MindWeavers, a spin-off from the University of Oxford that develops software claimed to alter brain function, is about to launch a series of ‘brain exercise’ computer game products, targeted at ageing baby boomers.
Dubbed MindFit, it’s designed to keep minds active “in order to slow, delay and protect against the effects of ageing”. The software is said to assess and train brains, and “has been proven to improve a range of abilities known to decline with age”.
The company’s move into the adult brain health market follows its acquisition of BrainBoost, a business that develops software to protect against cognitive decline, founded by Baroness Susan Greenfield, world expert in neuro-development and degeneration.
It also follows £558,000 of new investment capital, completion of the process of conversion to plc status and a move towards listing on the PLUS market, aimed at attracting further funding.
Says MindWeavers chief executive Bruce Robinson: “We are finalising plans to launch MindFit onto the UK market in early September. MindFit has been developed by our partners, CogniFit, with whom we have signed an exclusive distribution agreement, and carries the endorsement of Baroness Greenfield.
“We are also currently undertaking a clinical study of the MindWorks software we developed jointly with CogniFit, which aims to protect brain health in patients who have been diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment and early Alzheimer’s.”
Hitherto, MindWeavers has been developing software that exercises specific areas of the brain to improve human performance ‘by design’. The company says its software is based on research that shows our neural systems to be plastic and malleable – constantly changing throughout life. It’s predicated on the finding that effective instruction can alter brain function.