Keep Your Brain Alive: Neurobic Exercises to Help Prevent Memory Loss and Increase Mental Fitness

Written by Lawrence Katz and Manning Rubin

Narrated by Manning Rubin

No more punch lines that just slipped away. No more names on the tip of your tongue. No more senior moments! Drawing on cutting-edge neurological research, Keep Your Brain Alive: 83 Neurobic Exercises to Help Prevent Memory Loss and Increase Mental Fitness, brings help to everyone whose memory is starting to slip.



Devised by Dr. Lawrence Katz, a professor of neurobiology at Duke University Medical Center, and Manning Rubin, author of 60 Ways to Relieve Stress in 60 Seconds, here is a regimen of mental cross-training that can be done anywhere, by anyone, at any time of day. The premise is simple: When you exercise the brain, you release natural growth factors called neurotrophins, which in turn enhance the brain's level of fitness. And nothing so easily stimulates the brain as breaking routines and using the five senses in new and unexpected ways. So if you're right-handed, wake up tomorrow and brush your teeth with your left hand. Or close your eyes before you get into the car and then get the key into the ignition. Every time you open a new circuit in your brain, it's like doing a round of mental sit-ups, without the pain.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Highbridge Company
• Release date: Nov 17, 2008
• ISBN: 9781598876871

Reviews for Keep Your Brain Alive

[benkline · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Interesting exercises aimed (primarily) at 40 people who feel as if their losing their 'edge' mentally. As someone perpetually worried about Alzheimer's and dementia (after witnessing it first hand growing up with my great grandma) and with my 13 concussions, I am always looking out for things like this - books to help cognitively, (as well as looking out for my own symptoms of failing mental issues); I sadly found this book lacking a fair bit. It's basically aimed at your senses (taste, touch, smell, hearing, etc.) and making you do things differently to 'rewire' or at least make your brain 'work harder' at simple tasks. Ie. brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand. Eating with your eyes closed, etc.

Not quite sure how 100% effective these are, and looking to try some of these, but some are rather impractical for most people, and a lot of this is aimed at the middle-aged white male. But I think it's definitely a good start to get people to think about their own mental health and to start warding off failures in cognitive ability.