Centre for Brain Fitness - 2007 - 2008 Annual Report Baycrest and Baycrest Foundation

Message from the President and CEO - navigation bar

In the last century, science and medicine aligned to combat the scourge of heart disease. Today at Baycrest, researchers and clinicians are developing innovative responses to an emerging 21st century challenge—the impact of aging and brain diseases on the well-being of society.

President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. William Reichman

“With the support of the Ontario government, the Centre for Brain Fitness will allow Baycrest to give the world a whole new understanding—and new hope—about interventions and preventions that could transform aging,” said President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. William Reichman.

In April, Baycrest received $10 million from the Ontario Government to create a groundbreaking Centre for Brain Fitness which will develop and commercialize a range of products designed to improve the brain health of aging Ontarians and others around the world. The province’s investment matches $10 million in commitments from private donors.

“Our government is proud to support Baycrest and its invaluable work, which is already leading to the discovery of important new tools and approaches to treating brain diseases associated with aging,” said Minister of Research and Innovation John Wilkinson.

“There are few things as frightening as the prospect of declining brain fitness as we age and the loss of our mental faculties,” noted Dr. Tony Melman, chair of the Baycrest Board of Directors. “Baycrest’s strengths in aging brain research, cognitive assessment and rehabilitation make it well-positioned to develop innovative, market-driven research products that will transform the way we age.”

Dr. Melman also noted that the Centre for Brain Fitness could potentially save the Ontario health-care system an estimated $1 billion annually by delaying the institutionalization of one third of dementia patients for one year. In addition, he said, the government’s investment will help Ontario participate in the global brain fitness market, which is expected to reach $4 billion by 2010.

Baycrest will partner with the Toronto-based MaRS Venture Group to develop and market scientifically-proven products for the clinic, workplace and home environments.

Centre for Brain Fitness Articles

Web program supports home caregivers

A “blood pressure” cuff for the brain

Simple device helps find the car

Connecting with others in the same situation provides much-needed support for people caring for loved ones who have a long-term illness such as Alzheimer’s.

For those who for one reason or another cannot meet face-to-face with their fellow caregivers, a unique internet-based support program developed at Baycrest allows them to do so from home.

Using videoconferencing technology, six caregivers at a time meet online once a week for 10 weeks. The group sessions are facilitated by trained clinicians. After 10 weeks, participants are ready to continue the online group by themselves.

“We found that when we compared the people in the online support group versus caregivers who only get information online, those who take part in the videoconferencing do better in terms of their stress response and in managing the care of their loved ones—and they truly form a bond,” notes Dr. Elsa Marziali, director of the Katz Centre for Gerontological Social Work.

A randomized, controlled trial of the program’s efficacy is currently underway. Previous feasibility studies have shown that even caregivers who are not experienced computer users benefit from seeing and talking to each other online.

Under the auspices of the Centre for Brain Fitness, Baycrest is working with the MaRs Venture group to license the Caring for Others [CFO©] website and the facilitator training program. The product, which is also available in French, would initially be marketed in Ontario, but could potentially be used around the world.

Patient Syed Bukhari completes a series of brain function tests on a tablet computer as stroke specialist Dr. Jon Ween looks on. The assessment tool is part of a series of products being developed for commercialization at Baycrest's new Centre for Brain Fitness.

Imagine if your family doctor could one day test your brain fitness as easily as he or she now measures your blood pressure.

A new tool being developed at Baycrest to test attention and memory in stroke patients has the potential to become standard equipment in hospitals and doctors’ offices. Working with researchers and software developers at the Rotman Research Institute, stroke specialist Dr. Jon Ween programmed a series of neuropsychological tests into a tablet PC – a portable notebook computer with a touch screen. Using a stylus pen, the patient writes or taps on the screen and the results are immediately tabulated and stored on a secure computer server system that can be accessed by different physicians treating the same patient. No information is actually stored on the tablet.

“The kind of testing battery is designed to get a comprehensive thumbnail sketch of a patient’s cognitive abilities so we can have a reasonable idea of exactly where the deficits are, which is important in stroke primarily because it’s a focal brain disease,” explains Dr. Ween, a neurologist, clinical scientist and director of the Louis and Leah Posluns Stroke & Cognition Clinic.

“It hits one area of the brain more than others whereas degenerative dementias like Alzheimer’s disease tend to affect larger swaths of the brain.”

The tool may also be used to monitor whether therapy is improving brain function over time.

“In five years, I’d like to see this as the iPhone of clinical neurology—something everyone’s got to have because it works so well and is fun to use,” says Dr. Ween.

Misplacing possessions or forgetting appointments may be signs of mild cognitive impairment.

A small handheld computer is helping people cope with the memory difficulties that can come with age—forgetting where they parked the car is a common example.

Having successfully trained people with amnesia to use the Palm as a memory aid, Baycrest psychologists turned their attention to those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). “We wondered if they would embrace that technology and want to use it if we provided one-on-one training,” says Dr. Kelly Murphy, coordinator of the Memory Intervention Program.

Five people from the program in their mid-60s to late 70s took part in a one-year pilot project, and with much practice, they are now using the Palm to keep track of such things as appointments, phone numbers, and addresses, and to remind them to take their health card or questions to the doctor. The device is also used to take photos, and record images and sounds. For example, a photo of where they parked the car is useful for people with MCI. And the audio feature can be used for things like recording a doctor’s comments to play back later for family members.