1 Boring Old Man

• The Mayflower [30 minutes]:
• Standardized Assessments [1 minute]:
• Dr. Evian Gordon [10 minutes]:
• The Mayflower Action Group Iniative [roster]:

I expect this might be a tedious exercise, looking into BRAINnet and Brain Resource , but it seems to have captured the fancy of some fairly important people that represent some fairly important institutions – so for me, it’s worth taking a few minutes to see what it’s all about. Brain Resource is an Australian Company headquartered in Sydney lead by Dr. Evian Gordon. Here’s his letter to the stockholders in 2010 [click on it for a fully readable copy]:

This first product is available to individuals or as the letter says to employers for their employees. Essentially it involves taking an on-line test to determine your brain profile. Based on that assessment, you receive a prescription of brain training exercises that involves on-line games and interactive videos. There’s a personal dashboard that tracks your progress as you repetatively go through these brain training exercises. Their description of the science of this system is explained on the site.

Their second product is billed as solutions for clinical management and seems to be aimed at the Primary Care market to screen for emotional health [and more]. The format seems to be similar, at least at the start – a web administered psychometric test or series of tests generating an immediate report. It’s actually two different products BRISC and WebNeuro that differ in aim and complexity.
BRISC: This is a fairly straight-forward screening questionaire. Their description:
What is BRISC?

A screening tool that identifies risk for a brain health issue. BRISC identifies core domains of brain health relating to both Self-regulation and Feelings. It consists of 45 questions and takes 5-10 minutes to complete. BRISC gives you numbers from 1 [clinically significant] to 10 [superior] for: Self-Regulation Negativity Bias – vulnerability risk for brain health problem Emotional Resilience – capacity for coping Social Skills – engagement, capacity to seek support Feelings Depression – severity of depressed mood Anxiety – severity of anxiety and worry Stress – severity of signs of stress that have a physiological basis

BRISC is available for Adults and Children aged 6 – 18

^{a sample BISC Report}

Note from the ghost in the machine: Were I reading this, I’d be thinking something like, "I know you call yourself 1boringoldman, but don’t you think you’re pushing your luck? Why are you reviewing a company that sells self-help brain training programs and mental health screening for GP’s offices?" Fear not, we’re about to be picking up steam. By the end of the next post, we’re going to be doing MRIs, traversing the genome, locating biomarkers, recommending and discovering new drugs, and revolutionizing the world of personalized medicine.

WebNeuro: WebNeuro picks up the stakes a bit. It’s a screening tool for Depression and Attention Deficit Disorder and recommend treatment. Their description:
What is WebNeuro?

WebNeuro is an objective, quantitative and standardized assessment of both symptoms and neurocognition to support more informed clinical decisions. Additional information is also provided on important vulnerability factors such as negativity bias and emotional resilience: The report helps in determining: Case identification – including vulnerability risk for mental illness Management plan – supporting decisions treatment initiation or specialist referral Reviews – a time schedule for follow up assessment

WebNeuro is available for: Adults [WebNeuro Wellness] Children aged 6 – 18 [WebNeuro Focus]

^{WebNeuro involves multiple tests}


^{a sample of the summary of a WebNeuro Report}

Another note from the ghost in the machine: That’s enough for this time. So far, Brain Resources is a small company doing web-based brain training and neuro-psychiatric assessments using proprietary instruments. Their markets are individuals, corporate clients, and general physicians offices for mental health and some mental illness screening. Their financial growth has been moderate, but steady since they started. In the next installments, we’ll look at their more expansive plans for the future and connect Brain Resource, BRAINnet, and Personalized Medicine.