New Partnership to Promote Brain Health

Published October 30, 2006

New Partnership to Promote Brain Health Offers On-line Assessment

First One Million Users Receive Free Test

October 30th, 2006, Washington, D.C. – The Alliance for Aging Research (The Alliance) and the Brain Resource Company (BRC), announced today a new partnership to promote education and research in brain health. New research has shown that while some aspects of general cognition decrease with age (for example, memory), other processes improve with age (for example, emotion processing). The Alliance and BRC bring the BRC WebNeuro test of general cognition and emotion function free to consumers.

WebNeuro is brief and can be taken anonymously and in the privacy of the user’s home, via the Internet. Users receive a personalized report at the completion of the test. The WebNeuro test is particularly well suited for monitoring change in brain function over time. In this regard, test-takers will be encouraged to monitor their brain function every six months.

With all of the recent promising research in the brain’s capacity to improve its functions, the Alliance and BRC are excited to bring WebNeuro free to the first one million users. The test will be made available to visitors of the Alliance’s website at www.agingresearch.org.

By offering easy access to the test, the groups aim to make users aware of their brain cognition and health.* Users will also be directed to Brain Health pages within the Alliance website that will highlight what individuals can do to improve their brain health and what the most recent research is showing.

In addition to getting consumers thinking about the health of their minds in the same way they do the health of their bodies, an additional opportunity of this partnership is an increase in data on cognition and aging. The anonymous results are entered into a large database. Test-takers will not only receive valuable information about their brain health, but will also learn about the crucial role that they will play in this important research.

The launch of the Alliance’s Brain Health pages and the free WebNeuro test is scheduled to coincide with National Memory Awareness Day on November 14th. *The WebNeuro test is only a screening tool and is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any health problems. Users concerned about their results will be instructed to contact their primary care physicians for a comprehensive clinical assessment.

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Founded in 1986, the Alliance for Aging Research is a nonprofit, independent organization dedicated to improving the health and independence of aging Americans through public and private funding of medical research and geriatric education. The Alliance combines the interest of top scientists, public officials, business executives, and foundation leaders to promote a greater national investment in research and new technologies that will prepare our nation for the coming senior boom, and improve the quality of life for today’s older generation.

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The Brain Resource Company (BRC) has set up the first global standard for Cognitive Brain Testing. BRC’s standardized international database, with thousands of subjects, brings together behavioral and biological measures that are normally examined in isolation (including Personal History, Cognition, Electrical Brain Function, Brain Structure, and Genetics). The methodology is used in over 100 sites, in the USA, Europe, South Africa and Australia. BRC provides evidence-based reports about brain function and cognition to support decisions that promote better clinical management. It is being used commercially in drug development and clinical management and is also being made available to brain scientists for noncommercial scientific research. www.brainresource.com

New Partnership to Promote Brain Health