not exactly memory, but . . .

my word thinker-upper has been on the blink for the last couple of years - and i'm a "word person", you know, highly lucrative liberal arts education and all

What do you think happened to your thinker upper

I haven't been sleeping well lately, stress you know what with not having windows and it being hurricane season and all.

But my memory is about the same, still can't remember where my car keys are but I can tell you where every single item and where it was before the fire. I have a partial photographic memory-I can read a book and then close my eyes or just think and can see it in my mind and read it. It's easier if there is a picture, diagram or something weird on the page. Only way I got through school!

I'm absent minded is what mom calls it.
Tally HO!

What memory? I can't remember anything much anymore. that's why I can't learn any specific songs on my flutes. I can't memorize them.

Probably just more worn out parts. Too much wear and tear.

Or too much multi-tasking that lights up "TILT" !! My word thinker-upper is my biggest problem right now. Sometimes I have formulated my thoughts, am typing away and the word I want to use just goes right out of my head ...... ever done that????

i dunno what happened to my word thinker-upper, but it is a bit bothersome to me - first noticed it a couple of years ago and hoped it was stress or something else at the time - but it has stuck and seems (maybe i'm worrying too much) to be getting worse - of course, it could still be stress b/c we've got a lot of it in this house

i still dunno

~ freshair

"TILT": i think mine was unplugged! - its not saying anything

Carrie, I have Webster's bookmarked. I use it all the time, now, for words I never used to misspell.

Sometimes I just can't think of a word I want, so I just substitute another. (One good thing about English.....no shortage of words!)

Hi Jolana and all! I've never considered myself to have a good memory, but somehow I've gotten by fairly well. Of course, just like there are different kinds of intelligence there are different kinds of memory.

For instance my father was of the genius catagory in the sciences (unfortunately none of his progeny inherited the trait) but my mother can tell many stories about how 'absent-minded' he was; like the time he said "Now where in the heck is the closet?" as he opened several doors in a room of the house they had lived in for a couple of years. Apparently his mind had been occupied with things other than remembering where the closet was.

But most of us are concerned about the everyday memory we use to find things, remember appointments, and come up with an idea quickly, etc. I feel the lessening of stress has a lot to do that. Since stress in my life has been lessened in the last few years I find that some types of memory has improved. But since I never could remember the proper names for things or a certain word I wanted to use -- even in my youth -- thank goodness for google and online dictionaries!

And thank goodness also that the human brain is very flexible. If one part is damaged they've found that the same memories exist in several parts of the brain. Also there is research which has suggested that the brain is not large enough to hold all the memories and that they are also stored in an unseen energy system, an aura that is around the physical body that we tap into. That's very encouraging!

It's also been found that memories can be implanted and certain things we think we remember never happened at all. But that's a whole 'nuther' subject.

Newscientist had an article on 'The Five Ages of the Human Brain' recently so I went to their site and copied part of it. The link leads to more articles on the subject. To read some you have to be a subscriber, but to read most of them you do not.

One thing that is supposed to be good for the mind/brain is doing certain games and puzzles. Does anyone know a site that has the specific kind that are supposed to be most helpful?

Also excercises like walking and yoga, etc., plus good physical health keeps the mind fit also. I recently got a book on some simple yoga postures and stretches, and though I may never be able to do many of them well I feel like what I can do is helping.

NEWSCIENTIST: The five ages of the brain: Adulthood

* 05 April 2009 by Graham Lawton
* Magazine issue 2702. Subscribe and get 4 free issues.
* For similar stories, visit the The Human Brain Topic Guide

So you're in your early 20s and your brain has finally reached adulthood. Enjoy it while it lasts. The peak of your brain's powers comes at around age 22 and lasts for just half a decade. From there it's downhill all the way.
The peak of your brain's powers comes at age 22 and lasts for just half a decade

This long, slow decline begins at about 27 and runs throughout adulthood, although different abilities decline at different rates. Curiously, the ones that start to go first - those involved with executive control, such as planning and task coordination - are the ones that took the longest to appear during your teens. These abilities are associated with the prefrontal and temporal cortices, which are still maturing well into your early 20s.

Episodic memory, which is involved in recalling events, also declines rapidly, while the brain's processing speed slows down and working memory is able to store less information.

So just how fast is the decline? According to research by Art Kramer, a psychologist at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, and others, from our mid-20s we lose up to 1 point per decade on a test called the mini mental state examination (see graph). This is a 30-point test of arithmetic, language and basic motor skills that is typically used to assess how fast people with dementia are declining. A 3 to 4 point drop is considered clinically significant. In other words, the decline people typically experience between 25 and 65 has real-world consequences.

That all sounds rather depressing, but there is an upside. The abilities that decline in adulthood rely on "fluid intelligence" - the underlying processing speed of your brain. But so-called "crystallised intelligence", which is roughly equivalent to wisdom, heads in the other direction. So even as your fluid intelligence sags, along with your face and your bottom, your crystallised intelligence keeps growing along with your waistline. The two appear to cancel each other out, at least until we reach our 60s and 70s

There's another reason to be cheerful. Staying mentally and physically active, eating a decent diet and avoiding cigarettes, booze and mind-altering drugs seem to slow down the inevitable decline. And if it is too late to live the clean life, don't panic. You still have one more chance to turn it around.

The five ages of the brain: Old age

* 06 April 2009 by Helen Thomson
* Magazine issue 2702. Subscribe and get 4 free issues.
* For similar stories, visit the The Human Brain Topic Guide

Down but not out

By the time you retire, there's no doubt about it, your brain isn't what it used to be. By 65 most people will start to notice the signs: you forget people's names and the teapot occasionally turns up in the fridge.

There is a good reason why our memories start to let us down. At this stage of life we are steadily losing brain cells in critical areas such as the hippocampus - the area where memories are processed. This is not too much of a problem at first; even in old age the brain is flexible enough to compensate. At some point though, the losses start to make themselves felt.

Clearly not everyone ages in the same way, so what's the difference between a jolly, intelligent oldie and a forgetful, grumpy granny? And can we improve our chances of becoming the former?

Exercise can certainly help. Numerous studies have shown that gentle exercise three times a week can improve concentration and abstract reasoning in older people, perhaps by stimulating the growth of new brain cells. Exercise also helps steady our blood glucose. As we age, our glucose regulation worsens, which causes spikes in blood sugar. This can affect the dentate gyrus, an area within the hippocampus that helps form memories. Since physical activity helps regulate glucose, getting out and about could reduce these peaks and, potentially, improve your memory (Annals of Neurology, vol 64, p 698).

Coordination training could also help. Studies have shown that specifically targeting motor control and balance improves cognitive function in 60 to 80-year-olds. A few sessions on the grandchildren's Nintendo Wii could bring similar benefits.

If you're struggling to find the guitar hero in yourself, however, try a cognitive workout instead. "Brain training" was once considered flaky, but a study due to be published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society in April concludes that computerised brain exercises can improve memory and attention in the over 65s. Importantly, these changes were large enough that participants reported significant improvements in everyday activities, such as remembering names or following conversations in noisy restaurants.

Avoiding the grumps is even easier. Dopamine receptors - responsible for feelings of positive emotions - are in decline, with the potential to cause depression, but you can give yourself a regular dose of dopamine by eating certain foods, such as yoghurt, almonds and chocolate.

In fact, your brain is doing it all it can to ensure a contented retirement. During the escapades of your 20s and 30s and the trials of midlife, it has been quietly learning how to focus on the good things in life. By 65 we are much better at maximising the experience of positive emotion, says Florin Dolcos, a neurobiologist at the University of Alberta in Canada. In experiments, he found that people over the age of 60 tended to remember fewer emotionally negative photographs compared with positive or neutral ones than younger people (Psychological Science, vol 20, p 74).
When I was young...

MRI scans showed why. While the over-60s showed normal activation in the amygdala, a region of the brain that processes emotion, its interaction with other brain areas differed: it interacted less with the hippocampus than in younger people and more with the dorsolateral frontal cortex, a region involved in controlling emotions. Dolcos suggests that this may be a result of more experience of situations in which emotional responses need to be kept under control. Older people really do see the world through rose-tinted glasses.

So while nobody wants to get older, it's not all doom and gloom. In fact you should probably stop worrying altogether. Studies show that people who are more laid back are less likely to develop dementia than stress bunnies. In one study, people who were socially inactive but calm had a 50 per cent lower risk of developing dementia compared with those who were isolated and prone to distress (Neurology, vol 72, p 253). This is likely to be caused by stress-induced high levels of cortisol, which may cause shrinkage in the anterior cingulate cortex, an area linked to Alzheimer's disease and depression in older people.

So while our brains may not wrinkle and sag like our skin, they need just as much care and attention - so don't give up on yours too soon. When you notice the signs of age, go for a walk, do a crossword and try to have a laugh - it might just counteract some of the sins of your youth.

~ ~ ~
Happy memories!

Here is a link that might be useful: NewScientist Magazine Human Brain Topic

Too much multi-tasking? How do get anything done if you don't?

Stress can hurt you physically and mentally

I know you know that.

I keep Webster's bookmarked also and I didn't need it this much before, lol

Thank y'all

Roselee, we posted at the exact same time!!
Thanks for all of the helpful information. I have read several of those studies over the years and agree with 98%
My cousin and I were dicussing this lastnight and she thinks my memory started leaving bit by bit when I quit taking hormones (not Premarin) and in the last week when I went on Estrogen for my bones and hot flashes, my memory is actually better. Tonight, I am going to start researching what effect one has on the other

Thank you

I forgot to write, some I don't agree with is the booze and mind altering drugs, LOL

Jolana, that was so true about estrogen for me! I've found that hormone *imbalance* has a lot to do with how fast the mind works. The way the nerve synapsis worked in this brain, the point at which a nervous impulse passes from one neuron to another, really started 'snapping' again when I went on hormone replacement therapy for a couple of years. I had gone back to college at the time and never even peeped in class. Literally overnight with HRT they couldn't shut me up and my classmates looked around at me as if to say, "Where did SHE come from???" LOL!!!!

My poor friend thought I was joking the other day when I kept calling her 'Phyllis'. Why was I calling her 'Phyllis', she asked.

I explained that I had a real blank spot in my brain right about that time, and I couldn't remember her name for the life of me. We all got a big laugh over that one, but sometimes it worries me. I don't know if I am thinking so much that it gets in the way of remembering things I need to remember, or what is the deal?! Her name is Peggy, BTW.

I'm still not as bad as my sister. Every year I have to call her and remind her that March 2 is her DD's birthday, not March 3. And every year, she argues with me. LOL

Some times are better than other times. Some times are worse. I have learned that I have to keep a calendar to keep my life straight, and I make lists to be sure I get things done that need doing. As long as nobody gets mad because I can't remember your name right now. I do remember it sooner or later.

Janie

HAHAHA, Roselee, that is wonderful and overnight? See I think mine has also

Jennifer, did you know it wasn't her name when you were calling her Phyllis? LOL
Sorry couldn't resist. I used to get so aggravated when my aunt or GM would call me one of my cousin's or sibling's name but now I do it all of the time, LOL

I think I am going to ask them to up the estrogen dose next month, then I can remember everything and become a jennyus

Yes, Janie -- thank goodness for calendars. I use the 'remind me' function on my computer a lot! Besides, some of the smartest people I know make notes about everything.

Laughing at the use of words in your comment Jolana!

But really -- what does it all matter? Isn't the greater wisdom that often comes with maturity worth a little memory loss??? What do a few minor details matter in the Overall Great Scheme of things anyway? I'm finding it more important just to give up the worry and Trust.

Oh, I was more curious than anything else, but it does worry me when I can't find my coffee pot and I discover it is in the freezer or oven, lol

Just do as I do, Jolana ..... leave it in the exact same spot on the countertop .... then you don't have to look for it !!!

Carrie, lol, mine disappears when it shouldn't like after I wash it, or I guess I grab it when I am supposed to be grabbing something else, that happens a lot, lol

Well, yes, I did know her name wasn't Phyllis. I couldn't remember any other names that started with a 'P' other than Phyllis. I couldn't remember any other names! It was like a blank white square (my poor feeble mind was), and I was struggling to get out of there.

People will come up and talk to me like we are best friends, and I don't have the slightest idea who they are. It usually turns out that they have attended a class I taught, or a seminar the Master Gardeners have put on. They know who I am, I just don't know who they are. LOL

My Dr. says to not worry about it too much. It comes and goes for everybody. Worry about it when it doesn't concern you. THEN you are in trouble!

Janie

Who are these folks posting? LOL!

I can't help but be a tad concerned, as my DH had ALZ.

I am glad to know that all of you are the same and it's not just me.

Kathy

HAHAHAHA, Kathy, it is not just you

Janie, if you knew it wasn't Phyllis then I think that is better, lol

If you truly thought it was, that would be very worrysome, I would think, or not...is it? I don't remember, lol

Shoot, I have relatives, that I have known all of my life that I look at like strangers while they are saying, "Jolana, how are you?" LOL

Roselee, I'm with you on this, most times it is pure entertainment for me and my kids, they just think it is hysterical.

Lookee at what I found!

Just what we need!

Janie

Here is a link that might be useful: Brain builders

Jolana, do you remember (haha) when you linked me to a jigsaw puzzle page. That really did help with the after surgery fog.

My sister worked the crossword puzzle in her newspaper each night before retiring, and she remained sharp as a tack. Hmmmmmm, wish I could sit still long enough to TRY and work one of those.

Yes, I do, I still do them.

Janie, you can cancel luminosity any time but they charge after a while
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Carrie, you are like one of my cousins, she can't sit still either. After a certain time in the evening, I can barely move, lol

Sometimes I think it is a curse, other times I see it as a way to get a lot done. It does wear one out as we grow older (now wonder who that could be?)!!!

Oops, I didn't read any farther than top of the front page. Well, I did see where I had to set up a free account, but I thought I would do that later. I bookmarked the page, guess I better go back and delete it.

If I remember it, I will do that.

Thanks,

Janie

I know I came in here for SOMEthing.
;-)

That's alright Janie, they weren't upfront nor clear about it

JD, I was raised hearing, "men have selective memories AND hearing" LOL

I don't believe that tho, unless it is true. Is it? HAHAHA

Yeah, JD, I would like to hear the answer to that one, because there are times when I know it to be true....LOL>

Janie, thanks for finding that Brainbuilders site. I've been busy and haven't checked it out yet, but it might be worth the price to keep this brain ticking along even half fast as Jolana's does!

There's going to be a program on PBS tomorrow night's 'Science Now' on how memory works. It comes on here in S.A. at 9 PM right after Nova.

Here is a link that might be useful: How Memory Works ... PBS on Tuesday

One of my dd's paid for the games Janie

Roselee, you are good for the ego, lol
Science Now comes on Tuesday at eight in the Austin, time warner cable area
Thank you Roselee, I set the DVR in case I forget, HAHAHAHA

I read a book by James Michener about a retirement home in FL.

A minister talked to them and said they should be thinking of the "here after".

One man said I do all the time. I walk into a room and think, "what did I come in here after?".

HAHAHA, yeah, a lot of us know that one

I agree that hormones have a connection with memory. Since menopause I forget to get cranky about things that really used to get me riled up. I don't care less about them, just care less about getting fussy. And I was thinking about a lot of other things I wanted to say, but can't remember what they were now that I finished reading all the foregoing posts. Cheryl

jolana - funny how I rarely miss the call for dinner, hmmmmmmmmmm????
J.D.

Is JD "stepp-n-it" again?

mel - me 'steppin in it' provides countless hours of entertainment for so many. I look at it as a 'public service'.
J.D.

Ah, and he is so good at it, Mel !!!!

HAHAHA, what a visual!!! Tanks for the confirmation and the entertainent, LOL

Who watched Science Now, wasn't that interesting

I was going to post here but forgot what I was going to say.

Normally when this happens it's when I get up from my desk, walk into another room for something and can't remember what I'm doing there. I can stand there all day and WILL NOT remember until go back and sit down at my desk.

I forgot to come back and look at this thread! I so appreciate JD's willingness to 'stepnit' from time to time,
He's a big part of why I love this place.

Well put, Mel !!!!!!!!!!!!!

What were we talking about? Booze? Mind-altering drugs? Who is Phyllis anyway?
I'm soo confused! And I know, I think, maybe, I took my premarin last night. I think. It is today isn't it?

My mom used to run through the list of names until she hit the right kid. There's no hope for me is there? I always say that's why they gave me a name tag. I'm not sure who that old lady in the picture is though. Kind of looks like my aunt.
Tally HO!