Lakewood Ranch & Harvard Medical School to Launch Brain Study

Our very own Lakewood Ranch recently announced a partnership for a pioneering brain study. This partnership includes many prestigious medical institutions, including Harvard Medical School teaching hospital. 

The “Lakewood Ranch Study of Brain Health” is a collaboration between Lakewood Ranch, Massachusetts General Hospital, part of Harvard Medical School, and the Academy for Brain Health and Performance. The study was created to promote brain health and prevent brain-related concerns such as:

• Autism

• Depression

• Anxiety

• Addictions

• Learning Disabilities

• ADHD

• Dementia

• Strokes

• Parkinson’s

As stated in the Business Observer, “Parkinson’s affects one out of every three people worldwide, and breakthrough scientific discoveries are urgently needed.”

Stephanie Peabody, a neuropsychologist and founding director of the Academy for Brain Health and Performance, had this to say about the study, “A healthy brain is critical to our health and wellbeing, both personal and communal. Yet, compared to other organs in the body, relatively little is known about the factors that shape brain health.”

Steps to achieve the mission of the Lakewood Ranch Study of Brain Health include:

• Generating discoveries needed to enhance brain health on a global level

• Establishing infrastructure, platforms, and studies that will elevate Lakewood Ranch as the “go to” place for brain health scientists, clinicians, and medical professionals

• Increasing brain health and performance outcomes at the individual, community, and global level

According to the Business Observer, the program is being built in three phases. 

1. Phase 1 (Jan. 1 - August 30) - Includes developing the infrastructure and raising the initial $1.6M capital.

2. Phase 2 - includes planning for the pilot study and will last an estimated eight months. 

3. Phase 3 - includes launching the pilot study, in conjunction with creating the LWR Brain Health Innovation Lab. 

Officials state Lakewood Ranch was chosen as the ideal location for the study as it’s a, “large, multi-generational community with diverse on-site resources to support the health and well-being of its residents,” they also called it, “the ideal setting for a ground-breaking study of brain health and performance.”