Every issue of Scientific American and Scientific American Mind has breaking news about how the brain works--and how it can stay healthy longer. Neurologists and psychologists are finding the brain at midlife--from 40 to 65 and even beyond--is much more elastic and more supple than anyone ever realized. Far from disintegrating, healthy maturing brains fade quite slowly-- and even in old old age, continue to make new connections and bring new cognitive systems on line. Short-term memory may not be what it was, but we manage information and parse meanings in new--and often more effective-ways than we did in youth. What's more, temperament changes to suit those new skills, as research shows we actually grow happier as we age, more comfortable with ambiguity and less susceptible to frustration or irritation. This book shows how to optimize your aging brain, how we can achieve a new level of perspective and involvement while retaining mental skills and productivity in our later years--and what neuroscience is finding about keeping our brains healthy. Current and future interventions are documented to enhance our mental powers.