workshop on cognitive aging

On june 8, we organized a workshop on cognitive aging at the Center for Strategic Analysis as part of the "Neuroscience and public policy" program of the Department of Social Affairs. Vincent Chriqui, executive director of the Center, gave the opening speech stressing how important of a public policy issue cognitive aging is. He introduced the directions the report on aging the Center will publish next month will follow.

Speakers included (in order of appearance, click on their names to visit their websites):

- cognitive psychologist Patrick Lemaire (University of Provence), author of several books on development and aging; 

- neurologist Bruno Dubois (Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpétrière) a world leading light on Alzheimer's disease research who is going to be the director of the newly founded Institut de la Mémoire et de la Maladie d'Alzheimer;

- clinical psychologist Stéphane Adam (Universities of Liège and Leuven) who adressed issues related to aging and professional activities;

- Sophie Gillette-Guyonnet head of the Toulouse Gérontopôle introduced the strategies her institution is developing and promoting for a multilevel approach to cognitive aging prevention;

- neuropsychologist Anne-Marie Ergis (Université Paris-Descartes) described recent advances in cognitive training;

- computer scientist Franck Tarpin-Bernard (Université Joseph Fourier), also co-founder of serious game company Scientific Brain Training, gave a primer on computer-based serious games, the hopes they raise and their limits;

- psychiatrist Roland Jouvent (Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpétrière) presented his work involving virtual reality to help slow down cognitive aging? He also insisted on the importance of having an embodied approach.

- neurobiologist Etienne-Emile Baulieu (Collège de France), member and former president of the Academy of Science concluded the day.

A lot of questions were debated after the talks during two intense Q&A sessions between the speakers and people attending the workshop including one of France's leading light on cognitive aging Françoise Forette (Université Paris V) who challenged the views of the speakers with her expertise on the topic and Jean-Jacques Temprado (Université de la Méditerranée) who introduced his work on active canes that help aging people keep their balance right.

More on this soon ...

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Website of the workshop (in French) here.

Detailed program (pdf version, in French) here.

Paper by Sarah Sauneron published ahead of the workshop here

The brief that the Agence France Presse after the workshop here