Datebooks and day planners and computerized pocket organizers don’t offend Frederick Bylsma’s sense of civility.
“As I get older, or maybe it’s busier, I rely on writing things down to remember them,” said Bylsma, director of the Memory Disorders Treatment Center at the University of Chicago Hospitals. “Keeping a personal notebook is socially acceptable these days.”
Written reminders are simply one strategy Bylsma uses with patients at the center, which opened in June. “Active reading” is another tool that can be used for written material or even verbal communication.
“I ask people to imagine the story going on in their heads,” said Bylsma. “Some people remember more easily by visualizing or by imagining the sounds.”
Bylsma sees some younger people with brain injuries, plus a formidable percentage of older individuals with age-related memory loss. But he isn’t about to concede significant memory loss is universal for the elderly.
“There is lots of evidence that a healthy person who engages in challenging cognitive activities can retain a sharp memory through later years,” said Bylsma. “What tends to compromise the memory as people grow older are illnesses and related medications that reduce the circulation of blood to the brain.”
For example, a cardiovascular condition might discourage such blood flow. Tranquilizer-type drugs also inhibit memory for similar biological reasons. Less blood translates to harder learning and memory retention.
A study published last week in the professional journal Science monitored blood flow as a measure of how people learn new physical skills, such as riding a bike or playing the piano. Johns Hopkins University researchers found it takes five to six hours for the memory of a new skill to move from a temporary storage site in the front of the brain to permanent storage in the back.
When another new skill is introduced during what Hopkins psychiatrist Dr. Henry Holcomb calls the five- to six-hour neural “window of vulnerability,” then the transfer from front to back could be disrupted. When the new skill learning is followed by five to six hours of routine activities in the study, the retention level was significantly higher.
More research is needed to determine if certain physical skills are learned by different frontal parts of the brain. For instance, taking a golf lesson and then strumming a new guitar riff in the next hour might be less problematic than seeking tennis instruction after the golf session.
Memory is a hot topic among researchers. There is no question that the country’s aging population — Bylsma referred to the graying of America building to a peak about the year 2010 — has contributed to the investigative surge. Alzheimer’s disease is a common focal point.
“There is a wide spectrum of memory loss,” said Dr. Gastone Celesia, chairman of the neurology department at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood. “It is easy to diagnose Alzheimer’s in later stages. What’s difficult is to identify its starting point. If you forget the name of someone you just met, is it because you were not paying attention or due to medical problems?”
Good question, with no easy answer. Celesia said some memory impairment is normal beyond age 50, though it varies widely by individual. He cautioned that some primary-care physicians are less knowledgeable about identifying memory loss that signals a need for medical attention.
If you are concerned about a personal dropoff in memory, or decreased performance in a loved one, Celesia recommends visiting a neurologist or psychiatrist for in-office memory tests. Any cause for concern will require more extensive follow-up exams.
In any case, both Celesia and Bylsma emphasized the importance of attitude as applied to memory.
“If you are emotionally involved with something, you tend to remember it,” said Celesia. “We find even older patients with some dementia experience less memory loss if their family members are keeping them informed about how the grandchildren and other relatives are doing.”
Bylsma said that if you are not interested in a lecture topic or casual conversation, chances are low you will remember much of it. He also cautioned listeners who have perfectionist tendencies.
“There are people who try to remember everything verbatim,” Bylsma explained. “By human nature, we remember main characters and central theme, maybe some remarks. It is quite difficult to remember every last detail or the exact sequence. That’s why people bring note pads to business meetings or use a tape recorder.
“It can be detrimental to make yourself accountable to remember everything.”
———-
Look for Bob Condor’s on-line training log and advice from experts about this fall’s LaSalle Banks Chicago Marathon. The Internet site is:
chicago.digitalcity.com/sports
