Memory & Alzheimer's Disease

As we age, we more often forget common things, like where the car keys are. It also takes longer to remember things as we get older. Memory problems like this are more of a nuisance and are not serious. Loss of memory that begins without warning or that interferes with your ability to carry out everyday tasks may mean you have a more serious problem like Alzheimer's disease.

Memory

• Memory is information that is stored in different parts of the brain. There are recent memories, which include things like what you did in the morning or names of people you just met. This is the memory that is affected first with Alzheimer's disease. The part of your brain responsible for this type of memory is the hippocampus. The hippocampus is like a filing cabinet. In Alzheimer's disease, it is broken. Information comes into your brain, but it is not filed properly. As Alzheimer's disease worsens, nothing that happens short-term is remembered. Information stored in the remote or long-term memory remains intact initially in Alzheimer's disease. Eventually these memories are lost too.

Aging

• As we age, we begin to lose a few brain cells at a time. The chemicals our brains need to communicate decrease. These things affect our memories. Also, as we age the way the brain stores information changes, which makes it harder to recall what is stored in our brains.

Alzheimer's Disease

• Alzheimer's disease destroys parts of your brain. Because of this there is a steady loss of memory over time. Alzheimer's disease also affects your thinking, speaking, judgment and behavior. This disease always grows worse as time passes. Just how quickly this happens and just what mental functions are affected varies from person to person.

Causes

• Alzheimer's disease occurs because of changes to the brain, but it is still not clear what causes these changes. The amount of chemical messengers or neurotransmitters decreases. There is also a buildup of abnormal proteins which may be responsible for the decrease in neurotransmitters.

Risk

• As we age, our risk of suffering memory problems from Alzheimer's disease increases. If you have a family history of Alzheimer's disease, your risk of getting it increases. Also, if you live an unhealthy lifestyle, your chances of getting Alzheimer's disease increase.

Diagnosis

• If you are having serious memory problems, it is important to get an accurate diagnosis because the difficulties may be caused by a treatable condition and not by Alzheimer's disease. To assess your condition to see if it is Alzheimer's disease, your doctor will ask about your current general health and how it is different than in the past. He will then do a physical exam and then have you perform simple memory and mental tasks. Your examination will include blood tests and a CT scan. Depending on the results of these tests, the doctor may also require you to have an MRI or PET scan of your brain.

Memory Helpers

• Whether you have Alzheimer's disease or not, there are some things you can do to help remember things and actually help your memories stay intact longer. Keeping lists will help you remember things. Also, following a routine makes your chances of recalling what comes next better. If you make associations, like noting the resemblance of a new acquaintance to a cousin with the same name, your chances of remembering the person's name the next time you see her are better. By having a specific place for important items, such as putting your keys in a bowl by the front door, help you to find them when you need them.

  Eventually even memory helpers do not work for those with Alzheimer's disease, for which there is still no cure.