Keep your memory green

By Lionel Wijesiri

Many people, as they grow older, worry about their memory slipping. Unfortunately but unsurprisingly, there is no magic bullet. The first bit of good news, though, is that older adults, on the whole, are remarkably strategic problem solvers; those years of life experience aren’t for naught.

In many domains, in the face of reduced resources or diminished capacity, older adults are able to selectively and efficiently optimise the resources and capacity they do have in ways that allow them to achieve personally meaningful goals.

Perhaps, they may not perform as well as young adults when recalling a list of word pairs that will be immaterial for their lives. The evidence strongly suggests that when information is valuable to the individual (i.e., a granddaughter’s severe food allergy, a physician’s phone number, remembering how to play a beloved instrument), it will be retained and recallable.

Dr. James Birren, a world renowned research psychologist who specialises in the mental problems of ageing, with over 250 publications to his credit, says: “Small minority of people, about five percent, do experience an organic deterioration of the brain which has a serious effect on memory. In a few cases this may become noticeable in the late 50s, but it is usually significant until late 60s or 70s. Arteriosclerosis and some other diseases, including advanced alcoholism, may hasten the process. The other 95 percent will experience some changes in memory as they grow older, but not so great to affect their lives.

How to improve

When you say that you cannot remember something you once genuinely learned, you really mean that you are having trouble fetching it from the filing cabinets and on to the desk of consciousness. In that case, Dr. Birren says, do not continue groping in one compartment of memory. Let your imagination work a bit, says Dr. Birren, think back to the time when you acquired this information, or the last time you used it. What associations might you have formed? Eventually, you will remember it.

As to how to improve or maintain memory functioning more globally, the most unequivocal advice Dr. Birren offers is, exercise often. And not just toning, but the kind of workout that raises your heart rate for 30 to 40 minutes at a time. Not only does it reliably improve memory performance, but it also increases anterior hippocampal volume and increases levels of BDNF, a molecule that supports the health of existing neurons and encourages the growth of new neurons and synapses. The extensive benefits of aerobic activity have been extolled for decades.

Too much or too little energy throws a kink in the brain’s delicate machinery. A low glycaemic diet - high fibre, with moderate amounts of fat and protein - is broken down more slowly in the body than high glycaemic foods, such as sweets and white starches.

A steady pace of digestion in the gut gives a more reliable flow of energy to the brain, likely optimising the organ’s long-term health and performance.

While overindulging can make the brain sluggish and lead to long-term detriments to your brain, too few calories can also impair brain function. Extreme dieting can cause some diehards to feel stretches of calm - a feeling that may underlie the addiction of a eating disorder - anorexia - but many studies have also linked dieting with distraction, confusion and memory impairment.

Largely preventable diseases - such as Type II diabetes, obesity and hypertension - all affect your brain, too. System-wide health concerns have been linked to an increased risk of cognitive decline and memory impairments. Keeping your circulatory system in working order, by, say, avoiding cigarettes and saturated fat, lessens the onslaught of age-related damage to the brain.

When we rest and dream, memories are sifted through, some discarded, others consolidated and saved. When we don’t sleep, a study found, proteins build up on synapses, possibly making it hard to think and learn new things. Furthermore, chronically sleeping poorly (in contrast to not enough) is linked to cognitive decline in old age, although the relationship may not be causal.

Growing evidence suggests a caffeine habit may protect the brain. According to large longitudinal studies, two to four perk-me-ups a day may stave off normal cognitive decline and decrease the incidence of Alzheimer’s by 30 to 60 percent. It is unclear whether the benefits come from caffeine or the antioxidants found in coffee and tea, but that latte may improve cognition this afternoon and several decades from now.

Some theories credit the introduction of fish into the human diet with the evolution of our tremendous cognitive prowess. Essential fatty acids, such as Omega 3s, are critical to brain function and are proving beneficial for treating such brain-sapping ailments as depression. Studies on the efficacy of Omega 3 supplements, however, have had mixed results, so get doses from food sources, such as flax seeds, fatty fish and grass-fed animals.

Stress takes a toll on the brain by washing harmful chemicals over the hippocampus and other brain areas involved in memory. Some scientists suspect that living a balanced lifestyle and pursuing relaxing activities such as yoga, socialising and crafting may delay memory impairment by reducing stress.

Supplements have been getting a bad rap recently, with even the familiar multivitamin now looking like a waste of money, likely belong in the trash as well.

Despite their “natural” origins, they are not free of potential side effects, such as high blood pressure, digestion trouble, fertility problems and depression.

On to the more equivocal and conditional advice, some people believe that doing crosswords or logic puzzles or even various “brain training” video games will improve their memories. Dr. Birren says: “To be honest, no, these activities probably won’t improve the kinds of memory that people are most concerned with, like long-term or prospective memory.

This problem arises because these training regimens tend to be very task-specific; the benefits don’t seem to transfer to even closely relate daily tasks. Doing crossword puzzles every day will almost definitely improve your ability to do crossword puzzles and will likely augment your functional vocabulary, but it is unlikely that this kind of “brain exercise” will make you better at remembering to pick up your dry cleaning or better at remembering names at parties.”

For students

If you’re studying, one of the things that you could do to improve memory is switching to a different area as you study. Changing the environment in which you are studying will often refresh your mind, and makes it easier to remember things for the long-term. Your brain will wake up if it senses a change in its usual routine. This can make it easier to learn new information.

Another important thing about memory is that fatigue and tension can greatly inhibit the search of your memory. That is why things you could not remember at the end of a long educational seminar will suddenly pop into your mind next morning while you are shaving.

More info

Want more information? Your Bookseller should have a good selection of books on memory improvement that you can buy. Many well-known psychiatrists have written books to help you improve your brain function and memory. The tools given to you in these books may be what you need to help you remember things. Paying attention will help your memory.

So, then, without waffling, what is the best way to keep your memory keen? Dr. James Birren put it well: “Stay busy, stay active… have some variety!”