YourHub.com \\ Old Colorado City \\ Stories \\ Business

The Brain Boom

e-mail to a friend | print this | link to this

Contributed by: Wendy Burt-Thomas on 2/26/2008

Having finally crossed over to mainstream businesses, neuroscience (and all things related to building a better brain) is on the verge of a financial explosion. Four theories explain why the industry is a must-watch for investors.

By Wendy Burt-Thomas

Once reserved only for scientists in white lab coats, neuroscience is branching out to become a business industry. Neurotechnologies, like Brain Age video games, and cognitive-improvement services, like brain-training franchises, are attracting not only users, but investors. In fact, Anjan Chatterjee of Popular Science even says, "Prospecting for better brains may be the new gold rush."

So why the sudden surge?

Theory #1: The discovery of the brain's plasticity
Arguably the most important component leading the charge: scientists only recently discovered that the brain is actually changeable. The truth about plasticity - the brain's ability to birth new neurons at any age - essentially means that there's hope to reverse or at least improve things like memory loss, mental decline, attention deficit and Autism.

And the finding made its way to the public relatively quickly - creating a near tidal wave of media coverage that lead to sudden sales of crosswords, Sodukos, and other cognitive improvement-related books, magazines, puzzles and electronic games.

"This is a huge discovery with amazing potential," explains Dr. Ken Gibson, author of "Unlock the Einstein Inside: Applying New Brain Science to Wake Up the Smart in Your Child." "The fact that these neurosynaptic connections can be developed with cognitive skills training means that we can literally transform the process of learning by improving a person's ability to retrieve information, analyze variables, and apply logic and reasoning. I've been studying the development of these systems for nearly two decades and I'm thrilled to see that cognitive skills therapy is finally being recognized by the mainstream media for what it is - a revolutionary breakthrough in improving the way children learn."

Theory #2: Advances in technology
An equally valued theory is based on the improvement of technology. Procedures like MRIs can actually view the brain's functions and paths both before and after attempts to improve it. One study done on the brains of "good readers" vs. dyslexic readers, for example, used Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRIs) to review the patterns of both groups. Scientists found that while good readers utilize pathways mostly located in the back of the brain with limited activity in the front, dyslexics show underactivation in the back and overactivation in the front. (And here's the kicker: when dyslexics underwent intense, effective training in reading, there was actually a transfer of brain activity to the more efficient automatic processing centers naturally used by good readers. The key was to increase the connections in the part of the brain that is most effective at automatically decoding and deciphering based on stored and fully processed sound/word/meaning associations.)

Likewise, computer technology is stronger, smarter and more responsive than ever. Gadgets and gizmos are becoming less intimidating and more appealing to even the least tech-savvy groups, like senior citizens. With the improvements in touch-screens, voice activation and TV/video game synchronization, do-it-yourself brain testing and improvement is not only simpler today than ever, but more affordable to the average consumer.

Theory #3: Franchising for the non-scientist
The third component for the surge may be the ability to franchise businesses in an industry once limited to scientists, psychiatrists and brain researchers. Cognitive skills therapy services, for example, are opening new doors for parents-turned-entrepreneurs, first-time business owners, and former teachers.

"When I retired from teaching math for 30 years, I started researching business opportunities," says Becky McLaughlin, who owns a LearningRx brain-training franchise in Greenville, South Carolina. "I automatically thought math tutoring would be the way to go. But the more I started learning about cognitive skills therapy, the more fascinated I became. The brain-training techniques offered solutions, rather than just remediation."

Theory #4: Rapid growth of niche markets
Although most LearningRx centers are focused on cognitive skills therapy for children and teens, some franchisees are finding that they can fill a need in other niche targets, like adults with learning disabilities, children with congenital development delays, and seniors with cognitive decline. Since opening her center three years ago, McLaughlin has opened a satellite location and a second full training facility, as well as pioneered a pilot program for seniors. "There's a huge boom in online and handheld games for aging consumers to improve their mental function," explains McLaughlin. "But not all senior citizens are going to turn on the computer or buy Nintendo. Seniors need local resources to strengthen their cognitive skills like memory, processing speed, and attention. Plus, cognitive decline doesn't have to be age related, it can also be retirement related, which is why the social aspect of one-on-one interaction at the training facility plays such an important role."

Another niche comes from an unlikely cause: the war in Iraq. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is finally being recognized as a real condition, despite the military's original attempts to instead classify many returning soldiers with "personality disorders." According to Dr. Evan Kanter, a staff physician for the Department of Veteran Affairs, "as many as 30 percent of injured soldiers have suffered some degree of traumatic brain injury."

Sometimes described as an adult version of shaken-baby syndrome, TBI is often undiagnosed, largely because CAT scans show no physical evidence of brain injury. Still, the symptoms - including memory loss, disruptions in attention, or decreased processing speed, to name a few - are real. Cognitive skills therapy is already proven to help soldiers suffering from TBI, and with the government ramping up efforts to fund such work, the potential for more studies - and discoveries - on the brain is limitless.

Wendy Burt-Thomas is the author of two books for McGraw-Hill. She does freelance public relations, writing and copywriting for small businesses.
WendyBurt-Thomas.com

[Report this as objectionable content.]

SUBMIT COMMENT

Rate the above story

Talk Back : submit comments to the story

*Note: you need to log-in to add a comment or rating.

Thank you! Your comment has been updated.

CONTRIBUTOR INFO

Wendy Burt-Thomas

Colorado Springs , CO

Wendy Burt-Thomas has posted 217 stories and 0 comments since joining on 12/26/2006. Wendy Burt-Thomas's average story rating is 4.33.

view profile » view other postings from Wendy Burt-Thomas »