WHAT ARE YOUR MENTAL STRENGTHS?

PEOPLE differ greatly in the degree to which their brains decline with age. We will all lose processing power but for any individual, some bits will age faster than others.

You might not notice any agerelated decline in some mental functions — such as vocabulary, numerical skills, and even your general knowledge — but other mental capabilities will typically start to decline steadily from middle age onwards.

These are the areas you can boost through the exercises featured today and all next week in the Mail. here, I help you identify your personal strengths and weaknesses with one example of a puzzle which works that part of your brain.

You’ll find more of every type of puzzle in our special pullouts all next week...

keep Your Brain Stronger For Longer by Tonia Vojtkofsky, Short Books, £9.99. Offer price £7.49 (25pc discount) until April 28, 2017. Order at www.mailbookshop.co.uk or call 0844 571 0640, p&p is free on orders over £15.