Older and Wiser - Softcover

Richard M. Restak, M.D., is a neurologist, neuropsychiatrist, and Clinical Professor of Neurology affiliated with the George Washington University Medical Center. He is the author of the bestselling The Brain--a companion to the PBS series of the same name--as well as The Mind, The Brain Has a Mind of Its Own, and The Brain: The Last Frontier. He lives in Washington, D.C..

Restak, neurologist and author of numerous popular books on the human brain (including the companion volume to the PBS series The Brain), considers here the effects of aging on the human brain and suggests ways to maintain peak mental performance. Stressing that brain functioning is the most predictive feature of longevity, Restak describes both the cellular mechanisms responsible for aging and the cognitive processes of the mature brain?some of which, he notes, actually improve with age. He discusses the role of neurotransmitters and briefly describes drugs that may compensate for changes that occur in these chemicals over time. Throughout, the author carefully distinguishes normal, age-associated memory loss from symptoms characterizing a diseased brain. Restak summarizes the wisdom of nine mentally agile seniors and offers 30 practical suggestions (covering nutrition, exercise, and social and mental activities) to maximize mental performance. A useful and popular acquisition for any public library.?Laurie Bartolini, Legislative Research, Springfield, Ill.
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