Having misplaced my keys one again – please
note that I refuse to use the word lost – I started to wonder about senior
moments, but gave up as soon as my keys showed up back in the pocket of the
jacket that I wore yesterday instead of the hook by the door, which they should know by now is their proper place. Remembering not to forget takes effort and,
perhaps, a notepad.
However,
the problem of memory decline with age is a problem that is bandied about
rather a lot. We should remember that we have several sorts of memory. We learn
skills, for example, and this procedural memory doesn’t decline very much.
Our
working memory, which is associated with our reasoning and comprehension
skills, does usually decline from 60 or so. One has just to eavesdrop on the
bus to hear “I just don’t understand the youth of today”. The other type of
memory that we see decline is our episodic memory, that is our memory of what
we did, when, to whom and why, fades with age, although, it’s the old feuds
that we recall as opposed to the row last week.
Is
there anything that we can do to change all this (apart from having a sharp
word with my errant keys)? Nyberg et al
have written extensively on the topic in the current issue of Trends in Cognitive
Sciences (1). They point out that there are broad differences across the
population. Firstly, we have plenty of brain in reserve, but some of us have
more banked than others, Secondly, we can indulge in brain maintenance with
nutrition and lifestyle choices.
Our
reward pathways, dopamine levels and pathway connectivity, decrease with age so
that means we don’t get so much fun any more. They conclude that if we want to
minimize our memory decline, we should work keep a youthful brain structure.
Sounds easy, all we have to do is get out there and have a very active,
stimulating leisure life.
Not
sure why it should just be leisure, though, but just remember to keep your
hippocampus plumped up.
- Nyberg et al, (2012). DOI: 10.1016/tics.2012.04.005
