Daily Healthy: Alzheimer's Disease

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTKA3XIAJj1fYIktaRjqJ3FUpStZS4O01gf3tWXURA8IT8S-MEHUXyWYVKi6zaD4P92jE6lToYLFh9nTz2dIJkymWuFcL6cJj7mbd2U8EOjNZJ3WW6GKWQj69v7lzjwc_CVTKt9_wARDU/s1600/American-flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTKA3XIAJj1fYIktaRjqJ3FUpStZS4O01gf3tWXURA8IT8S-MEHUXyWYVKi6zaD4P92jE6lToYLFh9nTz2dIJkymWuFcL6cJj7mbd2U8EOjNZJ3WW6GKWQj69v7lzjwc_CVTKt9_wARDU/s1600/American-flag.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
There’s a long standing joke about people who can’t remember where they put their keys, or what they were supposed to buy at the grocery store, or where they parked their car at the shopping mall, or what instructions to follow:<o:p></o:p> 
 
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Two men met on the city street in the evening, and had a number of drinks together. The one who lived in the suburbs became confidential, and exhibited a string tied around a finger. "I don't dare to go home," he explained. "There's something my wife told me to do, without fail, and to make sure I wouldn't forget, she tied that string around my finger. But for the life of me I can't remember what the thing was I am to do. And I don't dare to go home!" A few days later the two men met again, this time in the afternoon. "Well," the one asked, "did you finally remember what that string was to remind you of?" The other showed great gloom in his expression, as he replied: "I didn't go home until the next night, just because I was scared, and then my wife told me what the string was for all right--she certainly did!" There was a note of pain in his voice. "The string was to remind me to be sure to come home early."</div>
 
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
You might laugh at such a silly story, but the actual truth is that short term memory loss, beyond just being an inconvenience or temporarily embarrassing, can be a problem for many people—especially if it persists or gets worse. It can be dangerous, and may be a precursor of more problematic health issues such as alzheimer’s or dementia. Short-term memory loss can be a natural side effect of aging, or can be caused by disease, injury, stress, or as a side effect of drug use.</div>
 
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
You have difficulty concentrating or it feels like your short-term memory isn’t as good as it used to be. You may also notice that normal tasks seem hard to focus on, you are more forgetful, you forget things that you normally wouldn’t, or you have difficulty forming thoughts or carrying on conversations. </div>
 
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
You may also start something and uncharacteristically forget what you were doing soon after. You may also have difficulty remembering where you placed things, who you just called, what you just talked about, or what you were looking for or thinking about. You uncharacteristically may have difficulty remembering what you just ate, phone numbers, names, or things you recently did. Things that you would normally not forget, you now do.<o:p></o:p></div>
 
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
According to a report issued by Rutgers University, short-term memory refers to memories which last for a few minutes. Unlike sensory memory, which is stored in the exact form it was experienced, short-term memory has received some processing; thus, "A" is stored not as a visual stimulus, but as an abstract concept of the letter "A". Short-term memory is of limited capacity, usually 5-9 items ("7-plus-or-minus-two"). Beyond this capacity, new information can "bump" out other items from short-term memory. This is one form of forgetting.</div>
 
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Objects in short-term memory can be of indefinite complexity: thus short-term memory can hold several numbers, or several words, or several complex concepts simultaneously. Thus, while an individual may only be able to remember seven random digits, it may be possible to remember more digits if they are "chunked" into meaningful objects: thus, "1776-2001-1941" represents twelve separate digits -- well beyond most people's capacity -- but only three easily-remembered chunks. </div>
 
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Items can be maintained indefinitely in short-term memory by rehearsal: e.g. by repeating the information over and over again. An example would be a seven-digit phone number, which is maintained in short-term memory by repetition until the number is dialed, and then fades from short-term memory once the conversation starts. Repetition may also increase the probability that items in short-term memory will enter permanent storage in long-term memory. More details about how your memory works can be found at this website: <a href="http://www.memorylossonline.com/glossary/memory.html">http://www.memorylossonline.com/glossary/memory.html</a> .</div>
 
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
When testing for any type of memory loss, a doctor will take a medical history and perhaps ask a few questions to test a patient's memory. Other exams may include cognitive testing to check the patient's mental status and ability to think. The doctor may also order blood tests to check for various conditions including vitamin B-12 deficiency and thyroid disease, according to LiveScience.com.</div>
 
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Depending on the results, other tests may include an MRI or CT scan of the head and an EEG to measure electrical activity in the brain. A cerebral angiography may also be ordered to examine blood flow to the brain. If the cause of the short-term memory is related to a psychological trauma, a therapist or psychologist may be consulted. </div>
 
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
One of the most common suggestions for a better short-term memory is to use mnemonics. Mnemonics is the technique of attaching a word, phrase or image to an object. One example of a mnemonic is the trick many people learned in school to remember how many days are in a month. “Thirty days hath September, April, June and November …” You can also use the trick to remember things such as a name, such as "Rob wore a red shirt."</div>
 
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Another trick is to have someone put a number of objects out on a table. Give yourself 30 seconds to memorize them. Then take the objects away and try to write down as many as you can in 30 seconds. Doing activities that engage your brain, such as Sudoku and crossword puzzles, and reading in general can also help improve your memory. More material on this subject can be found at this site: <a href="http://www.livescience.com/42891-short-term-memory-loss.html">http://www.livescience.com/42891-short-term-memory-loss.html</a>. <o:p></o:p></div>
 
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
And did you know chewing gum impairs short term memory? According to Prevention Magazine, a study out of Cardiff University in the UK found that not only does chewing gum not help your short term memory: It impairs it.  In a series of three experiments, 97 university students were asked to recall either a short sequence of letters or identify the missing item in a list. </div>
 
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
They performed significantly worse when chewing gum, no matter how vigorously or how lazily they chomped. Researchers speculate that the tongue, mouth, and jaw movements of gum chewing disrupt short-term memory. More info on this topic can be found at this site: <a href="http://www.prevention.com/health/brain-games/chewing-gum-hurts-short-term-memory-study">http://www.prevention.com/health/brain-games/chewing-gum-hurts-short-term-memory-study</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
 
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Much more detail on memory loss in general can be found at the National Institutes for Health (NIH) website: <a href="http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003257.htm">http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003257.htm</a>.</div>
 
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Short term memory loss may be just a sign of being distracted or some other issues that are not really problematic. However, it could be a signal that more serious mental health problems are developing. If you are seeing this condition develop more and more in yourself or someone you know, see your doctor for testing. Don’t excuse it away, or you might forget why.<o:p></o:p></div>
 
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Until next time.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>

There’s a long standing joke about people who can’t remember where they put their keys, or what they were supposed to buy at the grocery ...

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
By Ahmed Raza Khan, MD, MPH <o:p></o:p> 
 
Follow<a href="https://twitter.com/AhmedRazaKhanMD">@AhmedRazaKhanMD</a><o:p></o:p> 
 
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Physician at Stanford University School of Medicine <o:p></o:p> 
 
 
 
Most people know that exercise is beneficial for cardiac health and is prescribed by physicians for the prevention and alleviation of various medical complications. But what if I told you exercise can also significantly benefit your mental health in more ways than one? Let’s take a look at some of the ways exercise can improve mental health and how to incorporate this into your new year’s resolution list! 
 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
 </div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV5cNIBlM-vyMP8RbO_Zf-XVi7Ozh-6omAE-onQlWCFJ_Fe3tGGId1bZUkawvUR6QMil3FSyaMxQV1ZiP2u36sVTMVqlpfeBh-RZT0Lz9xMIBwjOIGH5QCPh7hTxo6vC6utZmycfzBjGMM/s1600/Khan+chart+photo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV5cNIBlM-vyMP8RbO_Zf-XVi7Ozh-6omAE-onQlWCFJ_Fe3tGGId1bZUkawvUR6QMil3FSyaMxQV1ZiP2u36sVTMVqlpfeBh-RZT0Lz9xMIBwjOIGH5QCPh7hTxo6vC6utZmycfzBjGMM/s1600/Khan+chart+photo.png" width="320" /></a> 
 
Exercise and Depression Prevention:More than 350 million people in the world suffer from <a href="http://www.psychiatry.org/depression">depression</a> and it is the leading cause of disability worldwide.  Exercise has often been considered as a supplemental tool in treating depression, but recent evidence points to exercise playing a role in the prevention of future depressive episodes. These recent findings show that even low levels of physical activity (e.g., walking less than 150 minutes a week) can prevent future depression. There has been significant research in the last few years that links cardiovascular health’s role in the origin of depression. This would certainly be a plausible explanation for why exercise may prevent depression. <o:p></o:p> 
 
 
 
Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention:<a href="http://www.psychiatry.org/mental-health/key-topics/alzheimers-disease">Alzheimer’s disease</a> is a chronic, degenerative disease of the brain that affects over 25 million people in the world. This illness leads to a progressive mental decline, steering its victims to dependence on caregivers and, eventually, death. Amyloid plaques are abnormal clusters of protein fragments that are found in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease and are thought to play a major role in its progression. Recent studies have found that people who exercised at or above the levels recommended by the American Heart Association had significantly lower numbers of amyloid plaques than those who exercised less. This was the case for even those who carried the APOE-e4 gene variant, which is an established risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. When people with the APOE-e4 gene variant were compared, those with higher levels of exercise had lower levels of amyloid plaques.<o:p></o:p> 
 
 
 
Improving Cognitive Functioning:Exercise has been shown to increase cognitive functioning in rats. As rats get older, their memory tends to diminish and this appears to be due to a drop of nerve synapses in the hippocampus, the memory center of the brain. But after 12 weeks of voluntary running, both memory and hippocampus nerve synapses were restored in these rats. <o:p></o:p> 
 
 
 
Consistency in Exercise:Recent neuroscientific studies have shown that the cognitive benefit of exercise may have a window of time. In fact, rats that improved their cognitive functioning by exercise, had this improvement dissipate in 3-6 weeks of inactivity. This is similar to what is seen with muscle mass or heart rate when exercise is withdrawn. This evidence intimates that exercise is beneficial for the brain and should be performed consistently.<o:p></o:p> 
 
 
 
The <a href="http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/">American Heart Association</a> is a great resource for planning the amount and type of exercise one needs. They recommend at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity at least 5 days a week for a total of 150 minutes or at least 25 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity 3 days a week for a total of 75 minutes. An easy target to remember: 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. <o:p></o:p> 
 
 
 
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
 </div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNERUKnfc0j5eYAelDoyDC9WgQnLXF0Ti1V19IRwju_QBfNRILOEC1CLOtAKlejqL_guXeWGotvWOV1vv4MMExGaXrGp7A0tTGu2UxJjk1vs3VarJ-grhXb3aFNDbR_YPLEO60C-8tM1QD/s1600/Dr.+Khan+high+inten+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Need a New Year’s Resolution? Try Exercise! Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNERUKnfc0j5eYAelDoyDC9WgQnLXF0Ti1V19IRwju_QBfNRILOEC1CLOtAKlejqL_guXeWGotvWOV1vv4MMExGaXrGp7A0tTGu2UxJjk1vs3VarJ-grhXb3aFNDbR_YPLEO60C-8tM1QD/s1600/Dr.+Khan+high+inten+photo.jpg" title="American heart Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention" width="270" /></a> 
 </div>

Need a New Year’s Resolution? Try Exercise! Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention

Alzheimer's Disease depression exercise psychiatrist psychiatrist training psychotherapy Need a New Year’s Resolution? Try Exercise! Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention

By Ahmed Raza Khan, MD, MPH Follow @AhmedRazaKhanMD Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Physician at Stanford University School of Medicine...

Daily Healthy

Health Care and Short Term Memory Loss

Need a New Year’s Resolution? Try Exercise! Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention

Popular

Category

Recent

Blog Archive