Brain fitness industry young, but growing
If I were a venture capitalist invested in a promising brain fitness software company, I might be inclined to pump even more money into efficacy research. More and more of the Baby Boomers fueling our fitness boom will be entering the land of Social Security checks, and we all know what it means to collect SS -- you're getting pretty old. No doubt, as dementia, memory loss and Alzheimer's disease knock on Boomers' doors, one gigantic demographic will likely be interested in purchasing proven brain fitness software.
Considered a young industry, the U.S. market for brain stimulation products has more than doubled to $225 million between 2005 and 2007. One health insurer, Humana, has buddied up with Posit Science to offer Posit's brain fitness programs to a niche of Medicare members at a discount. Not only for the older adult, Cogmed has even tested a brain stimulation program on children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Some experts stress clinical data supporting the efficacy of these programs will be critical for a business model to succeed down the line. It'll be important for industry players to back up circumstantial evidence that brain stimulation software works in the short term -- at this point it's premature to conclude these programs actually lower the incidence of conditions such as Alzheimer's disease over the long term. Read what industry leaders have to say about the future of brain fitness in this interesting article. Perhaps someday in the retirement community you'll pencil in an hour for brain fitness after your round of golf or 50 laps in the pool.
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