Interview with Adam Gazzaley: "Brains, Games, and Cognitive Enhancement"

Dr. Adam Gazzaley is the David Dolby Distinguished Professor in Neurology, Physiology and Psychiatry at University of California, San Francisco and the Founder / Executive Director of Neuroscape.

Dr. Gazzaley’s early research focused on the neural deficits that accrue with age. Now, he studies various technological tools that can be used to remedy those deficits and enhance cognition in clinical and healthy populations. He is the author, along with Dr. Larry Rosen, of The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World.

I’m really fascinated by the idea of flipping the story around, of using technology designed from its very beginning to help elevate our minds and not diminish us.”

Jump to a question:

• Could you describe your early research on the neurological effects of aging?

• How analogous are those deficits to various clinical populations (e.g. those with dementia, Alzheimer’s, or ADD)?

• What convinced you that video games might be a successful way of enhancing cognition?

• Could you describe the evolution of NeuroRacer, your first attempt in this direction?

• How do you distinguish between cognitive control, working memory, sustained attention, and other metrics you study?

• Are there any conditions in a natural environment that are similar to the “closed-loop” technologies you’ve been developing?

• What do you think explains your success relative to other “brain training” technologies at achieving transfer across domains?

• Western education has traditionally focused on knowledge, whereas the Eastern meditative traditions focus on training basic cognitive and attentional faculties. How do you see your work in this context?

• Could you describe MediTrain, your closed-loop meditation training app?

• What do you think the differences are between traditional meditation training and MediTrain?

• Could you explain the sub-title of your book, “Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World?”

• Aside from the risks, how do you think technology can enhance our humanity?

• What strategies do you use to maintain a healthy relationship to technology?