Frequently Asked Questions

Getting started with HippoCamera

If you downloaded our app, we thank you for doing so and for your interest! Right now, we’re still in research mode but we plan to launch in the coming months. In the meantime, if you’d like to get notified when we launch and keep up to date on other interesting news from us, sign up here.

HippoCamera was designed to mimic the hippocampus, a seahorse-shaped part of your brain that’s responsible for taking recent memories and making them last for the long term. Based on cognitive principles from the science of learning and memory, HippoCamera creates and plays back powerful cues for your memories. It uses principles from the science of learning and memory to boost recall and enhance activity in your hippocampus.

Our studies show that using HippoCamera for just minutes a day can create long-lasting memory benefits. Read more about the research behind HippoCamera here.

Our research shows that people of all ages show large and long-lasting memory gains from using HippoCamera. Even individuals in the early stages of cognitive decline or those with traumatic brain injury benefit from HippoCamera.

You only need to use HippoCamera for minutes a day -- we found that recording and replaying just once a day led to improved memory that was long-lasting. It also helped keep the days from blending together. These memory benefits were seen even 3 months later, long past when memory for these events would typically be forgotten.

Choose an event that makes that day special. As you go through your life, ask yourself “What do I want to remember about today?” Just that simple act of reflecting on which events are important to remember will improve memory.

We found that replaying just once per day was sufficient for long-lasting memory gains! Our studies showed memories lingered even 3-months later - long past when memory for these events would typically be forgotten.

We learn best if we study in short sessions distributed over many days, rather than one long study session all at once. And so we recommend that you use HippoCamera in short bursts on a frequent basis. In addition, our research shows that replaying right before sleep leads to the biggest memory gains. Sleep is very important for memory, and thinking about an event right before bed might prioritize those memories for memory-enhancing processing during sleep.

HippoCamera works on Android and iOS phones and tablets.

The science behind HippoCamera

The hippocampus is a seahorse-shaped part of your brain that makes recent memories stick by playing them back at an increased speed to other parts of the brain. In general, as we age, the hippocampus shrinks and becomes less effective, especially where conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are concerned.

Our team has researched and published the positive effects that HippoCamera has on memory. In research studies, people had much-improved recall of events they recorded and replayed versus those who didn’t use the app -- it boosted event recall by an average of over 50%. In addition, we’ve worked with individuals outside of the lab environment and found the same benefits to memory. You can read about our studies here.

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) we showed that hippocampal activity was enhanced for memories of events replayed with HippoCamera. Specifically, the patterns of activity in the hippocampus were sharper for those events. This helps to keep our memories for different events from being confused with each other. Read more about it here.

A natural language analysis showed HippoCamera not only made memory better, but it increased the positive feelings associated with these memories. That is, relative to control events, events replayed with HippoCamera evoked more positive emotions when they were recalled. Memory and well-being are closely connected, and so by boosting memory for important life events we may be able to improve mood.

A control study compared memory for events that had been recorded and watched over the course of typical smartphone use versus memories that had been recorded and watched with HippoCamera. A large and long-lasting benefit was observed for HippoCamera memories. This is because events recorded with standard phone usage are not as rich and are not recorded with the same intentionality as HippoCamera events.

We are a team of experts in the science of memory at leading institutions in North America developed HippoCamera based on the simple question, “Can we design a digital platform to mimic that function of a brain region that is compromised in Alzheimer's Disease?”. Learn more about us here.

HippoCamera in an Elder Care setting

Individuals using HippoCamera for a few minutes a day experienced an average boost of over 50% in their ability to remember specific events that lasted over a 3 month period, even without HippoCamera use. Read more about the results of our studies here.

Our programs in retirement living have fostered positive interaction between residents and between staff and residents. Feedback on HippoCamera is that it’s fun, easy to use, and individuals feel it improves their memory for the events they’ve recorded and replayed.

We’ve developed effective training and onboarding materials for both staff and residents. Subsequently, you can determine how much structured interaction to carry out with residents who’ve used the platform. Individuals need to only use HippoCamera 3-5 minutes per day to get beneficial effects. Sites that have implemented reminiscence discussion groups have found that it fostered positive interaction between residents and between staff and residents. No special experience is required for staff to use the platform.

Our research showed that even individuals showing early signs of cognitive decline, or those with more severe memory impairments from a traumatic brain injury, can enjoy memory benefits from using HippoCamera.

Choose an event that makes that day special. As you go through your life ask yourself “What do I want to remember about today?” Just that simple act of reflecting on which events are important to remember will improve memory.

Individuals will need an iOS or Android smartphone or tablet to use the HippoCamera platform.

Our team will work with you to determine pricing that will allow you to achieve an acceptable level of ROI for your organization.

HippoCamera provides customized materials, training, and live support throughout the program. In addition, we provide a program reporting module that shows overall utilization and resident feedback.

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