Research

Using Brain Network Activation (BNA) Technology to Increase Understanding of Aging Brains

 

Older adults have expressed a strong interest in preserving their memory and healthy brain functioning in late life. Recently, The Villages Health has partnered with ElMindA Ltd. and USF to bring a clinical trial to The Villages community that focuses on brain health. ElMindA specializes in the evaluation of brain function using an innovative system known as Brain Network Activation – or BNA – analysis. BNA analysis allows researchers to use EEG signals to create a map of a functioning brain.

BNA has been successful as a tool in the evaluation and treatment planning for people suffering from concussion and it shows great promise as a tool to aid in the evaluation and treatment of other conditions such as depression and dementia. 

Integrating big-data repositories and deep-learning algorithms, our state-of-the-art BNA™ (Brain Network Activation) technology is revolutionizing the diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of brain-related disorders by measuring how effectively different parts of the brain are connecting and communicating. By creating a new standard of care for brain function assessment, BNA allows medical professionals – as well as individuals and their families – to see more, know more and do more than ever before, facilitating better decision making for physicians and patients.

In early 2017, the research team begin recruiting over 1,000 Villagers to participate in a two-year study using BNA technology to understand the brain health of older adults ~ a first in its field. This study will allow the research team to collect data on healthy aging brains, and data on how depression and cognitive impairment like Alzheimer's disease affect brain function in later life. At no cost to them, participants in the study will have the ability to learn about their own brain health over time, and the data collected will help us better understand and detect abnormal changes (i.e. cognitive impairment, neurodegenerative diseases) in brain health throughout the aging process, so that we can engage aging populations in early intervention and prevention activities and keep our community healthy for as long as possible.

If you would like to learn more, or are interested in exploring potential participation in this study, please call: (352)-247-2493
or click here for more information.