Brain fog. Fuzzy thinking. Call it what you will, but even the healthiest among us experience “senior moments” from time to time. Age-related thinning of our neurons and synaptic connections may be the reason two-thirds of people experience some mental decline by age 40. One in eight people age 65 and older will eventually develop Alzheimer’s disease.

Here’s the good news: Your brain is not destined to break down permanently as you age. “Until the last few years, the predominant view was that the brain matured in early life and became fixed, much like a computer,” says Michael Merzenich, PhD, a professor emeritus with the University of California, San Francisco, and a pioneer of the concept of neuroplasticity. “We now understand that the brain is continuously rewiring itself based on our experiences.” Not only can we form new wiring among existing brain cells, we can also grow new ones, says Florida neurologist David Perlmutter, MD, author of The Better Brain Book (Penguin, 2009). “We were always told you were given a finite number of brain cells and that it was a downhill slide as you aged. But, in fact, the human brain retains the ability to grow new brain cells throughout our lifetime.”

Science also shows that making smart diet and lifestyle choices, and sticking with them, can go a long way toward preserving—and even improving—cognitive function. The first step is to regularly challenge your brain, says Paul D. Nussbaum, PhD, clinical neuropsychologist and adjunct professor of neurological surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. “Your brain naturally wants information that is novel and complex,” says Nussbaum. Crosswords are fine, but if you’ve done them repeatedly, you’ve already developed those neuronal pathways, he cautions. Instead, “try something you stink at.” For example, take up an instrument if you’ve never played one before. The next step is to incorporate these five daily strategies, shown in the latest research to boost brain power.

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