"Dr Michael Merzenich walks 40 minutes a day around the parks, streets and hills
near his home in San Francisco, while making a mental map of all that he sees.
He takes his dog on a different route each time, taking note of the homes,
people and plants they pass. It's just one way that the world-renowned
neuroscientist trains his brain to remain fast and nimble. How nimble? The
74-year-old equates his own brain's performance to that of an average
30-year-old.
"I'm trying to reconstruct the landscape in my mind, down to the smallest
detail. If I see a praying mantis on a plant I'm excited, it's like living as
a kid again," he says, with a smile."
More in this piece on neuroplasticity and training the brain.
