You walk into the room purposefully, then stop dead in your tracks. You haven't a clue why you're here.
Worrisome, isn't it?
You couldn't remember your best friend's phone number after not dialing it for a couple of weeks. And recall the name of someone you just met? Forget it.
Which is, of course, exactly what you've been doing lately.
You and everybody else, it seems. America's population of graying baby boomers has become as obsessed with memory loss as they once were about having great abs. Memory remedies are a mega industry, from alternative-medicine "cures" to classes on memory techniques. Not to mention endless books and tapes that promise you'll never forget anything again.
By 2005 13 percent of Americans will be 65 or older. That's a lot of folks forgetting where they parked their cars.
No matter that 25-year-olds also forget where they parked their cars. Once past a certain age, people stop blaming their too-busy lives and start worrying about the death of brain cells and the possibility of Alzheimer's.
Yet, for all the hysteria about age-related memory loss, some scientists aren't even convinced it exists.
"Is there such a thing? I would say no," says Dr. Paul Costa, chief of the laboratory of personality and cognition at the Gerontology Research Center of the National Institute on Aging. "It takes longer in general to perform all mental operations as we age, but it's a continuous process. 'Age-related memory loss' implies a categorical shift."
We probably have more on our minds as we age, and are often on our way to information overload. The next time you forget a name, consider how many names and faces a 50-year-old has to remember compared to a 5-year-old.
To complicate matters, neuroscientists aren't sure what "normal" forgetfulness is. People vary tremendously in what they can and do remember.
Students of Dr. Michael Gloth, head of the department of geriatrics at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore, are amazed at his ability to cite detailed journal articles off the top of his head. "But my little girl runs up and down our hall saying, 'Where's my briefcase, where's my keys?' - she's mimicking me," Gloth says with a laugh. Memory is "individual-specific," he says.
Besides, there are simply too many things that have an influence on how well we remember, from the time of day to the amount of stress in our lives to our confidence levels. Researchers have even found that if you simply think you're doing something that improves your memory, you remember better.
"There's a 20 to 40 percent placebo effect," says Dr. Barry Gordon, director of the Johns Hopkins Memory Disorders Clinic and author of "Memory: Remembering and Forgetting in Everyday Life" (MasterMedia, 1995).
All this makes it difficult to study memory loss. Still, we don't need a neuroscientist to tell us something is wrong when we forget a familiar word or lock the keys in the car.
So what are we going to do about it? Unfortunately, the answers the memory experts have for us are often no sexier than "make a list." Worse, they sometimes involve hard work. Those options will follow, but first ...
THE MAGIC BULLETS
Wouldn't it be nice if we could just pop a pill and voila! a better memory? Scientists are divided on whether research proves that supplements and other memory enhancers are effective in any significant way, but here are the ones usually touted:
Ginkgo biloba
This herb seems to improve blood flow to the brain. The results of studies are mixed, however, and one of the most important studies had a huge dropout rate.
Vitamin E
It may slow the progression of Alzheimer's; some evidence suggests a deficiency may lead to a reduction in memory.
Hormone replacement therapy
Studies show estrogen may lower the risk of Alzheimer's in postmenopausal women. It's not clear whether hormone replacement therapy affects normal forgetfulness. The negative effects of taking estrogen have been well documented; and the decision to take the drug should, of course, be made with a doctor.
Coffee, tea, chocolate
Don't laugh. In reasonable doses, these make you more alert, and therefore you may learn and remember better. A Hershey bar doesn't seem like a serious solution to memory problems, but as Gordon says, "I'm not yet convinced supplements work. I get more out of caffeine, sugar and fat."
Phosphatidylserine (PS)
This is the one you're going to be hearing more about in the near future, although it has been around a long time. A new book by Thomas Crook and Brenda Adderly, "The Memory Cure" (Simon & Schuster, 1998), has just been published. If it becomes a best seller, health food stores won't be able to keep PS on their shelves.
"This is not a magic bullet," says Crook, "the title of the book aside. But it does have quite a clear effect. Follow the other [memory-enhancing] steps in the book, and you really can largely reverse the effects of age-associated memory impairment."
Crook, a Baltimore native and psychologist whose resume includes a stint with the National Institute of Mental Health, quotes extensive research showing improvement in mental skills with PS - and no adverse side effects. In his book, he summarizes the PS studies, such as one conducted in 1991 by a group of American researchers at Vanderbilt University, Stanford University and Crook's memory clinic in Bethesda. The double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled comparison showed a 30 percent improvement in cognitive function, including memory.
Other scientists, however, caution that most of these studies are based on PS derived from cattle, while the supplement Crook is writing about is soy-based, a distinction that may or may not matter. And, again, memory is such an individual thing that scientists are cautious about "breakthrough" treatments.
"PS has been around for a long time," says Gloth. "It's neither a cure for Alzheimer's nor is it better than other drugs out there."
In the end, the decision to try PS should be made by you, your doctor and your pocketbook; taking supplements for the rest of your life can become expensive. (Don't have the nerve to tell your doctor? Tsk, tsk.)
In any case, you expect scientists to be divided about the efficacy of supplements and drugs; but surely no one can dispute ...
THE BRAIN: USE IT OR LOSE IT
According to this theory, oldsters who spend their time doing crosswords or playing bridge keep their memory sharp or even improve it, the way you might build up a muscle by lifting weights. The problem is that the brain isn't a muscle.
" 'Use it or lose it' is more a jingle than an established fact," says Costa. "Doing crosswords will increase your crossword ability, but there is no generalizing effect."
Gordon agrees. He points out that it's a chicken-and-egg problem: Are old people who do crossword puzzles and the like more mentally alert because they do crossword puzzles, or do they do crossword puzzles because they are more mentally alert?
"In all honesty, we don't know," he says. "Evidence suggests that mental exercise may be helpful, but the definitive study has not been done."
What is clear, however, is that improving the portion of your memory used to do crosswords won't keep you from misplacing your car keys. The former is a matter of retrieval of information; the latter is probably a failure of concentration.
Two other things about memory loss are generally agreed upon: Lifestyle changes can enhance memory skills; and there are techniques you can learn to memorize, say, 50 random digits - even at an advanced age. Of course, you should ask yourself why you would want to remember 50 random digits.
LIVE BETTER, REMEMBER BETTER
A few weeks ago the media were filled with stories about a major new study published in the journal Nature showing that stress impairs memory. Well, duh. All of us who have ever experienced stage fright can cite plenty of anecdotal evidence to back that up.
"Put on a suit of armor to protect your brain from stress," says Dr. Dharma Singh Khalsa, author of "Brain Longevity" (Warner Books, 1997). Khalsa, president and medical director of the Alzheimer's Prevention Foundation, recommends starting the day with a few moments of meditation, or whatever else might relax you, rather than turning on CNN and grabbing a cup of coffee.
He and other researchers also believe that watching what you eat can't hurt and may help. The same advice that's good for the rest of the body is probably good for the brain: Be careful about your fat intake and get plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits.
Research has shown that regular exercise can also have a positive effect on memory, says Crook. The body's general good health is reflected in all mental functions. And being physically fit helps fight stress and depression, both of which can interfere with memory. It almost goes without saying that abuse of alcohol and other drugs can also result in memory loss.
But let's say you're lean and mean and still forgetting your best friend's phone number. For those who are desperate, there are always ...
THE PARLOR TRICKS
The market is flooded with books, tapes and courses that teach techniques for improving memory. They work, but they are an enormous amount of work. And they enhance specific areas of memory: The technique you use to memorize names isn't the same one you use to remember columns of numbers. And neither will help you remember whether you turned off the iron.
"It's not usually recognized," says Gordon, "but: What's the point? Rather than memorizing facts, you ought to be thinking about the connections between the facts."
There is one technique that really does help you remember in a practical way. It's called writing it down. Lists. Appointment books. Calendars.
And how about those car keys?
"If you want to remember where your keys are," says Gordon, "try not to be inventive about where you put them."
Boring Memory Tricks That Really Work
* Write it down. Write it all down. Keep a pocket calendar and make a to-do list every day. Even if you forget to take it with you, the time you spend writing focuses your attention so you may remember anyway.
* Talk to yourself. Every time you get out of the car or leave the house, make yourself say out loud, "I have the keys in my hand" before you lock the door.
* Pay attention. Often we blame our memories when we should blame our powers of concentration. Make a conscious effort to note where you park or whatever else you'll need to remember later.
* Get organized. Life is too short to be looking for your reading glasses. Have a place for them and all the other things you can't remember where you put.
* Say it again, Sam. When you meet someone new, repeat the name immediately. Repeat it to yourself several times silently. Harvard psychologist Daniel Schacter, author of "Searching for Memory" (Basic Books, 1996), suggests then using a technique called "spaced retrieval" - calling the name to mind periodically at widening intervals.
* Don't panic. As we get older, it takes longer to retrieve memories, says Dr. James Fozard, director of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, one of the world's premier studies of how we age. Relax. The name or face will probably come to you.
* Blame your age. If all else fails, use the graying-of-America cliche: "I'm having a senior moment." At least you know you're not alone.
Screenings offered
What makes forgetfulness frightening for older people is that it may be a sign of a more serious problem like Alzheimer's or other dementia. Helix Health is offering its first free memory screenings Oct. 2 at its five Baltimore-area hospitals. The screenings, which will last no longer than 15 minutes, will be held at these locations and times:
Union Memorial Hospital, 2 p.m.-6 p.m.
Good Samaritan Hospital, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Franklin Square Hospital Center, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Church Hospital, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Harbor Hospital Center, 2 p.m.-6 p.m.
Preregistration is required. Call 410-529-2900 (Baltimore), 410-350-3179 (Howard and Anne Arundel counties), or 410-838-9200 (Harford County).
"To think is to practice brain chemistry."
Deepak Chopra
"The human brain is a wonderful organ. It starts to work as soon as you are born and doesn't stop until you get up to deliver a speech."
George Jessel
"Most people say that as you get old, you have to give up things. I think you get old because you give up things."
Sen. Theodore Francis Green
"Over the years our bodies become walking autobiographies."
Marilyn Ferguson
"Middle age is when you've met so many people that every new person you meet reminds you of someone else."
Ogden Nash
"I always have trouble remembering three things: faces, names and - and - I can't remember what the third thing is."
Fred Allen
"It's hard for me to get used to these changing times. I can remember when the air was clean and sex was dirty."
George Burns
From "The Forever Mind" by Priscilla Donovan and Jacquelyn Wonder (William Morrow, 1994)
Coming up
The Alzheimer's Association is holding "Memory Walks" in the Baltimore area over the next two months to raise donations. The first walk is Saturday in Annapolis; call 410-561-9099.
For details on the walks and on Alzheimer's home care, see next Sunday's Home & Family.
Pub Date: 9/06/98