Think Smart: A Neuroscientist's Prescription for Improving Your Brain's Performance

Written by Richard Restak

Narrated by Arthur Morey

In Think Smart, the renowned neuropsychiatrist and bestselling author Richard Restak details how each of us can improve and tone our body's most powerful organ: the brain.



As an expert on the brain, Restak knows that in the last five years there have been exciting new scientific discoveries about the brain and its performance. So he has asked his colleagues—among them the world's leading brain scientists and researchers—one important question: What can I do to help my brain work more efficiently? Their surprising and remarkably feasible answers are at the heart of Think Smart.



Dr. Restak combines advice culled from cutting-edge research with brain-tuning exercises to show how individuals of any age can make their brains work more effectively. In the same accessible prose that made Mozart's Brain and the Fighter Pilot a New York Times bestseller, Restak presents a wide array of practical recommendations about a variety of topics, including the crucial role sleep plays in boosting creativity, the importance of honing sensory memory, and the neuron-firing benefits of certain foods.



In Think Smart, the man the Smithsonian Institution has called "wise, witty, and ethical" offers audiences helpful suggestions for fighting neurological decline that will put every listener on the path to building a healthier, more limber brain.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: May 18, 2009
• ISBN: 9781400182084

Richard Restak

Richard Restak (born 1942) is an American neurologist, neuropsychiatrist, author and professor.

[addunn3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Interesting review of brain research and what it tells us about keeping our brains in shape. The epilogue gives a pretty good review of the information detailed in the rest of the book. At times,though, I felt like the author was writing for popular magazines (O, Cosmo, etc.) and by throwing in a few "may"s and "could"s, added a few more bits of advice that "may" not be borne out by the current research. Enjoyed the read. Easy to understand.

[glennbell_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Well written. Restak has the credentials to write on the topic and demonstrates that he is knowledgeable. Admittedly, the bottom line of a healthy diet, exercise, and mental activity is fairly common sense.

[adeptmagic · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Restak has definitely done the research on this book. He presents not only the brain diet ("if it's good for your heart, it's good for your brain"), but also various exercises to keep the memory and adaptability your brain has and even to improve it. Unfortunately, none of the exercises are particularly exciting and I can't see myself doing most of them with any regularity. He does talk a bit about video games, but in sort of conflicting ways--"here are all the great things you can get from them" vs. "don't spend more than an hour three times a week on them or you could suffer negative effects."

Still, the book is definitely worth reading, especially inasmuch he talks about the correlation between dementia and various activities/lack of activities. The various studies are also really interesting, if that's your bag (and it is definitely mine). Unlike many things you'll run across that are based on "junk science," this book is very specific about which things are factual and which are still speculative.