Stay sharp this Semester.

• Author: Airhart, Marc
• Position: HITTING THE BOOKS

WITH STUDENTS RETURNING to classes from summer break, they may be finding it tough to get back into learning mode. Later in life, we may come up against similar challenges with learning and memory. We asked professors across the University of Texas, Austin, campus--including neuroscientists, psychologists, nutritionists, and physical education specialists--for their best, research-based advice for staying mentally sharp.

First off, you might want to consider drinking coffee. Ali Preston, associate professor of neuroscience and psychology, says caffeine works its brain-boosting magic by heightening your arousal. That is important because, to form new memories, you have to pay attention. A Johns Hopkins study found that people remember images they saw the day before better if they take a caffeine tablet a few minutes after they first see the images. Other studies have suggested that caffeine lowers the risk of Alzheimer's but, to get the most benefit, dosage is key, indicates Preston.

"When your brain is too highly aroused, you pay equal attention to things that matter and things that don't. Too much coffee close to bedtime can also deprive you of sleep, and sleep is important for healthy brain function. For most people, a couple of cups of coffee a day leads to the sweet spot where you have heightened attentiveness to the right things, but not so much that it interferes with sleep and makes it hard to concentrate."

Sleep, meanwhile, is the Swiss army knife of memory and learning. During sleep your brain: consolidates memories, encoding them in the connections between neurons, making them easier to recover; strips away unimportant details, so that what you remember is more useful; solidifies skills you have learned (you actually continue learning the material after you have shut the book and gone to bed); flushes out harmful toxins that accumulate during the day, which might otherwise increase your risk of Alzheimer's disease; builds up stores of reserve energy for times when you have to think real hard; and develops the ability to focus and avoid distractions the next day.

So, what is the best way to sleep for optimal brain function?--set a routine, according to Art Markman, professor of psychology. Pick a consistent time to go to sleep and do things before bedtime that remind your body it is time to go to sleep, such as turning off the TV or computer, taking a bath, and turning the lights down. Research shows that most people need about...