Increased interest and confusion: 61% of respondents Strongly Agree with the statement “Addressing cognitive and brain health should be a healthcare priority.” But, 65% Agree/Strongly Agree “I don’t really know what to expect from products making brain claims.”

3) Investment in R&D seeds future growth: Landmark investments by insurance providers and government-funded research institutes testing new brain fitness applications planted new seeds for future growth.

4) Becoming standard in residential facilities: Over 700 residential facilities – mostly Independent and Assisted Living facilities and CCRCs – have installed computerized cognitive training programs.

5) Customer satisfaction: Consumers seem more satisfied with computer-based products than paper-based options. But, satisfaction differs by product. When asked “I got real value for my money”, results were as follows: Lumosity.com (65% Agree), Puzzle Books (60%), Posit Science (52%), Nintendo (51%) agreed. Posit Science (53% Agree) and Lumosity.com (51%) do better than Puzzle Books (39%) and Nintendo (38%) at “I have seen the results I wanted.”

6) Assessments: Increasing adoption of computer-based cognitive assessments to baseline and track cognitive functions over time in military, sports, and clinical contexts. The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America now advocates for widespread cognitive screenings after 65-75.

7) Specific computerized cognitive training and videogames have been shown to improve brain functions, but the key questions are, “Which ones”, and “Who needs what when?”

8) Aggressive marketing claims are creating confusion and skepticism, resulting in a distracting controversy between two misleading extremes: (a) “buying product XYZ can rejuvenate your brain Y years” or (b) “those products don’t work; just do one more crossword puzzle.” The upcoming book The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness aims to help consumers navigate these claims.

9) Developers can be classified into four groups, based on our Market and Research Momentum analysis: we find 4 Leaders, 8 High Potentials, 3 Crosswords 2.0, and 6 Wait & See companies.

10) Increased differentiation: Leading companies are better defining their value proposition and distribution channels to reach specific segments such as retirement communities, schools, or healthcare providers.

Order a copy of the report at www.sharpbrains.com.