I asked Dr Mario Mendez, director of behavioural neurology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, about age-related memory problems, but he corrected my choice of words: “I’d say ‘memory changes,’” he said. “And that does not translate necessarily into a problem.”
In a study of nearly 50,000 people, researchers found that short-term memory peaks around age 25. But starting in your 50s, Mendez said, the area of the brain in charge of memory retrieval is less efficient. Still, “being less efficient is different from impairment,” he said. So if you’re struggling to remember “that movie starring that guy,” the memory is often there, Mendez said; it just takes longer to surface. “And then lo and behold, five minutes later, you remember,” he said.
Forgetting your car keys or someone’s name is often seen as a brain malfunction, but it’s not, said Dr Ronald Davis, professor of neuroscience at the Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology. We are inundated with so much information, said Davis, and the brain has to manage memories. “Forgetting is a normal part of one’s brain function,” he said.
There are ways to keep your memory relatively sharp
Just because memory changes are normal, it doesn’t mean that you can’t try to improve your memory, said Dr Arman Fesharaki-Zadeh, an assistant professor of neurology and psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine. Instead of using recall-enhancing tricks (like the one I tried in the supermarket), a few lifestyle changes may help.
First, Fesharaki-Zadeh said, limit multitasking. It’s not good for your brain health in general, but as we get older, our capacity to multitask “typically diminishes,” he said.
Be mindful of stress, which has a direct influence on memory, Fesharaki-Zadeh said. Several studies link sleep loss to memory deficits, he added, so do your best to get adequate rest. Diet can also affect memory. Eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and healthy fats has been shown to correlate with better cognition.
Finally, Fesharaki-Zadeh said, a half-hour of daily cardiovascular exercise can generate new neurons in the hippocampal area of the brain, which is critical for memory consolidation.
Sometimes a doctor’s visit is in order
There are circumstances when you should check with your doctor, Fesharaki-Zadeh said. If someone who knows you well points out that your forgetfulness has changed significantly, it might be a sign of something more serious. Early signs of dementia, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, include losing the ability to retrace steps, problems judging distances and increasingly needing memory aids like notes or phone alerts.
If you feel like memory loss is disrupting your daily life, make an appointment with a doctor, said Scott Small, a professor of neurology at Columbia and author of Forgetting: The Benefits of Not Remembering. A good clinician, he explained, can explore potential causes for memory problems whether it’s a disease or other factors, such as certain painkillers or sleeping aids.
After talking to the brain experts, I felt reassured. And my friend’s name, as it turned out, was Erica — so I had to fake recognition for only a few seconds.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Written by: Jancee Dunn
Photographs by: Nicolàs Ortega
©2023 THE NEW YORK TIMES
