APR 2000 KEEP YOUR BRAIN ALIVE 83 Neurobic Exercises to Help Prevent Memory Loss and Increase Mental Fitness Lawrence C. Katz, Ph.D. & Manning Rubin Illustrations by David Suter 3 1150007903129 Workman Publishing Company, New York Copyright © 1999 by Lawrence C. Katz and Manning Rubin ACKNOWLEDGMENTS retuS divaD © thgirypoc snoitartsullI Cover and book design: Elaine Tom W -hctam ruo gnieb rof namkroW reteP knaht htob e All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced—mechanically, g npidulchni ,snoaemt reohto cyna oyb rop ,yllaycinoirtcneleg—without maker, and our editor, Ruth Sullivan, for her steadfast written permission of the publisher. Published simultaneously in faith in the project and her relentless pursuit of clarity and Canada by Thomas Alien 8c Son Limited. .lairetam eht fo noitazinagro dna gnitirw eht ni yticilpmis Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Katz, Lawrence, 1956- Larry Katz wishes to thank Doris larovici, his spouse, for Keep your brain alive: the neurobic exercise program/by Lawrence C. Katz her critical insights, advice, and editorial assistance, and Bonnie .nibuR gninnaM dna p. cm. Kissell, for unflagging administrative support of this project. ISBN 0-7611-1052-6 tnurb eht gniraeb rof ,nibuR enaJ sknaht nibuR gninnaM . C1. C2oogg n.nistiitroioonn—t—cAaPgfre oblems. ,M 3exee m.rccoitsreeys— , Age . 4C o.sgrontictaiof .5An —g.citnPeg r,—soebsPilcesrmeyxcseh, o.slotcgeipcsaal of his burying himself in the research, writing, and rewriting .ediT .II .gninnaM ,nibuR .I -level reh rof dna ,sraeyB Fo724w.55t.C 6r3Ko3f8 1h998tiw dessesbo neeb sah eh 15388—881d-8c921 headed observations that helped the book. And he thanks CIP Larry for the voluminous work he has produced in keeping Workman books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk this book alive. for premiums and sales promotions as well as for fund-raising or educational use. Special editions or book excerpts can also be created to specification. For details, contact the Special Sales Director at the address below. .cnI ,ynapmoC gnihsilbuP namkroW 708 Broadway 5559-30001w Y eYoNrNk, aciremA fo setatS detinU eht ni detnirP First printing May 1999 6 7 8 9 01 CONTENTS Preface ........................................ .ix C H A P T ER I New uSrecoNibe enichf cBsToe: rain Exercise ..........1 C H A P T ER II How the Brain Works ........................... .9 C H A P T ER III How Neurobics Works............................31 C H A P T ER IV Starting and Ending the Day ...................... .41 C H A P T ER V Commuting ................................... .53 C H A P T ER VI k .ro..WA..t ................................7-7 C H A P T ER VII At the Market................................ .87 CHAPTER VIII s e.m.itla.eM. tA............................9.9.. C H A P T ER IX e r.usi.eL t.A .............................7.11.. PREFACE A s the population of over 76 million Baby Boomers ap- gnivreserp fo eussi eht ,dnoyeb dna ega elddim sehcaorp mental powers throughout greatly increased life spans has tseretni gniworg a si erehT .hctip revef tsomla na dehcaer in—and optimism about—preserving and enhancing the brain's capabilities into senior years. With the help of power- ful new tools of molecular biology and brain imaging, neuro- scientists around the world have literally been looking into the mind as it thinks. Almost daily, they are discovering that many of the negative myths about the aging brain are, in- deed, only myths: "Older and wiser" is not just a hopeful cliche but can be the reality. In much the same way that you can maintain your physical well-being, you can take charge of .ssentif dna htlaeh latnem ruoy egral a yb devorp tey ton erofereht dna wen hguohtlA body of tests, Neurobics is based on solid scientific ground; it is an exciting synthesis of substantial findings about the brain that provides a concrete strategy for keeping the brain fit and flexible as you grow older. EV I L A NI A R B RU O Y PE E K PREFACE done all this simply by looking around. Today was different. She From Theory to Practice could see nothing. Jane reached into her pocketbook and fished inside for the -tuo eht ni erew yeht yllausU .tnemtrapa reh ot syek saw ehs ,05 ega tA .dnilb enog ylneddus ton dah enaJ tuB side flap pocket but not today. "Did I forget them?! introducing a lifestyle strategy called Neurobics into her daily erugif ot s. oe.pN.ahhs eriy erehahett t rleef e.h"S activities. Based on recent discoveries in brain science, Neu- out which one would open the top lock. It took her robics is a new form of brain exercise designed to help keep eht fo kcilc emoclew eht draeh ehs litnu seirt owt the brain agile and healthy. By breaking her usual homecom- ot dehcaer ehs rood eht edisnI .gninepo kcol ing routine, Jane had placed her brains attentional circuits in the left for the light switch... but why high gear. With her eyes closed, she had to rely on her senses gnihtemos od ot yromem laitaps dna ,gniraeh ,llems ,hcuot fo bother? Her husband would do that y ledraerhi ysde hdtn—A .tnenmtarapva riehg hgauotrhet reh htiw ylthgil llaw eht gnihcuoT .retal fingertips, she moved to the closet on the right, fo sesserts eht gnileef yb esnes lanoitome reh gnivlovni saw found it, and hung up her coat. She turned slowly- fiad dnnad w evn idsetauerac slniozitcea deseht llA .ees ot elba gnieb ton in her mind the location of thr ebe rthaabi nlnwe—i h oyowhltdhi ivisnciight chaer nteolerpuheonne f aon ds nanr-ettap tneref .skrow sciborueN swering machine. Carefully she headed in that direction, guided -htrib fo esav a fo tnecs eht dna riahcmra rehtael eht fo leef eht yb This book will explain the principles behind Neurobics day roses, anxious to avoid the sharp edge of the coffee table and and how the exercises enhance the overall health of your .redlo worg uoy sa niarb hoping to have some messages from her family waiting. The table. The answering machine. She reached out and brushed her fingers across what she believed to be the play button. "What if I push the delete button?" she thought, and again checked evah dluoc ehS .y .staYhege iosrs ts esarawdw ae thiys erus ekam ot NEUROBICS: The New Science of Brain Exercise ~\ Tf "That was the name of that actor who was in all the early ( V VWoody Alien filmu sko?Yn ow... curly brown hair... ?" dluohs uoy nosrep a fo eman eht tegrof uoy emit tsrif ehT ot ylekil er'uoy ,gniteem tne aitvtrooimpmt ail ,nweao nro,k exclaim—only half-jokingly—"I'm losing it! My brain is eht ni segami dna segassem yb decroo Jfetn lgli-enORi.n" rut d lifmotr segrtiaefut qefehut lu nhoteyiws ,sa idem ssam .enilced latnem gnitarelecca fo segats ". ..He was just in a Broadway show with, um, what's-her-name. Oh, God, you know who I mean." yeht fi tuB .streboR ynoT s'ti rebmemer od yeht ebyam dnA llacer ot gniyrt deipuccoerp dna detartsurf emoceb uoy ,t'nod rfoift iesse—itrof ruoy ni gninnigeb yllausU .eman deirub siht sometimes even in your thirties—you start to notice these small lapses: not remembering where you put the car keys or EV I L A NI A R B RUOY PEEK N E U R O B I CS tah etolfbemal nuueo y.g .nt s.iieol byr recorg eht no saw tahw new technologies, the traditional view of the way the brain to understand the instructions for a new VCR or com- ages is being rapidly revised. Evidence clearly shows that the .redlo teg ew sa enpiultcere. .d .or pfoergeetttisng awh eoret nthie coar gis poartk eed vbeacahus et y'nous leefot d niarb the mall through a different door. In fact, in 1998, a team of American and Swedish scientists Even though these small lapses don't actually interfere demonstrated for the first time that new brain cells are gener- yrrow uoY .nac ekovorp yeht yteixna eht ,efil yliad htiw hcum t lhuduam nia dnetsa.1 -er nac ohw ,teirraH tnuA ruoy ekil tsuj emoceb ll'uoy taht tsom enilced latnem eht ,feileb ralupop ot yrartnoc oslA member details of events from the Depression but noe vctre enw flo lhhsta.ead2 ytd aestsh ehet ot eud ton si ecneirepxe elpoep -fid evah ohw elpoep htiw secneirepxe dnahtsriF .yadretsey did Instead, it usually results from the thinning out of the number uoy ekam nac ega yeht sa yromem dna noitpecrep htiw ytlucif and complexity of dendrites, the branches on nerve cells that di- anxious when you suddenly forget something ordinary. No rectly receive and process information from other wonder you jump to the conclusion that aging is an inevitable nerve cells that forms the basis of memory. Den- slide into forgetfulness, confusion, or even the first stages of dellac snoitcennoc ssorca noitamrofni eviecer setird Alzheimer's disease. synapses. If connections aren't regularly The good news, however, is that mild forgetfulness in saac t nsreootir-td ne^d eht ,^no dehctiws tabmoc ot nekat eb nac noitca dna s'remiehzlA ekil esaesid a y tilibai sniarLb eht secJuder sihT .yhp 'F need *° I** • r • • ^ry' '• I communicat- it. Recent brain research points to new approaches that can to put new information into memory ^> .' ;/~\y •_- «»-„ to be incorporated into everyday activities to develop and main- as well as to retrieve old information. \ healthy. tain brain connections. By adopting these strategies, you may Growing dendrites was long thought to be possible only actually enhance your brain's ability to deal with declines in in the brains of children. But more recent work has shown .ytiliga latnem that old neurons can grow dendrites to compensate for losses? taht niarb gniga eht tuoba shtym suoremun era erehT Other experiments show that neural circuits in adult gniticxe fo pleh eht htiW .yliad gnivorpsid era stsitneicsoruen brains have the capacity to undergo dramatic changes—an KEEP YOUR RAIN ALIVE N E U R O B I CS ability scientists thought was lost after childhood. The aging Neurobic exercises use the five senses in novel ways to en- ,worg ot ytiliba elbakramer a evah ot seunitnoc ,revewoh ,niarb hance the brain's natural drive to form associations between adapt, and change patterns of connections." eman a gnittup( snoitaicossA .noitamrofni fo sepyt tnereffid Discoveries like these are the basis of a new theory of together with a face, or a smell with a food, for example) are -revo niatniam uoy spleh gniniart ssorc sa tsuJ .esicrexe niarb the building blocks of memory and the basis of how we learn. fo egrahc ekat uoy pleh nac sciborueN ,ssentif lacisyhp lla trap lartnec a si snrettap evitaicossa wen gnitaerc yletarebileD your overall mental fitness. .margorp ciborueN eht fo )7-6 segap( sgnidnif ecneicsoruen eht rehtegot gnittuP Neurobics aims to help you maintain a continuing level of -id del sesnes ruo tuoba wonk ydaerla stsitneics tahw htiw mental fitness, strength, and flexibility as you age. evif eht fo rewop evitaicossa eht gnisu fo tpecnoc ruo ot yltcer The exercise program calls for presenting the brain with senses to harness the brain's ability to create its own natural -anibmoc suoirav gnisu secneirepxe detcepxenu ro enituornon nutrients. In short, with Neurobics you can grow your own tions of your physical senses—vision, smell, touch, taste, and brain food—without drugs or diet. -tap setalumits tI ".esnes" lanoitome ruhoeya rsiang l—lewas drowN ehTe-reuxe lacirsyhpo ot noibsulla eitarecbiled sa si terns of neural activity that create more connections between cise. Just as the ideal forms of physical exercise emphasize using different brain areas and causes nerve cells to produce natural -ixelf dna noitanidrooc ecnahne ot spuorg elcsum tnereffid ynam brain nutrients, called neurotrophins, that can dramatically in- evlovni sesicrexe niarb laedi eht ,ytilib -ueN 5.setirdned llec evren fo ytixelpmoc dna ezis eht esaerc activating many different brain areas rotrophins also make surrounding cells stronger and more in novel ways to increase the range .gniga fo stceffe eht ot tnatsiser of mental motion. For example, an -rexe niarb fo sepyt rehto morf tnereffid yrev si sciborueN exercise like swimming makes the cise, which usually involve logic puzzles, memory exercises, elbapac dna llarevo tif erom ydob ,daetsnI .stset elbmeser taht snoisses ecitcarp yratilos dna ,ylralimiS .esicrexe yna no gnikat fo KEEP YOUR RAIN ALIVE NEUROBICS THE SCIENTIFIC BASIS FOR NEUROBICS hguorhtkaerb elgnis a naht erom hcum no stser sciborueN c mifoilceecuplses -h-ltiihwe dewodne ylhcir si niarb ehT3 . yb deterces dna decudfinding. Iot is a syntrhesis opf important new in formaetion raneurotrophins—w hich about the organizatioynlla outfc tah tea hbtr taninei,r thuonw n iaitr ba fcoq udinrieks aa snad tca ot sllec evren maintains memories, and how certain brain activities pro- promotes the health of these nerve cells as well as the :edulcni sgl naribduntainf eresceuhadT .stineinrtun health of their neighbors and the synapses tjetweea .tib«opu*. eht ni gninrael rehgih fo taes eht ,xetroc larberec ehT1. t onfu noemurao terohpT4h. ins produced by neiw c^Hs-^ brain, consists of an unexpectedly large number of did fnt-oops ern sllec evren llew wanohd ferent areas, each specialized to receive, interpret, and made by other nerve cells—is regulated by howr store information from the se, ntshsdeesr. oWwha tr yeohut eoxp neriIen .ceera sllec evrtheonse e pnloa cneei hipntu s ddenosneee slsnl a'et ht hguorht brain cells are, the. more growtii-sisteBuJating 'i^i^i^ brain. they produce and die better they .respond/- ehrau nxdetrreodc slarberec eht fo saera eht gnitcennoC .2 5. Specific kinds of sensory stimulation, especially lumwo"* of different neural pathways, which can store memories tine experiences that produce novel activity pattsfn$ in in almost limitless combinations. Because the system is nerve cell circuits, can produce greater quantities'•>* so complex and the number of possible combinations of e gsreohwtth-stimulating molecules.8 brairt pathways so vast, we employ only a small fraction of the possible combinations. KEEP YOUR BRAIN ALIVE Neurobics makes the brain more agile and flexible overall so it EHT WOH ksat ,yromem eb ti rehtehw ,egnellahc latnem yna no ekat nac BRAIN WORKS performance, or creativity. That's because Neurobics uses an ot woh no ylpmis ton ,skrow niarb eht woh no desab hcaorppa work the brain. T ot noitamrofni setubirtsid dna ,sezinagro ,seviecer niarb eh noitamrofni tnatropmi serots osla dna snoitca ruo ediug for future use. The problems we associate with getting older— forgegtninrfael yutluciffild gnnivah roe ",prahss" gnsileef t,on .supmacoppih eht dna xetrocw t hleiannrgbse—reincv eohlvte noitanidrooc dna lortnoc elcsum xetroC rotoM Somatosensory Cortex touch xetroC rotomerP muscle coordination Visual Association Areas Prefrontal Cortex Visual Cortex ,roivaheb laicos vision abstract reasoning, higher cognitive functions Auditory Cortex hearing THE CORTEX noitcnuf niarb rehgih fo taes eht