| Notes |
In early 2009, Dr. Gazzaley saw an opportunity to move beyond the lab’s sole focus on basic science, notably its characterization of vulnerabilities in the aging brain to improve functioning in individuals who were suffering from cognitive deficits. To address this, he took a unique step that began a cascade of events that culminated in the creation of Neuroscape. He reached out to friends working at Lucas Arts and asked for their assistance in developing a therapeutic video game (Neuroracer) that he designed to improve cognition in older adults. This technology development project and series of research studies that followed it over the next 4 years, resulted in a 2013 publication in the journal Nature that was featured on the cover as “Game Changer”, a UCSF patent filing of the methodology behind the game training approach, and the founding of a novel healthcare company — Akili Interactive Labs — to productize this breakthrough and advance the game as a clinical therapeutic device. This success led to the evolution of the Gazzaley Lab from a cognitive neuroscience lab to a translational neuroscience lab devoted to not just neuroscience research, but also making a difference in people’s lives. |