In "Keep Your Brain Young", two of the world's most prominent brain doctors explain all of the normal changes that can affect the brain as we age. They also show what we can do to minimize these changes and boost our mental and physical functioning.
How well the brain works is key to enjoying a healthy, productive life in the senior years, according to this guide to the relationship between brain activity and long life. Because the brain controls thinking, emotions, movement, the senses, and other physical functions, it is essential to keep it working as well as possible, explain McCann (neurologist, Johns Hopkins Univ. Sch. of Medicine) and Albert (psychiatry and neurology, Harvard Medical Sch.). This accessible compendium offers a wealth of fascinating information on age–related brain changes that affect normal physical processes such as sleep, hearing, balance, memory, and pain and those that may lead to abnormal conditions like dizziness, Alzheimer′s disease, depression, Parkinson′s, brain tumors, and stroke. Liberally documented with the latest research findings, the book illustrates scientific facts with case studies and practical suggestions for maintaining a healthy mind in a healthy body. Unfortunately, the limited appendix lists only a handful of professional organizations, web sites, and books; the book would have benefited from a more comprehensive bibliography of professional articles cited in the text and related consumer health resources. Nonetheless, this is recommended for all consumer health and aging collections. Karen McNally Bensing, Benjamin Rose Lib., Cleveland (
Library Journal, April 1, 2002)
McKhann, a professor of neurology at John Hopkins, has coauthored this manual on the workings of the brain with his wife, Albert, director of gerontology research at Massachusetts General Hospital. Although the writing is dry, there is excellent information here for the aging adult. The authors acknowledge that growing older quite naturally involves some physical changes in the brain. They present the most effective ways, based on scientific research and case histories, to minimize these changes and their impact on everyday life. Strategies are offered to improve memory, such as doing mental exercises and maintaining a regular exercise program. For the disease–free older adult, the authors recommend a well–balanced diet and getting an adequate amount of sleep. They stress the importance of recognizing and seeking medical assistance for depression, hearing or vision loss and urinary and sexual problems. McKhann and Albert also deal extensively with a variety of brain disorders including tumors, Parkinson′s Disease and Alzheimer′s, and detail the latest medical treatments and drugs that may ameliorate some of these conditions. (May) (Publishers Weekly, April 15, 2002)
"...an easy–to–understand guide about some not–so–easy worries that mark upper–middle age...an extraordinarily useful guidebook to serve us..." (The Wall Street Journal, July 8, 2002)
THEY TEACH NEUROLOGY–HE′S at Johns Hopkins, and she′s at Harvard. Together, these cerebral types have written a fitness book to keep your gray matter in the pink.
Preserving your smarts, they argue, depends on a positive attitude and physical and mental exertion. Activities like swimming can prod the brain to produce the chemicals it needs to function in old age. Mental aerobics like crossword puzzles may strengthen connections between nerve cells and possibly aid in forming new neurons.
The authors believe that women may live longer than men because they shop, a pastime that requires both physical (walking and carrying bags) and mental (price–comparison) skills. There are no radical new theories here–just sharp insights into what goes on up there and how to keep your brain whole as you grow older. Carole Buia (Time Magazine, July 29, 2002)
"This accessible compendium offers a wealth of fascinating information on age–related brain changes..." (
Library Journal, April 1, 2002)
"...an easy–to–understand guide about some not–so–easy worries that mark upper–middle age...an extraordinarily useful guidebook to serve us..." (The Wall Street Journal, July 8, 2002)
"sharp insights into what goes on up there and how to keep your brain whole as you grow older." (TIME Magazine, July 29, 2002)
