Oct. 22--"Centenarians are the fastest-growing population group in the world," Judith Horstman points out, "so take care of your brain -- you're probably going to need it."

The Sacramento-based science writer and former Oregon State University journalism professor would know. Her new book, the informative and entertaining "The Scientific American Day in the Life of Your Brain" (Jossey-Bass, $25.95, 256 pages), distills the latest brain research into an hour-by-hour timeline of "what goes on in your brain through a typical day and night."

Horstman's second brain book, "Brave New Brain," is due out in the spring. (For more information, check her Web site, www.judithhorstman.com.) In a telephone interview, she discussed what we know about how the mind works.

How did you manage to digest such a huge body of brain research and turn it into a book that's so accessible to laypeople?

I used to tell my university students, "You don't have to know everything -- you just have to know where to find it." But, yes, in the process of researching this book, my brain was on overload.

What was the most surprising discovery you made about the brain?

One was about "segmented sleep." We think the (concept of) eight hours of sleep is sacrosanct, but historically -- before the advent of artificial light -- most people went to sleep when the sun went down, woke up in the middle of the night and cleaned the house and played music, then went back to sleep for another four hours and woke up at dawn. So really, a good night's sleep is two four-hour sessions.

I was also surprised to learn that the brain doesn't sleep. Your mind does, but your brain is busy all night long, strengthening some connections and breaking others.

It's said we use only a small percentage of our brain. True?

Absolutely not. If we did, we'd probably be drooling idiots.

It's also said the brain can be stimulated by figuring out so-called brain teasers and working crossword puzzles.

The brain does make new neurons, but (researchers) are finding they may not stick around if you don't run 'em hard and put 'em away wet. So we need new activities that are interesting to us and difficult to accomplish: learning a foreign language, learning to play chess, learning a musical instrument. And if crossword puzzles are hard for you, those, too.

Fish has the reputation of being a "brain food." Do "brain foods" really exist?

They do. The omega-3 oils in cold-water fish are good for your head and heart. Green tea and some of the colorful vegetables are high in antioxidants, the things that help preserve the brain.

In the "7 A.M." chapter, I talk about low serotonin, the neurotransmitter responsible for keeping our mood happy. To get our serotonin level up, we need tryptophan, which comes only from food. (In that chapter) I mention foods that are high in tryptophan: hot chocolate, milk, bananas, oats, yogurt, eggs. Sounds like breakfast, but they help with the afternoon blahs, too.

Is listening to music good for the brain?

Our brains are programmed for music. Every study of ancient cultures shows people played primitive musical instruments and were involved in dance. Music and dance were among the earliest forms of communication.

The brain certainly is linked to sex drive, but how is it related to the concept of "love"?

Your sex organ is between your ears. That's where all desire arises and all pleasure is experienced. Love is something else. The question has to do with consciousness, and we don't know much about that yet. You can't separate mind and brain, but we don't know where consciousness comes in there. It's one of the great unsolved puzzles.

Your book diagrams the "vicious cycle of stress" in scientific terms. In everyday terms, what's the best way to rid the brain of stress?

Physical exercise and meditation are among the best ways. But we need a little stress, which is your body responding to situations. When we're in a situation we can't control, then we deal with the kind of stress that's harmful. Unfortunately, many of us have that in our jobs.

Memory helps form personality, but how accurate is it?

The thought now is that memory really is "re-collection," that when you go back and think about things in the past, you literally re-collect the information. So memory is changeable; it's not necessarily the same each time. Part of that is because memory is set by proteins interacting with our neurons, and proteins are degradable.

You write, "We've learned more about the brain in the past 50 years than in the previous 50,000 years." What does the future of brain research look like?

We're in a perfect storm for brain research. First, the technology has advanced at an amazing rate. To top that off, the largest single population group is the baby boomers, who are very concerned with diseases of the aging brain, so they're pushing for more and better brain research.

Also, brain science is a multibillion-dollar industry. The National Institutes of Health alone spent $5.2 billion, nearly 20 percent of its total budget, on brain-related projects in 2008.

There's a debate that has gone on for millennia: Is the seat of the soul in the brain?

I think you should talk to a philosopher.

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Call The Bee's Allen Pierleoni, (916) 321-1128.

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