Are you losing your memory? How often do you have a thought and, before you know it, it’s gone? Do you enter a room to get something and, all of a sudden, realize you are standing there looking for who-knows-what? Sometimes I have to go back to where I started to remember what I was looking for. Do you find yourself forgetting where you put your house or car keys? This always seems to happen when you are in a hurry to go somewhere. The stress of the situation can block memory even more. These temporary memory challenges are not unusual as we age and you don’t need to fear that these lapses will eventually progress to dementia.
Research On Cognition
Due to medical research and advancements in health care, men in the US now have an average lifespan of 73.6 years and women 79.3 years according to a 2022 Centers For Disease Control and Prevention report. This is up from 47 years in 1900. Brain research is on the rise, especially in the last 20 years, because of the increase in our lifespans. Part of this movement to study the brain, how it functions and how it keeps its plasticity viable, is driven by the large number of baby boomers. Even with the downturn in the economy, 78 million baby boomers began the exodus from their current careers into retirement several years ago. Still others of us are not ready to stop working yet, so we are considering other options. As boomers look for retirement careers, some worry that they won’t be able to keep up with younger employees and others may not even try. Many boomers may slip into complacency, blaming their memory challenges on age.
Research reported in a USC Health Magazine cover story by Monika Guttman involves the use of MRI and PET scans along with other neuroscience technology. This research has revealed that plaque and tangles, considered in the past to be the cause of different forms of dementia, may not be the cause after all. Another study in the Journal of Neurophysiology examined the brains of the elderly that were functioning well until death. They were found to have large amounts of plaque and tangles but showed no signs of Alzheimer’s symptoms. New research suggests that losing your memory and Alzheimer’s may be more connected to an inflammatory process. This process seems to be caused by chemical changes in the brain such as a decrease of dopamine, which is a brain chemical associated with pleasure and reward. These chemical processes slow metabolism in regions of the brain associated with cognition. Most symptoms occur at different paces for all of us, and it is said that genetics also plays a key role in the way our brain ages.
A report by US News and World Report observed a number of seniors between the ages of 66 and 103. These mature adults gathered together as a group on a regular basis to sing and perform in public. As a part of this activity, they learned new lyrics, read music, and socialized with each other. Compared to a control group of people who did not participate in this communal activity, the singing group required less medication, was less depressed, experienced fewer falls, and felt more fulfilled and engaged. Based on their comments, this experience also seemed to improve the quality of their overall health and morale.
What interested me the most in reading about losing your memory was that new research has identified factors in brain aging. These studies indicate that the rate of change may be hastened or slowed by lifestyle factors such as blood pressure levels, blood sugar levels, weight, and the extent that we keep our minds agile by learning new and different activities and skills. Growth in cognition has been found to broaden synapse connections between neurons, making already-established cognition patterns stronger.
The Next Steps
Memory loss is not inevitable. Life-long learning prolongs youthfulness and lifestyle changes do affect cognitive function. Where will you start?