Nurturing the Older Brain and Mind

Pamela M. Greenwood is Associate Professor in the Psychology Department at George Mason University. Raja Parasuraman is University Professor in the Psychology Department at George Mason University. He is the editor of The Attentive Brain (MIT Press, 1998).

" Nurturing the Older Brain and Mind by Pamela Greenwood and Raja Parasuraman is a wonderful new book that provides state-of-the-science level knowledge and thoughtful analysis of our understanding of aging brains and minds. The authors take a unique perspective, focusing their chapters on topics that explore the limits of cognitive and neural plasticity, and suggest that there are a variety of different ways that age-related changes in cognition and brain can be limited. Theories of aging, at different levels of analysis from molecular biology through cognitive science, are seamlessly integrated with up-to-date cross-species research on important issues and topics. The chapters nicely illustrate how the whole of our knowledge is more than the sum of its parts when animal research is integrated with human research from epidemiological studies to randomized controlled trials. Another interesting contribution is a discussion of how we can adapt living and work space, to accommodate the strengths and limitations associated with cognitive aging. A very informative and well-written book that provides a thorough analysis of what we know, and what we don't know, with regard to aging brains and minds."--Art Kramer, Beckman Institute, University of Illinois "The problem of age-related brain changes and associated cognitive decline is no doubt a multifactorial one, difficult to study in isolated empirical studies and to cover in comprehensive volumes like this one. However, in this case, the authors have done a superb job of integrating the vast literature related to the complex aging mind-brain relationship."--Lars Nyberg, Umea University, Sweden