Healthy Living Newsletter
Where’s Your Memory?
At Marie and Ted’s 50th wedding anniversary, Marie spoke to the guests: “Some of our friends may have missed this celebration. We’re getting old, you know, and some of us are forgetful.”
She was joking...and not joking. One high school friend of Marie’s who was absent from the party was in a nursing home with Alzheimer’s disease. One of Ted’s Army buddies was in the early stages of dementia. Ted himself was having memory lapses that caused Marie a great deal of concern.
Most seniors are acutely aware of memory loss, although not always so willing to talk about it openly. Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, major figures in world politics during the 1980s, both developed dementia within a decade of leaving office–Reagan in 1993 (at age 82) and Thatcher in 2000 (at age 75).
And you’ve undoubtedly had your share of senior moments–misplacing your keys yet again or struggling to recall the name of an acquaintance. Are these the early signs of a disease you dread?
The reassuring news is that minor memory lapses, known as age-associated memory impairment (AAMI), are virtually universal. As early as age 20, the human brain begins to lose cells a few at a time, and, by age 60, the cumulative effect begins to be noticeable.
When it comes to short-term storage and retrieval of information recently learned, older brains are less efficient than younger ones and must make a greater effort to remember.
Dementia Is Another Matter
Dementia, by definition, affects at least two areas of thinking–such as memory, language, reasoning, judgment or orientation. You might forget where you placed your keys; a person with dementia might place the keys in the sugar bowl or park the car in someone else’s driveway.
Alzheimer’s disease, the most common dementia, involves profound changes in the brain–abnormal clumps of a protein called beta amyloid and tangled fibers within nerve cells that eventually make it difficult for the brain to function normally. In addition to memory loss, Alzheimer’s patients undergo major changes in personality and become disoriented and unable to handle even simple daily chores.
There are many types of dementia. Some are reversible; most are not. Some come on gradually; others, more quickly.
Dementia affects significant numbers of older individuals (more than 30 percent of Americans age 85 and over) but it is by no means an inevitable part of aging.
Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)
There is, however, a gray area between age-related memory loss and dementia that creates concern for many seniors. Most persons with dementia–and particularly those with Alzheimer’s disease–go through a period of moderately severe memory loss known as mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
MCI is generally defined as memory loss greater than expected considering the person’s age but with no other effects on language, judgment, reasoning or orientation.
As many as 20 percent of Americans age 70 and over have MCI, according to the American College of Physicians, and half of these go on to develop Alzheimer’s within five years.
If you’re sharp enough to notice and worry about lapses in thinking and memory, you probably don’t have MCI. For the person with MCI, memory loss is more severe.
Only recently have doctors begun recognizing MCI as a possible precursor to dementia. As a result, there’s not much agreement about definition. Two individuals with the same diagnosis might have very different levels of memory impairment.
Like Alzheimer’s, MCI is not curable. A study found that MCI patients taking the Alzheimer’s drug donepezil (Aricept) had a reduced risk of developing dementia over the first year, but that benefit faded by the end of three years. In most cases, MCI patients are merely monitored.
A patient with symptoms suggestive of MCI is usually given a thorough physical examination to rule out medical causes.
Many persons with MCI are aware that they may be developing dementia. Anxiety associated with this awareness — and lack of self-confidence — can also make it more difficult to remember.
Fatigue and stress can make anyone less attentive. Declining vision and hearing can make it harder for a senior to stay connected and attentive.
Good memory, at any age, requires effort and attention. Information lingers in your short-term memory for approximately 15 seconds unless you encode it and file it away in long-term memory. This encoding may involve 1) visualizing it, 2) repeating it several times in your mind and 3) putting it in the context of information that’s already been learned.
Don’t be ashamed to use tools: make lists, keep an address book, a personal organizer and a calendar. Make a habit of putting your keys and glasses in the same place.
Age apparently has little or no effect on long-term memory. Particularly secure is memory that has personal significance–episodes from your childhood or the organized learned material related to your occupation or hobbies. Stay mentally as well as physically active, use your skills and knowledge as you always have, maintain your important family contacts...and you’re less likely to forget what it was all about.
HEALTH TIP
What Can You Do to Prevent Dementia?
Although there is no cure for dementia, research has suggested that there may be some effective preventive measures.
- Lowering blood levels of homocysteine by eating foods high in folate and Vitamins B6 and B12 reduced the risk of dementia in one small study.
- Lowering cholesterol through statin medications was associated with a lower risk, according to research.
- Lowering blood pressure through drug treatment lowered the risk of both Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia by 55 percent in one large European study.
- Regular exercise stimulates growth factors that keep brain cells healthy and protects against vascular dementia.
- Regardless of changes in the brain, persons with more formal education are better able to adjust to mental decline. Stimulating mental challenges are also productive.
- Controlling inflammation through nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) helped prevent the formation of plaques caused by Alzheimer’s, according to a 2003 study.
Source: “Dementia,” MedicineNet.com, last reviewed May 8, 2008
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