PSFK Talks to vibrantBrains

PSFK discovered vibrantBrains, the Bay Area’s first “brain gym”, while putting together PSFK Snapshot SF. We took time out to talk to Lisa Schoonerman and Jan Zivic, co-founders of vibrantBrains, to learn about the growing industry of services and products catering to those trying to stay as mentally fit as physically.

What is vibrantBrains? How did vibrantBrains come about?

Simply put, vibrantBrains is a brain gym. Our members exercise, flex and strengthen their brains in an attractive, casual environment where they can work hard, take breaks in our lounge, and have a chat with other members. In our vibrantBrains Neurobics Circuit, we offer a variety of scientifically validated software exercises, all developed and vetted by scientists. This circuit training targets specific cognitive skills, such as short-term and working memory, attention and focus, processing speed, visual-spatial, language and quantitative skills, and reasoning. Just as we need to strengthen our bodies with stretching and weight-bearing exercises, we need to strengthen our brains with cognitive exercises. In addition to these exercises, we offer classes, including the Memory Training Course from the University of California at Los Angeles, based on research conducted by memory expert Dr. Gary Small, Posit Science’s Brain Fitness Program, and “Minding Your Mind”, which is a helpful stress management and focus tool. We also host a monthly Science Salon Series, where we feature prominent scientists, doctors, and authors speaking on a variety of topics pertaining to brain health. Often, they are available to sign their most recently published books.

vibrantBrains came about after a lot of research and brainstorming by Jan Zivic and Lisa Schoonerman, the owners/founders, who became interested in brain health for very personal reasons. Jan suffered a traumatic brain injury after an automobile accident several years ago, and experienced the concept of neuroplasticity first-hand as she rehabilitated from not being able to walk or think rationally to restoring much, but not all of her previous functioning. At the age of 54, Lisa’s mother was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, a personality-robbing disease that left Lisa and her family faced with the reality of what loss of cognitive function in its harshest form entails. Because of their personal situations, both Jan and Lisa feel passionately that there is a need to spread the word that the normal effects of aging, such as memory loss and slower processing speed, no longer have to be inevitable; that people can take steps to maintain and improve certain cognitive skills. vibrantBrains is a community of people who are interested in maintaining and improving their cognitive health.

What is the ethos behind vibrantBrains? How is vibrantBrains changing the way we look at mental health and boomers?

Our goal at vibrantBrains is to use the best scientifically developed tools supported by scientific principle that are available to the public. We want to promote awareness that brain health is something we should all be thinking of, that it’s not just for those who are experiencing “senior moments” or who have suffered a brain injury of some sort. Just as with your body, the best time to begin exercising is before you’re out of shape, so it is with the brain. The fact that we don’t simply have to accept cognitive decline as an inevitable aspect of aging, that we can take steps to slow or reverse that process, is very exciting!

What aspects of San Francisco/the Bay Area are inspiring you right now?

Where to begin? The Bay Area is a fantastic place for innovation and activity. There are people like Bernard Osher, who through his philanthropy is creating centers where the aging population can attend classes and workshops to provide lifelong learning opportunities. Also, the Memory and Aging Center at UCSF, led by Dr BruceMiller, is a fantastic research facility and clinic that is on the forefront of dementia research.

To learn more about vibrantBrains and other inspiring ideas from the Bay Area, treat yourself to PSFK Snapshot San Francisco.