FDA clears first videogame to be prescribed to kids with ADHD: EndeavorRx by Akili Interactive Labs
Screenshot of EndeavorRx
In a landmark decision, FDA greenlights a video game for kids with ADHD (STAT):
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday for the first time gave a green light to a game-based therapeutic: a video game meant to be prescribed to kids with ADHD.
The game, known as EndeavorRx and developed by Boston-based Akili Interactive Labs, can now be marketed as a way to improve attention function in kids with ADHD as measured by computerized testing. Physicians can prescribe it to children between the ages of 8 and 12 who have an ADHD diagnosis and have demonstrated an issue with attention.
The FDA’s move is...
Source: SharpBrains - June 18, 2020 Category: Neuroscience Authors: SharpBrains Tags: Cognitive Neuroscience Health & Wellness Professional Development Technology 510(k) Adam Gazzaley adhd Akili Interactive Labs computerized testing De Novo digital therapeutics EndeavorRx FDA game-based therapeutic TOVA videog Source Type: blogs
Launching Late: How to Help Your Child with Failure to Launch
“Failure to launch” has been used recently to describe grown children who, for one reason or another, aren’t willing or able to leave their family home to pursue their own goals, lead independent lives and become self-sufficient. This phenomenon is on the rise, and it’s important to understand what can cause it and what you can do to help a child get through it.
Early Signs of Failure to Launch
Most parents who have an adult child who has “failed to launch” identify some of these factors being present in their child:
Unwillingness or inability to take on responsibilities
Low self-esteem
Cautiousness ...
Source: World of Psychology - June 16, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Sean Paul, MD Tags: Parenting Success & Achievement Autonomy college Failure to Launch Personal Independence Source Type: blogs
Virtual-reality gaming + affordable biofeedback = Anxiety therapy for all?
Conclusions: This study demonstrates the potential of the game, DEEP, as an intervention for anxiety and disruptive classroom behavior in a special school setting. Future research is needed to fully optimize and personalize DEEP as an intervention for the heterogeneous special school population.
News in Context:
The NeuroGeneration and Humankind’s Quest to Enhance the Brain
Meditation app Headspace raises $93 million in equity and debt to accelerate clinical validation and geographic expansion
Large study finds positive yet mixed results from Akili’s digital therapeutic for kids with ADHD
Five reasons the future of b...
Source: SharpBrains - June 10, 2020 Category: Neuroscience Authors: SharpBrains Tags: Cognitive Neuroscience Health & Wellness Peak Performance Technology anxiety biofeedback biometric sensors Covid-19 pandemic DEEP Psychology therapy videogames virtual-reality Source Type: blogs
The way we approach Mental Health today is broken beyond repair. The question is, what comes next, and how fast can we get there?
The hidden links between mental disorders (Nature):
In 2018, psychiatrist Oleguer Plana-Ripoll was wrestling with a puzzling fact about mental disorders. He knew that many individuals have multiple conditions — anxiety and depression, say, or schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. He wanted to know how common it was to have more than one diagnosis, so he got his hands on a database containing the medical details of around 5.9 million Danish citizens.
He was taken aback by what he found. Every single mental disorder predisposed the patient to every other mental disorder — no matter how distinct the symptoms. “We knew tha...
Source: SharpBrains - June 3, 2020 Category: Neuroscience Authors: SharpBrains Tags: Cognitive Neuroscience Health & Wellness Technology anxiety biological bipolar-disorder depression Genetics JAMA Psychiatry mental illness mental-disorders National-Institute-of-Mental-Health neuroanatomy psychopathology Resear Source Type: blogs
Study: Antidepressant vortioxetine combined with cognitive training may help delay cognitive decline
Conclusions: Vortioxetine may be beneficial for age-related cognitive decline when combined with cognitive training. These findings provide new treatment directions for combating cognitive decline in older adults.
The Study in Context:
Study finds combined pharma + non-pharma treatment most beneficial to help youth with ADHD address long-term academic difficulties
Solving the Brain Fitness Puzzle Is the Key to Self-Empowered Aging
Ten neurotechnologies about to transform brain enhancement & health
Can brain training work? Yes, if it meets these 5 conditions
What are cognitive abilities and how to boost them?
?
How...
Source: SharpBrains - June 2, 2020 Category: Neuroscience Authors: SharpBrains Tags: Cognitive Neuroscience Education & Lifelong Learning Health & Wellness Technology antidepressant brain-volume cognition cognitive decline cognitive-interventions Cognitive-Training Combination Strategies neuroplasticity pharmacolog Source Type: blogs
Feeling Sleepy? Six Findings That Reveal The Nuanced Effects Of Poor Sleep
By Emma Young
We all know that too little sleep is bad for us. Matthew Walker, a UC Berkeley sleep scientist and author of the best-selling Why We Sleep, has gone so far as to declare: “The shorter you sleep, the shorter your life.” However, some researchers fear that our concerns about not getting enough sleep are becoming overblown — and that, ironically, they could be making the problem worse. In this feature, we take a look at evidence that “too little” sleep isn’t always the disaster that it’s held up to be.
It’s not always about a lack of sleep
You’ll be familiar with the chrono...
Source: BPS RESEARCH DIGEST - May 19, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: BPS Research Digest Tags: Feature Sleep and dreaming Source Type: blogs
Are You Experiencing Quarantine Brain?
Another term is being added to the lexicon in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic: quarantine brain. It takes many forms, from confusion and fogginess to limited executive functioning. Those who fall prey to it may find themselves unable to complete tasks, manage their time and routine, and make sound decisions. This occurs even if the person has no prior history with attention deficit disorder/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Some report a lack of motivation to get out of bed, let alone engage in their daily activities. What helps them is knowing that their boss, teachers, and family are counting on them to launch...
Source: World of Psychology - May 16, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Edie Weinstein, MSW, LSW Tags: Dreams Memory and Perception Personal Coping Skills coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic Resilience social distancing Source Type: blogs
Psychology Around the Net: May 16, 2020
I remember back when the coronavirus pandemic was first sweeping the world; it hadn’t yet hit America with full force, states hadn’t yet started issuing state-at-home orders, and most people hadn’t yet started working from home. Back then, I thought I could keep Psychology Around the Net fairly coronavirus free — after all, Psych Central’s contributors were and still are doing a fantastic job of handling the subject.
However, it eventually did hit America full force, we’ve been under stay-at-home orders for a while (and some of us are coming out of them), and many people are working at ...
Source: World of Psychology - May 16, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Alicia Sparks Tags: Psychology Around the Net Children coronavirus COVID-19 death awareness kids pandemic Parents psychopathic traits Psychopaths Psychopathy quarantine work from home Source Type: blogs
Aim For The Stars. Avoid The Black Holes. Explain Adult ADHD
Part of #ExplainAdultADHD. A campaign to reduce the ignorance, misinformation, and stigma against adults with ADHD.
Aim For The Stars. Avoid The Black Holes.
“ADHD gifts and potential can contribute positively towards meeting team requirements, where managers are trusted and ADHD aware.
I openly speak to line managers about my strengths and sometimes my challenges (ummm….such as taking breaks). I very much appreciate that these managers have spotted my potential to ‘deep dive’ into transformative projects and I have been actively encouraged to take on related responsibilities.
As a rule, wher...
Source: Adult ADD Strengths - May 9, 2020 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Pete Quily Tags: Explain Adult ADHD To Non-ADHD Adults Source Type: blogs
Update: Moderate lifetime drinking may lead to lower Alzheimer-related beta amyloid deposits in the brain
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Time for a new edition of SharpBrains’ e‑newsletter.
#1. First of all, it’s not all bad news this month. Study finds that moderate lifetime drinking may lead to lower Alzheimer-related beta amyloid deposits in the brain
#2. And, talk about personalized medicine! This fascinating study showing how brain imaging (fMRI) + machine learning + intensive, non-invasive neurostimulation = targeted treatments that can maximize efficacy and minimize side effects: Reinventing depression treatment via transcranial magnetic brain stimulation (TMS)
#3. Also, not a minute too soon … Meditation apps have gone mainstream in ...
Source: SharpBrains - April 24, 2020 Category: Neuroscience Authors: SharpBrains Tags: Attention and ADD/ADHD Brain Teasers Cognitive Neuroscience Education & Lifelong Learning Health & Wellness Technology Adderall Alzheimer-disease Alzheimers-disease beta-amyloid brain teaser for adults Brain-Imaging brain-teaser Source Type: blogs
Health in 2 Point 00, Episode 119 | RDMD, Dorsata, XRHealth, OneDrop, and Akili
Today, we’re back with a serious episode of Health in 2 Point 00. On Episode 119, Jess asks me about RDMD raising $14 million; this is a company which groups patients with rare diseases together to gather real-world data. Maternity-focused health IT company Dorsata raises $5.2 million, and this is basically an EMR prenatal tracker. Next, XRHealth raises $7 million for its virtual reality telehealth platform. OneDrop acquires the assets & IP of Sano Intelligence’s noninvasive CGM patch, and Akili rolls out its video game for kids with ADHD after the FDA relaxed its regulation of digital therapeutics for ment...
Source: The Health Care Blog - April 23, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christina Liu Tags: Health in 2 Point 00 Health Tech Health Technology Jessica DaMassa Matthew Holt Akili Dorsata OneDrop RDMD XRHealth Source Type: blogs
Struggling with attention and organization as you age? It could be ADHD, not dementia
As we get older, occasional forgetfulness may become more worrisome. Is this the start of dementia, or are we just stressed? Has the loss of structure due to retirement led to this change? Or could we be suffering from another illness, maybe the same illness as our son or granddaughter, who also struggle with attention and organization?
What are the symptoms of ADHD in older adults?
Although the diagnosis of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) is often associated with school-age children, this condition may persist throughout adulthood and into old age. Older adults with ADHD struggle with attention, memory, an...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - April 21, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Stephanie Collier, MD, MPH Tags: Healthy Aging Memory Mental Health Source Type: blogs
Study finds mixed results of Adderall as cognitive enhancer (seems to boost emotion more than cognition)
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Over the past 15 years there has been growing awareness that many college students without an ADHD diagnosis use ADHD drugs. On some campuses, rates of self-reported non-medical use have exceeded 30% of students.
The primary reason students report taking ADHD drugs is to enhance their academic performance. And, the strong majority of students — over 80% in a study I conducted — believe it is helpful for this purpose.
Furthermore, students who report problems with attention are more likely to report non-medical use than other students; this suggests that some self-medicate to address their perceived attention difficu...
Source: SharpBrains - April 15, 2020 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Dr. David Rabiner Tags: Attention and ADD/ADHD Cognitive Neuroscience Education & Lifelong Learning Health & Wellness academic-performance. Adderall ADHD-drugs cognition cognitive-functioning college college students emotion mental health neurocognitive Source Type: blogs
The frontal lobes, the little brain down under and “Stayin’ Alive” (3/3)
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[Editor’s note: Continued from Exploring the human brain and how it responds to stress (1/3) and On World Health Day 2020, let’s discuss the stress response and the General Adaptation Syndrome (2/3)]
More on the Cortex, the Limbic System, and Stress:
The cortex is made up of four major sections, arranged from the front to the back. These are called the frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal lobes. Each of the four lobes is found in both hemispheres, and each is responsible for different, specialized cognitive functions. For example, the occipital lobe contains the primary visual cortex, and the temporal lobe (lo...
Source: SharpBrains - April 9, 2020 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Dr. Jerome Schultz Tags: Cognitive Neuroscience Education & Lifelong Learning Health & Wellness amygdala brain Cerebral Cortex cognition Cognitive-functions emotion frontal-lobes Limbic-System prefrontal-cortex Source Type: blogs
On World Health Day 2020, let ’s discuss the stress response and the General Adaptation Syndrome (2/3)
The hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis acts to release cortisol into the blood stream, as cortisol calls the body into action to combat stress. When high amounts of cortisol interact with the hypothalamus, the HPA axis will slow down its activity. The amygdala detects stress, while the prefrontal cortex regulates our reactions to stress. Source: Bezdek K and Telzer E (2017) Have No Fear, the Brain is Here! How Your Brain Responds to Stress. Front. Young Minds. 5:71. doi: 10.3389/frym.2017.00071
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[Editor’s note: Continued from yesterday’s Exploring the human brain and how it responds to stress (1/3)]
S...
Source: SharpBrains - April 7, 2020 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Dr. Jerome Schultz Tags: Cognitive Neuroscience Education & Lifelong Learning Health & Wellness #WorldHealthDay brain burnout cognition Cortisol GAS General Adaptation Syndrome homeostasis memory neurobiology neurological exhaustion Stress Source Type: blogs
