A UC Davis Big Idea Project
Brain fitness: a solution for healthy aging across the lifespan
The loss of brain health commonly associated with aging can be devastating. Beyond the personal toll on patients and their families, deteriorating cognitive and mental health affects all of us and represents a substantial challenge to our healthcare system and communities. Now is the time to change how science and society think about aging, cognitive and mental disease, focusing on what we are calling lifelong brain fitness. This kind of cognitive training has the ability to prevent neurodevelopmental disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease and Dementia.
Optimizing brain health from birth
Through its Big Ideas Program, UC Davis has a bold vision of a society where everyone has a chance to have a healthy brain and a healthy mind. Breaking down traditional barriers between neuroscience research and practice, and uniting our strengths across the university, the UC Davis Healthy Brain Aging Initiative will advance novel approaches to optimize brain health from birth. We will drive new discoveries in the science of brain development and aging that translate to game-changing early interventions and treatments to improve brain health across the lifespan. With targeted education and outreach programs, UC Davis will be the go-to resource for understanding and enhancing brain power throughout life.
Fueling brain research to make a difference
UC Davis is looking to partner with donors, corporations and foundations to accomplish the following:
- Create a state-of-the-art hub for collaborative neuroscience research
- Jumpstart novel brain research ideas and high-risk, high-reward technologies
- Establish new interdisciplinary positions for faculty thought leaders
- Create new innovative training programs to transform graduate and postdoctoral research