Medication for Short-Term Memory

There are many causes of short-term memory problems including aging, dementia, ADHD, Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease, brain trauma, stroke, cardiovascular disease, alcohol and drug abuse, sleep disorders, mood and thought disorders, nutritional deficiencies and medication side-effects. As of late 2009, the FDA had not approved medications specifically to enhance short-term memory. However, some medications that help the problems listed above can improve short-term memory. Some newer drugs may someday be available to enhance short-term memory. Medications that ameliorate short-term memory deficits work by altering biochemical brain processes to enhance attention, acquisition, storage or retrieval of memories.

Stimulants

• Stimulants, such as methylphenidate, amphetamine and dextroamphetamine, are used to treat ADHD and are also used to enhance memory, attention and thinking in people with frontal cortex and prefrontal cortex damage due to brain trauma, tumors or stroke. Stimulants appear to enhance short-term memory processes by increasing the availability of the biochemical messengers norepinephrine and dopamine in the frontal and prefrontal cortex.

Atomoxetine

• Atomoxetine HCL is a non-stimulant medication used to treat ADHD. Atomoxetine appears to increase the levels of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine. It enhances attention and reduces impulsive behavior. Improvements in short-term memory are likely due to enhanced attention and improved acquisition of information.

Rivastigmine Transdermal Patches

• These patches are used to treat dementia in people with Alzheimer's disease, a brain disease that, among other things, slowly destroys both short-and long-term memory. These patches are also used to treat people with Parkinson’s related dementia. Rivastigmine is a cholinesterase inhibitor, and it improves short-term memory and thinking by increasing the amount of norepinephrine and dopamine available in the brain.

Phenserine, Aricept and Exelon

• Phenserine, donepezil and the rivastigmine patch are used to treat Alzheimer’s. These medications increase the level of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that allows communication between nerve cells and which is deficient in people with Alzheimer’s and other related illnesses.

Sleep Medications

• It is well established that sleep is critical to memory consolidation, a process whereby memories are chemically “burned” into long-term memory. Poor sleep or sleep interruptions disrupt consolidation and causes memory problems. Most research suggests that sleep deprivation contributes to short-term memory problems, likely because of its deleterious effect on attention. Medications that enhance sleep can improve short-term memory functioning.