Cognitive Fitness
Wondering if you can affect your brain health, memory, and cognitive function? Learn in our course about simple lifestyle changes you can make to optimize your cognitive fitness—and stay mentally sharp! (Note: This course has been updated. If you purchased the original edition, you can still access and use that course. You will need to purchase the new version in order to access the update.)
Harvard experts bring you all the information you need for understanding how you can stay mentally sharp as you age by following their practical 6-step plan for cognitive fitness.
We are living longer than ever before. Human life expectancy has grown spectacularly over the past few decades, thanks to advances in public health and medicine. With maturity comes a wealth of experience and knowledge. Yet age also brings an increasing risk for major medical conditions. Brain problems are a particular concern as we grow older. According to the World Health Organization, Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases will affect one out of every five people at some point in life, and these conditions are the main cause of lifelong disability worldwide.
The good news is that declining brain health and cognitive loss are not inevitable.
In this fascinating course, you'll learn about cognitive reserve — the brain's ability to find alternate ways of doing something — and how it can help fight the brain changes associated with dementia and other brain diseases. Plus, you'll find out how you can boost your own cognitive reserve and buffer memory loss by challenging your brain. Cognitive Fitness explores decades of research on cognitive health and discover the six pillars of brain health that can help you sustain good brain function and cognitive fitness (the ability to learn, reason, remember, and adapt your thinking processes) into old age.
It's never too soon to start optimizing your brain health, enroll in Cognitive Fitness today!
Alvaro Pascual-Leone, M.D., Ph.D.
Alvaro Pascual-Leone, MD, PhD, is Professor of Neurology and an Associate Dean for Clinical and Translational Research at Harvard Medical School. He serves as Chief for the Division of Cognitive Neurology and the Director of the Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. He received his M.D. in 1984 and his Ph.D. in Neurophysiology in 1985. He joined Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in 1997, after several years at the Cajal Institute of the Spanish Research Council.
Dr. Leonaura Rhodes
Dr. Leonaura Rhodes is a physician turned author and health writer. She is a content developer and medical writer for Harvard Health Publishing and Belvoir Media Group. She worked as physician and public health doctor in the UK and as a health coach in the US. She authored the book Beyond Soccer Mom: Strategies for a Fabulous Balanced Life.
