Hi Bill.  Thanks for joining the Staying Sharp group. I'm just beginning to play with the group to learn what can be done and how to do it. Ultimately, I hope we can have an active community of people who are interested in brain health. I hope to regularly contribute updates from new studies that help us piece together the intriguing puzzle of how the brain works and we can do to keep it working at optimum levels.

What are Staying Sharp Forums? -- The Staying Sharp initiative conducts four or five large Staying Sharp Forums per year at cities around the country.  Each, Forum which attracts an audience of around 1,000 members and non-members, consists of a 75-minute moderated discussion among 3-4 neuroscientists.  The neuroscientists are selected by the Dana Alliance for Brain initiatives. The discussion topics fall into three basic categories: 1) how the brain ages; 2) things that can go wrong with the brain (dementia and Alzheimer’s); and 3) what we can do through healthy brain behaviors to reduce the risk of cognitive decline and increase the change of cognitive improvement as we age.   The discussion is followed by a 45 minutes Q & A session with the audience.  The Staying Sharp Forums are supported through a generous grant from MetLife Foundation.

In 2009 Staying Sharp will hold Staying Sharp Forums in San Francisco (May 17) and at the Life @ 50+ event in Washington DC (September 5).  The remaining three forums have yet to be confirmed, but we are looking at New York NY, Charlotte NC and San Antionio TX