Sophia Vinogradov, M.D., will deliver the keynote at the FREE Scientific Symposium at the Music Festival for Mental Health on September 7, 2013.

Here is the abstract to her talk, titled New Tools to Improve Brain Functioning in Psychiatric Illness: Neuroplasticity-Based Treatments and Beyond:

“In neuropsychiatric illnesses, there is dysfunction in the critical brain systems that process information important for perception, thinking, social interactions, emotion regulation, and motivation. These brain systems are known to be highly plastic-that is to say, they are modifiable by experience or training.  This fact, combined with the availability of advanced computerized technology, suggests that we should be able to engineer very specific “brain exercises” to correct some of the information processing abnormalities that occur in psychiatric illnesses.

“Dr. Vinogradov will present an overview of the current state of knowledge from studies of computerized brain training in psychiatry (also called “cognitive training”), with an emphasis on recent studies from her laboratory that focus on the brain system impairments of schizophrenia. She will present a range of data that demonstrate the positive effects of well-designed cognitive training exercises in schizophrenia, and discuss the promise of this new treatment approach for other neuropsychiatric illnesses.  She will also discuss some of the exciting future directions of this and related fields, including the use of neurofeedback and neuromodulation, virtual reality platforms, and the potential applications of these technologies for preventive or pre-emptive interventions in high-risk individuals.”

Sophia Vinogradov, M.D. is one of the foremost pioneers in the field of cognitive training. She is:

• Professor in Residence & Associate Chief of Staff for Mental Health at San Francisco VA Medical Center
• Vice Chair, Dept. of Psychiatry at University of California, San Francisco