Do you worry that your memory isn’t what it used to be? Forget what you went upstairs for, or frequently fail to put a name to a face? In fact, most cases of absent-mindedness are normal, according to Barry Gordon, a Johns Hopkins professor of neurology and cognitive science and a world-renowned expert on memory.

"The longer you’re alive, the longer the [stroke] risk factors have to cause plaque to form in blood vessels,” says Dr. Elisabeth Breese Marsh, a vascular neurologist and director of the Comprehensive Stroke Center at Johns Hopkins Bayview. "It’s taking care of yourself earlier on that really helps you to thrive in middle and later life.”