The Middle-Age Brain Drain
Forgetfulness is part of aging, but like abs, memory can be toned up
Karen Gram
CanWest News Service
April 28, 2005
At 11 a.m. on a recent morning, University of British Columbia psychology professor Peter Graf said he had an eye exam at noon, after which he would go home and be available to talk about memory, his specialty.
An hour later and halfway home, he had one of those forehead-slapping moments. He'd completely forgotten to go to the optometrist.
Damn. If even the experts forget, what hope is there for the rest of us? Why do we seem to forget everything these days?
There is no doubt memory starts to deteriorate as we age, says Graf, who is 53 years old. Memories are stored in neuro networks and throughout life we lose them, he explains.
While science has proven we regenerate neurons throughout our lives, what we lose as we age are the cells that insulate the neurons. Researchers believe that as this insulation thins, the speed at which neurons communicate with each other slows and memory just isn't what it used to be.
That's the biological explanation, but there is also a psychological reason why middle-aged people suffer memory lapses. Our brains are so full of stuff that nothing we add stands out anymore. The whole world is a cliche.
Children learn so quickly and remember so well because everything is new to them. But as we age, it gets harder and harder to differentiate between two similar items. This gives us the ability to consider things in a bigger context and to respond more thoughtfully to events than children can, but it's a train wreck for memory.
Graf's forgetfulness was what the experts call a lapse in prospective memory -- forgetting what is in the future. It's the opposite of retrospective memory, or what is in the past.
While older people have been known to have prospective memory lapses, statistically, it's a phenomenon of youth.
Children and youth are terrible at remembering what they have to do (homework, household chores, meetings with the principal), whereas adults have a harder time remembering what they did, says Graf.
Not to worry. Like abs, memory can be toned up, with work.
Guy Pilch, a mental fitness consultant based in Victoria, says protecting your memory needs a holistic approach, involving both mental and physical fitness.
There are lots of mnemonic techniques, he says, but equally important are efforts to reduce stress, improve concentration, increase physical activity and improve diet.
“Memory is something that needs a multifaceted approach,” he says. “You can't remember if the brain is flabby.”
Pilch adds the brain loves humour and rudeness, so he uses them to help him remember.
One facet you can forget is that old standby, rote. It was proven not to work 30 years ago, when psychologist Gus Craig discovered the brain has various levels of processing information.
He compared people trying to remember using rote memory (and who knew they would be tested) to people who were shown the same words, but had to answer a question about each one.
He found the more people thought about the meaning of a word, the better they remembered it, even if they didn't know they'd be tested.
“Thus, it is not that you want to learn that is critical. It's what you do to remember,” says Graf.
With our brains so cluttered with facts, figures and episodes, what we need is a good filing system, explains Graf. We need files that stand out from the crowd, that are sorted by context and that can be accessed when needed.
Hopefully, that will ensure we show up for appointments on the right day.
If not, mark them in your planner -- and remember to read it.
Body & Health