Digital Technology and Brain Health by 2020 - Are You Ready?

Here's an interesting infographic from SHARPBRAINS.  They estimate that the global digital healthcare market revenue will grow by over 500% to $6B between 2012 and 2020.  

Here's the kicker, 73% of 3,000 decision makers and early adopters agree that digital technologies can significantly compliment other behavioral and drug-based interventions.  The next 10 years are going to be very interesting....

Therapeutic Alternatives - Consider Mobile Apps

If you're not already a reader, here's a great website with an RSS feed of regular articles about mobile devices in health care.  There are even some articles about mobile devices and stroke rehabilitation but the list is still too short.  Many still don't consider mobile devices or mobile apps when exploring alternatives for stroke rehabilitation.

The Stroke Wise Blog has a great list of iPad apps that can be used in stroke or TBI rehabilitation- http://strokewise.blogspot.com/search/label/iPads

Also look at what we're doing at the mindMender Project.  Our recent game, Traffic Controller, was developed specifically for stroke and TBI patients by incorporating:

1. Uncluttered and easy to navigate screens
2. User controlled levels of difficulty
3. Graph of scores over time to show progress
4. (Future) Apple Game Center integration
5. (Future) Option to email or print graph showing progress

Successful rehabilitation gives the patient a sense of autonomy, competence and social recognition. Our game is designed so that the patient is in charge by playing the game unassisted.  They can quickly gain competence by choosing the level of play that fits their current skill level.  And lastly, when we incorporate the Apple Game Center in the next release, they will be able to share their scores and accomplishments with other players.

The next time you're looking for therapeutic alternatives think mobile - there might be an app for that.

Struggling to find games for brain injury patients?

Are you looking for a game to augment therapy for your stroke or TBI patients?

Have you been struggling to use games in therapy that aren't really  designed for users with brain injuries? 

Are you finding most games for the iPad too difficult for unassisted use?

Traffic Controller from the mindMender Project is designed for use by various levels of stroke and TBI patients to help recover fine and gross motor functionality. Some unique features are:

• It is specifically designed for stroke and TBI survivors

• Scores are graphed over time to show progress

• The interface is uncluttered and promotes unassisted use

You all our iPad apps at www.mikezachry.com/projects/mindmender/.

All the best,

Mike

Stroke Wise - An Excellent Resource Blog

Just found an excellent blog with a wealth of information at strokewise.blogspot.com. There is a ton of resources for after acute care (AAC) stroke survivors and caregivers. Hope this is helpful.

Also check out what we're doing at the mindMender Project at mikezachry.com/projects/mindmender.

All the Best,
Mike

New Technologies for Stroke Rehabilitation

Hindawi Journal of Stroke Research and Treatment has published a new issue focused on New Technologies for Stroke Rehabilitation. There are a number of interesting articles but one in particular caught my eye. Titled Seven Capital Devices for the Future of Stroke Rehabilitation it explores recent work with some very high-tech devices.

Item eight in the list is the tablet-pc, including the iPad, confirms that our work at the mindMender Project will not be in vain. Working at the intersection of mobile technology and neurorehabilitation is the new frontier of stroke and TBI rehabilitation.

Check out our apps for the iPad at mikezachry.com/projects/mindmender. We have an exercise book, mindMender GMS, and a new engaging and entertaining game,  mindMender Traffic Controller.

All The Best,
Mike

Competitive Plasticity

Michael Merzenich discovers "competitive plasticity" in the early '70's.

"The competitive nature of plasticity affects us all. There is an endless war of nerves going on inside each of our brains. If we stop exercising our mental skills, we do not just forget them: the brain map space for those skills is turned over to the skills we practice instead. If you ever ask yourself, "How often must I practice French, or guitar, or math to keep on top of it?" You are asking a question about competitive plasticity. You're asking how frequently you must practice one activity to make sure its brain map space is not lost to another."
     The BRAIN That CHANGES ITSELF, Norman Droidge, M.D.

We should never give up exercising our brain. It seems obvious from his work that stroke recovery must be regular and consistent to avoid competitive plasticity.

Checkout the mindMender Project. We are focusing on the intersection of mobile technology and neurorehabilitation. It is where you can make your contributions about how we can leverage mobile technology to improve rehabilitation for stroke and TBI survivors.

See how we're contributing with entertaining games and exercises designed specifically with stroke TBI survivors in mind at http://mikezachry.com/projects/mindmender/.

Building Herself A Better Brain

Just started reading The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge, M. D.

Chapter two, Building Herself A Better Brain, is about Barbara Arrowsmith Young who is that rare person who makes the discovery and is the one with the defect.

Her brain was "asymmetrical". Her exceptional abilities coexisted with areas of retardation.

The chapter is about her discovery and leverage of the brain's plasticity and her dogged determination to train highly developed areas of her brain to take over for retarded areas.

The rest of her story is truly amazing so I won't spoil it for you. If you've not yet read the book it's worth the time. The first chapter about "A Woman Perpetually Falling" is equally if not more amazing.

I encourage you to read it.

Visit our website to see what we're doing at the intersection of mobile technology and neurorehabilitation.
www.mikezachry.com/home/projects