Future Brain - Preventing tomorrow's dementia today

Brain health decline starts at age 27, and the rate of decline determines the age when dementia symptoms appear. Cambridge University estimates 1/3 of dementia cases can be prevented through behavioral change. Cognitive assessment that compares individuals' rate of change against the general population will trigger behavioral change, preventing dementia.

1. What is your solution?

This solution consists of an app that provides one or more engaging cognitive tasks such as finding as many words as possible in a grid of letter tiles over a fixed time interval.  The app will provide a large enough set of pre-defined tile grids that prevents rote memorization of a solution.  Results will be kept in cloud-based storage for each set of tile grids by calendar year and age of participant.  Results will be displayed as performance averages for ages 10-110 for the entire population of participants, and for individuals’ year after year results, allowing individuals to compare their rate of age-related cognitive decline with population averages.

This approach does require a long-term commitment to generate meaningful results, but only requires minimal time, cost and effort at any point in time.

2. How does it address the challenge question as posed?

Every person can improve their brain health by engaging in the brain healthy behaviors that slow age-related cognitive decline. Cognitive assessment will trigger these brain healthy behaviors.

3. If scaled, how will it effect change across the world?

Cognitive assessment can be delivered through smartphones, devices in use by over 40% of the world population today, and projected to surpass 50% by 2019.

Global dementia rates are projected to rise from 46.8 million in 2015 to 131.5 million in 2050. But this is not a 2050 problem.  The overwhelming majority of people who will suffer from dementia in 2050 are already experiencing cognitive decline today. And the only available solution is to change behavior now, giving brain-healthier behaviors time to compound, pushing dementia further out for some, and preventing it entirely for others.

First, numerous scientific experiments have demonstrated that behavior is modifiable via environmental triggers. Just as more green beans will be consumed when given indulgent labels , cognitive assessment can be used to trigger the brain-healthy behaviors that prevent dementia.

Second, measurement improves results. Measurement is used to fight heart disease, diabetes and obesity. We must begin to use measurement to fight dementia.

Most brain health apps focus on brain training, which has shown only a minimal brain health benefit. When measurement is utilized at all, it tends to be directed towards highlighting an individual’s improved results, mischaracterizing a training effect as improved cognitive function.

Dementia is a global problem.  This solution provides individuals with data that helps them engage in behaviors that improve their brain health and prevent dementia.

It will be deployed as an app on smartphones and tablets.

I am looking for help in moving this beyond a one-person, part-time effort.

None.