Normal versus Not Normal:

Brain Science

·         Let's do a little review:

o        Memory is created by some input stimulus of the thymus and subsequent electrochemical signal sent to the Hippocampus.

o        From there (short term memory) a signal is sent out to some resident fold in the cortex.

o        As we know we are creating new dendrites and synapses connections in that area of the brain.

o        Short term memory creates long term memory. In order for a memory to occur there must be an exchange between hippocampus and cortex.

·         One of the first things we ask ourselves when we can’t remember a name or place is: Is this normal or the first stages of cognitive decline?

·         The good news is that it is probably not the first stage but just a sign of aging. In addition it is normal to experience several forms of memory lapses.

Brain facts: 6 types of normal memory lapses:

    •    Absentmindedness: We all experience this on occasion. Absent minded is an accurate description of the lapse. Example, throwing down your keys and not remembering where you put them. The reason you don’t remember is that the memory was never sent from short term to long term. There is a thing called original awareness that must take place. There is a difference between what the eyes see and what the mind observes. Have you noticed that this most often occurs when you are in deep thought on something else?

I have been called the absent minded professor. That may be more accurate than people know. I tend to be thinking of things all the time. Where I put my keys is not something that normally takes priority in my brain. If it’s not a priority, I really don’t process something like keys into original awareness so it is usually lost. What I have been doing the past few years is to stop, think about where I am putting keys, and then move on with whatever I was thinking. Doesn’t always work but helps. (You should check with Sue on the accuracy of this statement). 

    •    Blocking: This is the frustrating experience of not being able to recall something from memory you know is right there. Blocking results from several similar memories creating a disruption.  Think of it as if your memory retrieval gets jammed from time to time. Multiple studies have shown that older people often activate more areas of the brain to perform a memory task. I prefer to think the reason older people have this problem is because old people have more in their memory banks than younger people. Even though we are smarter we have more potential for conflict.

    •    Scrambling: If you have ever gotten the details wrong but can accurately remember most of an event or other chunks of information, you’re scrambling - confusing the details. A glitch in the hippocampus is likely to blame for this. It receives a bunch of information and sometimes doesn’t sort it very well. It has incorrectly recorded a time, event or fact. “ At some point we will talk about “ your memory is not your memory.”)

[Bob (Wright), this makes me wonder about the accuracy of    witness testimony in court. While the person does remember accurately (according to their brain), what they think has happened, could it be that their hippocampus interpreted it inaccurately in the first place. Have you encountered this? [ Can a person be guilty of perjury if they scramble information?]

    •    Fading Away: The brain continually cleans out the older memories to make room for newer ones. (Did you know that?) Memories that are not often reinforced fade away. Eventually without use, the neurotransmitters lose their conductivity and a memory is lost. The brain actually has a cleaning process. We can get to that sometime.   

    •    Struggling for retrieval:  Aging changes the strength of the connections between neurons in the brain. The age change in strength of the connection slows the retrieval process considerably. New information can also delete other items in short term memory unless original information is repeated again and again. This is why it is important to learn a person's name on the spot and associate that name with something particular or familiar. Practicing word association will help you avoid this glitch.

    •    Muddled multitasking: At some point, the number of things you can do effectively at one time diminishes. Studies show that the older we get, the more effort it takes for the brain to maintain focus. Studies also show that it takes longer to get back to an original task after an interruption. Ending attempts to do multitasking can actually be a good thing for the brain.

So What:

The six lapses above are considered normal. Unless these glitches are excessive don’t worry about them. . If you are experiencing these issues as a younger person and want to work on the issues there are all sorts of word games, etc. that can help. One thing that could help is the use of original awareness. For example, when putting your glasses down, stop your brain by saying to yourself, “I am putting my glasses on the kitchen counter”. By that you are reinforcing action in your brain with original awareness. But again multitasking can confuse the brain.

As we grow older we are more likely to have more of these lapses. In fact, the more active your brain is in older life the more likely you are to have them. There are things we can do, like word association, to minimize these lapses. As we have discussed, try associating a hard to remember word with something more familiar. For example, “algorithm” is a word we were struggling with at coffee the other day. Six of us could not remember that word.

We could have used the following: When I’m trying to think of that word “algorithm”… I think- “What does an alligator create when it krokes?” The Answer:  “Alligator rhythm”.

It is a fact that the more active your brain is in older life the more likely you are to have lapses. So, as we age we become more like the “absent minded professor”. Just like me!