Syllabus: ATEC 7390: Anticipation, games and brain plasticity

Spring 2006
Monday, 3:30-6:15 PM, HRA 1.102

Professor Dr. Mihai Nadin

Email: nadin@utdallas.edu Office: JO 4.926
Web page: www.anticipation.info, www.anteinstitute.org, www.nadin.name

1) 9th January Introduction to Anticipation – Dr. Mihai Nadin

a. Anticipation introduction (causation, time, Descartes, etc.)
b. Goals of the Institute (not just aging as studied in this class but also anticipation and
extreme events, anticipatory computation, and other applications)
c. Student participation and projects.
d. Student evaluation, grades, etc. Each assignment is graded; final evaluation during
last class (integrating class presence, participation in class discussions, results of
independent research). This is a research graduate seminar and evaluation will be
appropriate to this level of education. Accent on independent work and depth of
knowledge acquired.
First assignment: Research state-of-the-art work done in the field so far. The professor
will suggest areas where you should look and mention the organizations and industries
dedicated to helping the aged

2) 16th January– NO CLASS

3) 23rd January Cognitive Neuroscience of Aging–Dr. John Hart, Director, Center for Brain
Health, University of Texas at Dallas

4) 30th January Dr. Scott Swearingen, Assistant Professor, Arts and Humanities, University of
Texas at Dallas

5) 6th February Present results from current research. Demo of games and activities identified
(cf. Week 1-first assignment).

6) 13th February Building a knowledge base on the subject. Sharing methods; Games and
anticipation with a brief introduction to Seneludens. What is Seneludens? Senescence,
anticipation, brain plasticity. The word “Seneludens” is coined from the Latin senex: old, to
age; ludens: playful. The scientific basis for using play to mitigate the consequences of aging
will be explained, along with the concepts of anticipation and brain plasticity – Dr. Nadin
Second Assignment: Design testing methods for quantifying the effectiveness of games that
are currently available /needs clarification: ALL games? Any games for the aging that might
exist. The assignment will be thoroughly discussed in class in order to clarify the goals.
Make sure you have your questions ready.

7) 20th February. Presentation of designed experiments from second assignment. Evaluation and
implementation
8) 27th February Brain plasticity – Professor Dr. Michael Kilgard. Presentation of designed
experiments from second assignment. Evaluation and implementation

9) 3rd March – 11th March – SPRING BREAK

10) 13th March Brain Plasticity and Anticipation - Dr Navzer Engineer, antÉ
Cognitive aging, brain plasticity, mirror neurons, present day cognitive training for the aged,
the need for new forms of “individualized adaptive” therapy, social robots.

11) 20th March Games for the aged: Paul Neumann, Xavix Corporation

12) 27th March Capturing anticipatory characteristics Dr. Navzer Engineer and Gaurav Pradhan
Designing experiments in the motion capture lab for quantifying anticipatory characteristics.
Before we are able to improve anticipation, we have to discover the state it is in at various
stages of the life cycle. The class will explore what is involved, what types of measuring
devices can be used, how the data will be collected and interpreted. Motion capture and
EMG, EKG, sensors demo
Work in the Motion Capture Lab. Hands-on experience that will build an understanding of
sophisticated concepts and equipment.

13) 3rd April Designing variable experiment landscapes. Anticipation is vital to survival. In what
situations do anticipatory capabilities manifest themselves? Most games on the market
portray escapist violent situations that few people will ever face (unless you are a soldier in
combat or a science fiction cyborg). Our experiment landscapes will be more realistic: fire,
hurricane, earthquake, terrorist attack, robots, etc. Design concepts for new forms of
games—computer-based or not—for maintaining anticipatory abilities.
14)
15) 10th April Design concepts for new forms of games—computer-based or not—for
maintaining anticipatory abilities. The characteristic “engaging” will be emphasized - Dr.
Nadin
Third assignment: Design a game, or series of games that will engage the aging person to
play. Due: Projects will be presented and discussed during last week
(Written 2 page report). Progress reports and questions. Be prepared to present any problems
you face as you work on the third assignment and discuss them with the class and with the
professor

16) 17th April Progress reports and questions. Be prepared to present any problems you face as
you work on the third assignment and discuss them with the class and with the professor

17) 24th April Presentation of results in class and evaluation in view of the criteria: engaging,
improve anticipatory abilities and cognitive functioning