Brain “overload”
One factor that is problematic for our generation, is the level of information and distraction we are exposed to every day. Advertisements compete for our attention constantly – advertisers are expert at stealing our focus from what it is we want to accomplish.
We know that to remember something, we need to pay attention, take the information in, process it and store it properly. Studies have shown that multitasking, doing two or more things at once, takes longer than doing each separately. The brain can only focus on one thing at a time and switching between tasks wastes time as we refocus on the new activity.
At least some of the large companies that have been so successful at grabbing our attention, like Facebook, Instagram and Amazon, are realizing the damage they are doing and have started to talk about changing their strategies. Both have recently rolled out programs to meter your time on their platforms to enable us to regain some control.
So, if you want to remember something, turn off the social media and its advertising, give it your full attention and only take on one task at a time.
Medications
Sleeping pills and tranquilizers are known to decrease memory and can even cause periods of amnesia in some people. While this may be due to the drowsiness they cause, slowing brain function, it could also be because of the receptors for messaging chemicals (or neurotransmitters) that they block in the brain.
Receptor blocking is thought to be the problem with anticholinergic drugs that can cause marked memory decrease in some people. These drugs block the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, from doing its work in the hippocampus memory center, either as their mode of action or as a side effect. Anti-nausea drugs, antihistamines and some anti-depressants have this anticholinergic effect; the more drowsiness the drug causes, generally the greater the anticholinergic effect it has.
Beta-blockers, a class of drugs used for blood pressure and after a heart attack, can also reduce memory, as can some stomach drugs, in particular, Zantac and Pepcid.
Corticosteroids such as prednisone, which mimic our cortisol, can decrease memory by the same mechanism that high natural cortisol levels can when we have a lot of stress, as described in last week’s blog.
And chemotherapy can cause a general brain fogginess, due to its toxicity, that is nicknamed “chemo brain” by some patients.
Diseases and medical conditions
Lastly, some medical conditions can reduce brain function. Weight loss, where sugar intake is reduced, results in a decreased supply of the brain’s favourite food.
Lyme Disease, caused by a bacterium that is carried by infected ticks, can eventually affect brain function and memory if the initial infection is not detected and treated.
Insulin resistance is a condition where the body becomes insensitive to insulin, requiring higher amounts to be released into the blood to move blood sugar into muscle and storage sites. It is present in people with Type 2 diabetes (adult onset) and pre-diabetes. Researchers have found a strong association between people with insulin resistance, those with declining memory, and risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Minimal Traumatic Brain Injury
Next, we know that concussions cause brain damage, but minimally traumatic brain injuries can cause problems too, especially if repeated. These are bumps or sudden direction changes that don’t cause loss of conscience but are still traumatic enough to create microscopic tears and bleeding in the brain. Sometimes the results of this damage only show as headaches or dizziness but can return in mid-life, as memory loss.
How can you know if it’s more than just “age”?
Doctors will often use a simple test, called the Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE) to evaluate brain function. It consists of 30 questions that assess language, orientation, calculation, attention, recall and visuospatial function (the ability to analyze space and visual forms). However, the test is really geared to detect people with overt dementia. It isn’t sensitive enough to detect early stages of a dementia like Alzheimer’s. A person with high mental functioning can drop to normal – a serious change for them – but still test out as having nothing wrong, especially when the various test results are totalled and averaged.
Specialized centers, however, can conduct in-depth memory and brain function tests that can detect changes in individual areas of the brain by testing the memory and cognitive functions specific to each area of the brain. These tests are expensive and time-consuming, however, and are not commonly done.
Generally, though, you don’t need to worry if you’ve just misplaced your keys or lose your train of thought occasionally. Being unable to find your way home when doing errands, for example, is likely to suggest a more serious problem. However, if you notice a dramatic change in your memory or ability to accomplish daily tasks, it’s reason to have a discussion with your doctor.
I hope this series of articles has given you some ideas for changes you could make to improve your memory or perhaps has helped you detect an underlying cause of your forgetfulness!
References:
Finding it hard to focus? New York Times
Jeannie Beaudin, Artist and Author 