Video: Can your brain make you younger?

The revered, New York Times best selling neuroscientist Daniel G. Amen, M.D. now reveals his secrets to slow or even reverse the aging process in the brain and your body at any age.

USE YOUR BRAIN TO CHANGE YOUR AGE
Secrets to Look, Feel, and Think Younger Every Day

That elusive fountain of youth is closer than you think: It's right between your ears. As the control center for the entire body, the brain is at the center of every aspect of life; treat the brain well, and overall wellness will follow. As one of the world's foremost experts on brain imaging science, Daniel Amen, M.D., has revolutionized the way we understand these truths. His best selling books and acclaimed PBS specials have spurred a new approach to mental and physical health. Now he focuses his attention on the ultimate neuro-challenge-the aging process-in USE YOUR BRAIN TO CHANGE YOUR AGE: Secrets to Look, Feel, and Think Younger Every Day.

Introducing us to some of Dr. Amen's most remarkable patients, USE YOUR BRAIN TO CHANGE YOUR AGE features true stories of men and women from all walks of life, in a variety of age groups, who radically improved their health through a "brain renovation." The building blocks-proven to increase not just longevity but also quality of life-include:
 
- Dramatically decrease your risk for Alzheimer's: Dr. Amen shows how to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia. Helping readers improve sleep, quit smoking, and maintain a healthy weight, USE YOUR BRAIN TO CHANGE YOUR AGE then goes beyond the basics to decipher cutting-edge research, from knowing your genome type to improving your lipid panel, homocysteine levels, and other essentials.
- Feeding the mind: These days, we're bombarded with a lot of conflicting advice about so-called super- foods. Dr. Amen cuts through the hype to deliver an unbeatable dietary "prescription," including the Seven Rules for Brain Healthy Eating for the Long Run, a list of fishes to absolutely avoid, spices that enhance brain health, the Twelve Most Contaminated Fruits and Vegetables, and much more.
- Getting strong and living long: In many of the younger patients who come to the Amen Clinics, the SPECT scan shows a brain that has prematurely aged, with severely decreased activity in key lobes. For these patients, it's not too late to spark new growth. In some cases, alcohol is the culprit; seeing the damage on a SPECT scan is sometimes enough to get social drinkers to become teetotalers. In other cases, a sedentary lifestyle is to blame. Dr. Amen shows surefire ways to use exercise to increase brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which promotes learning and memory, increased circulation, deeper sleep, and a host of other physical benefits.
- Tapping the power of the prefrontal cortex: Behavior often reflects a war between the rational regions of the brain and the pleasure centers. A person who is addicted to self-destructive behavior is obviously at high risk for an early death. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) acts as the brain's "police officer," regulating behavior and helping us make wise decisions. Dr. Amen showcases this crucial component, with tips for treating the PFC with loving care, including approaches to ADHD (which is associated with low PFC activity).
- Increasing the brain's life span, memory, and speed: The information age can overload our brain circuits, but it can also be a boon for keeping a brain in optimum shape. USE YOUR BRAIN TO CHANGE YOUR AGE shows how to turn your world into a mini university for lifelong learning. Dr. Amen also introduces his 24/7 Brain Gym, featuring mind workouts, exercises for remembering names, speed reading, and more.
 
- Showing some skin: Healthy skin is a reflection of a healthy brain. To improve this "wellness snapshot" that we show to the world, Dr. Amen provides extensive advice on vitamin supplements, extracts, hormones, sunlight, and stress reduction. And because blood flow is at the center of this topic, he shares Twenty Brain Tips for Increased Blood Flow, Skin Health, and Sex Life: the trifecta for a youthful glow.
- The physical rewards of emotional healing: Emotional trauma, depression, and grief are clear risk factors in the quest for longevity. Dr. Amen provides specific remedies for overcoming negative thought patterns and reversing the harmful effects of long-term mental illness, with tailored regimens for eight brain types.
- Reversing brain damage: Dr. Amen is the lead researcher on the world's largest brain imaging/brain rehabilitation study on professional football players, who can experience significant brain injuries on the field. He describes breakthrough protocols for healing a variety of traumatized brains, including calligraphy and table tennis to target coordination and neurofeedback to measure five types of brain waves.
 

DANIEL G. AMEN, M.D., is a clinical neuroscientist, psychiatrist, and brain imaging expert who heads the world-renowned Amen Clinics. He also serves on the faculty of the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine. The author of 28 previous books, including four New York Times bestsellers, Change Your Brain, Change Your Life; Change Your Brain, Change Your Body; Magnificent Mind at Any Age; and The Amen Solution. He lives in Newport Beach, California.