Your memory can play tricks on you. Fortunately, research is teaching us more about how memory works -- or doesn't work -- so hopefully we'll be better prepared to avoid some of those tricks.
For women who are nearing menopause, the tricks can be tedious and ongoing to the point where some women are afraid they're losing their minds. The March 16, 2011 edition of globeandmail.com reported that research from the David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles sheds light on some of the possible causes for this state of affairs.
Lack of sleep due to uncomfortable perimenopause symptoms like hot flashes, and dramatic changes in hormone levels may be culprits for this particular dirty trick on women.
Mount Sinai School of Medicine reported that astrocytes (a type of brain cell) are very involved in memory formation. Astrocytes release lactate which fuels neurons (another type of brain cells), and lactate levels in the brain rise during the formation of long-term memory.
Their research indicated that a great deal of energy is consumed for long-term memory formation, and glucose is not as efficient in this task as lactate. More research on astrocytes and lactate is planned for the future.
This study was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health and was reported on in a March 4, 2011 article on sciencedaily.com.
Fortunately for us we don't have to wait for science to make dramatic forays into greater knowledge about the brain and its ability to remember or its tendency to forget. There are things we can do right now to protect our memories.
That's right, we can have a few tricks of our own up our sleeves. And they are fairly simple, for instance, healthy foods and exercise can shore up our brains, as can memory exercises and stress reducing techniques.
The June 2006 issue of the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry published a UCLA study that supports the implementation of these lifestyle changes.
Diets of participants of the study included antioxidants, low-glycemic carbohydrates and omega-3 fats. Five smaller meals were consumed rather than three larger ones per day.
Physical exercise took the form of walks every day. Memory exercises like brainteasers and crossword puzzles were done each day.
Stress was reduced through relaxation exercises.
After only two weeks of using these techniques, participants in the study were found to have increased in their cognitive abilities. PET scans showed that brain metabolism connected with working memory decreased by five percent, which was believed to indicate that the brain was working more efficiently than before.
This study was funded by the Fran and Ray Stark Foundation Fund for Alzheimer's Disease Research as well as by the Judith Olenick Elgart Fund for Research on Brain Aging and by the Parlow Solomon Professorship on Aging.
Resources:
Memory worsens in menopause
http://m.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/new-health/conditions/brain-health/memory-worsens-in-menopause/article1159022/?service=mobile
Star-Shaped Brain Cells Feed Long-Term Memory
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110303132312.htm
UCLA study finds that simple lifestyle changes may improve cognitive function and brain efficiency
http://cmbi.bjmu.edu.cn/news/0605/98.htm
Visit Jody's website and blog at http://www.ncubator.ca and http://ncubator.ca/blogger
Reviewed on May 17, 2011
Edited by Alison Stanton