Memory impairment: which doctor should I contact? Poor memory, reasons. How to improve memory

The scourge of modern society. Memory problems can occur at any age. There are many reasons for memory loss in adults, including: poor nutrition, and lack of oxygen saturation of the body, bad habits, information overload and inability to use it (lack of memorization and recall skills). In order for your memory not to let you down, and at the right time you can always rely on it, you need to understand in more detail the causes of poor memory and eliminate them.

Causes of poor memory

Possible causes of memory deterioration are bad habits, such as drinking alcohol (we are not talking about a little and on holidays) and smoking ( after quitting smoking, I personally felt changes for the better, and not only in memory - concentration improved and observation). A lot has been said and written about the dangers of smoking and alcohol, and you yourself understand everything perfectly well. If you value your memory and health in general, quit these bad habits!

Poor memory may be a sign information overload. An overabundance of information leads to a superficial perception of this information. A large amount of all kinds of information gives rise to reluctance, and then the inability to concentrate on one source (sometimes some people manage to watch TV while talking on the phone and at the same time actively search the Internet for the information they need). And if you cannot concentrate your attention on the subject of memorization, you will have nothing to remember.

Another cause of poor memory is poor nutrition. " Power for memory“These are vitamins and microelements that accelerate biochemical processes in the human brain and have a stimulating effect on brain cells. Scientists have long found out that proper nutrition preserves and improves memory.

Lack of oxygen in the blood is another cause of poor memory. Sufficient saturation of the body with oxygen ensures high performance and brain activity, and, consequently, good memory. Be in nature more often, breathe fresh air, play sports.

Often the cause of memory deterioration is poor health, depression, anxiety and stress. All this narrows the perception of the external world to the framework of internal experiences. Memory weakens and deteriorates in proportion to a person’s anxiety. By remaining calm, you preserve the capabilities of your memory, and even worrying about your forgetfulness, you thereby only complicate the situation.

What you not getting enough sleep, can also be a cause of poor memory. Without healthy sleep, memory at the chemical level cannot work at full capacity. In addition, you need to sleep at night (it is in the dark that the brain cells are completely restored), since a person is tuned to the biological rhythms of day and night.

Memory impairment may be the first symptom of approaching serious diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's. Therefore, if you have problems with memory and a number of other signs indicate a “creeping” illness, you need to consult a doctor.

Sometimes the reason we can't remember something is a lack of interest in the subject, rather than a bad memory. It's easy to notice and easy to track. Pay attention to how you remember information related to what you love, your interests and hobbies. If you easily keep in your head a huge amount of information on a topic that fascinates you, if you can easily reproduce any diagrams from memory and appeal with a bunch of numbers and special terms, and at the same time you haven’t spent a single minute cramming and memorizing this information - there’s no need to say, that your memory is bad. It’s just that what you can’t remember doesn’t really excite or interest you, and that’s not helps you concentrate, so it takes a lot of time and energy to remember.

Of course, the main reason for poor memory is the inability to use it. Human memory works according to its own laws, by applying which you make it easier for yourself to memorize and recall information (even that in which there is no interest). There are various ways and techniques of memory development(competent repetition of information, associations, the ability to receive impressions from the information that you remember, the ability to retrieve it from memory, etc.), memory development exercises, allowing to improve the ability to remember and effectively retrieve information. So, the ability to memorize and recall is not a gift from above, it is a skill that can be learned.

Causes of poor memory Different people may not have the same ones. Help in case of memory impairment depends on the reasons that caused this disorder. Having found out the reasons(s), you can always take specific measures and restore losing memory in time.

Have a good memory!

P.S. An online simulator will help you constantly keep your mind and memory in excellent condition. VIKIUM and neurobics exercises. Read - " Neurobics - exercise for the mind!»

Hello, I started to forget the words. more often surnames - I see a person I know well, suddenly I understand that I forgot my first and surname - my head is just empty, after a while I remember. Which doctor should I contact, what could be the reason?

Hello. You need to see a neurologist. Have you had a traumatic brain injury or stroke? Do you have diabetes? What are the associated diseases?
Most likely, this is due to the development of cerebral atherosclerosis. Because of this, blood flow to all parts of the brain is disrupted. The neurologist will refer you for an ultrasound of the brain and neck.
If everything is fine there, go to an endocrinologist; insufficiency of thyroid function can also cause memory impairment.
You can start treatment now, train your attention and memory. There are special exercises. Start taking, if you are not taking the drug Cardiomagnyl 75 mg, 1 time per day (any time) after meals - constantly. It thins the blood, thereby preventing the occurrence of strokes, and magnesium prevents the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. Also Semax drops 0.1% - 2 drops in each nasal passage 3 times a day. A course of at least 14 days; for memory impairment, at least 2-4 courses per year are recommended.

Forgetfulness and absent-mindedness bring a lot of discomfort into our lives, and we begin to complain about poor memory. At the right moment, a word, a detail, a date, a phone number, which just yesterday popped up in memory so perfectly, the number of a bus or minibus, the date of a meeting, the birthdays of relatives and friends are forgotten. It is possible to develop memory and for this there are many exercises for memory development.

Memory, first of all, is a mental process that includes recording information, storing it, and later retrieving it if necessary.

And forgetting is a process that relieves the nervous system and protects it from overstrain. And often we forget exactly what brings us negative emotions and the need to do what we don’t like.

We remember visually (visually), verbally (hearing), with the help of smell, touch, and so on, that is, we build associative connections. This is when a familiar smell can remind us of the situation in which you smelled it.

Memory can be divided into:

direct, this is typing on the keyboard (I typed a letter and forgot),
short-term, it stores information for up to 30 seconds (dialed a phone number and forgot for a while),
long-term, such memory stores information on the intellectual and emotional level for days and years, is compiled on the basis of judgments and observations, sliding, in this case, information is remembered for the required period of time and is no longer used, as unnecessary.

Let’s not talk now about persistent memory impairments, such as senile sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease or memory loss after a brain injury or concussion, due to illness, brain tumor, persistent memory loss of recent events; in such cases, you should urgently contact a psychotherapist or neurologist. Let's talk about memory disorders that accidentally befall a person, when you painfully remember a forgotten word or name, but it appears in your head a few hours or days later, when it is no longer needed at all.

Memory, which always helped us out well at school, college, at the most crucial moments, suddenly began to fail, why does this happen and how to prevent it?

Causes of memory impairment

There are many reasons for memory deterioration, and after analyzing the information, you can find your cause and try to solve the problem.

Depression, anxiety, stress are the main causes of memory impairment. They narrow the perception of the outside world to the framework of the situation being experienced. A person’s memory weakens in proportion to his anxiety, this is especially true for people of retirement age. If you want to preserve the memory, remain calm in everything. Worrying about even being forgetful only makes things worse. However, Australian scientists, having conducted a series of studies, concluded that in an irritated, angry mood, a person better remembers details that in a good mood he would not even pay attention to. And bad weather, oddly enough, enhances memory, while a carefree and cheerful mood on a sunny day worsens memorization.
Alcohol, antidepressants, and sedatives slow down thought processes, reducing the perception of information.
Smoking weakens short-term memory function and affects verbal and visual memory.
Lack of folic and nicotinic amino acids and vitamins, especially group B, in the body.
Metabolic disorders and chronic diseases can cause memory impairment.
Memory deficits can be associated with lack of sleep and chronic fatigue.
Haste is the main enemy in the fight against absent-mindedness and forgetfulness. Do not rush to do things quickly, fussing and stumbling. In this case, automaticity is turned on, emotional and visual memory is turned off.

How to improve your memory?

Analyze your daily diet. Protein foods (meat, eggs, milk) contain essential amino acids, including tryptophan and tyrosine, which improve attention and memory. Eat 2-4 bananas a day, and also eat calcium and potassium-containing raisins, dried apricots, baked apples and potatoes, cheese, walnuts, pistachios, cottage cheese, vegetable salads with vegetable oil. These products, or more precisely the substances they contain, will renew the cell membranes of your neurons.
Do not use aluminum cookware for cooking; store food in ceramic, glass or simply enamel containers, as it has been proven that when aluminum combines with food components, it creates compounds that can cause intoxication, causing memory impairment, and even leading to personality degradation. You should not often bake food in foil or store it in it.
Horseradish can serve as a folk remedy for restoring memory; add it to the first, second, cold meat dishes, and appetizers.
Herbalists advise eating 2-3 fresh pine buds before meals; they protect memory from premature aging, prolong life, and sharpen memory. Red clover inflorescences improve thought processes, as well as metabolism, brew them like tea leaves and drink instead of tea. Herbal neurostimulants of memory that activate memory processes include preparations containing Rhodiola rosea, herb, Schisandra, Eleutherococcus, Aralia Manchurian, ginseng root, Leuzea.
Psychologists advise improving memorization using associative or emotional memory, connecting the object of memorization with something else that can remind you.
Eliminate automatism from your actions, which most often leads to forgetfulness, by locking the car door, apartment door, turning off the iron. Do it consciously, fixing your attention on the action, soon it will become a habit, and you will stop forgetting such little things.
Correction of attention can be your ability to focus on a specific moment of action, at which you must solve a specific problem, that is, highlight the main thing without being scattered about everything else.
Don't put anything off for later, do it right away and you will get rid of many problems associated with forgetfulness.
One of the effective emotional means to combat forgetfulness has been and remains a positive attitude and humor. Treat everything with humor, put a dose of irony and jokes into your every action, and emotional memory will help you retain in your memory any of your actions as a vivid impression of what is happening, both for you and for those around you.
Load your brain more with new vivid impressions, train it with logical tasks and puzzles, read more interesting information and books.
Remember that an active lifestyle, physical activity, good nutrition, good sleep, weekends in nature, the right attitude towards stress, and careful attention to your health - all this is the key to good health and excellent memory.

The causes of memory impairment can be divided into five groups.

1. Brain lesions

Everyone knows that memory “lives” in the brain. But where exactly?
It depends what we are looking for. If there is long-term memory, then the cortex is responsible for it. But in the hippocampus, located deep in the temporal regions, there are mechanisms for transferring information from short-term to long-term memory. In general, there are a lot of memory centers in the brain, so any damage to this organ can lead to memory impairment. Therefore, the most common causes in this group are:
a) traumatic brain injury. Everything is simple here: wherever the blow lands, the likelihood of its negative impact on any of the memory centers is very high.
b) stroke (cerebrovascular accident). Blood does not flow, memory centers cease to function fully. Moreover, a study by Dutch scientists from the St Radboud Medical Center showed that memory can deteriorate even if its area - usually the temporal lobe - was not damaged.
c) oncology. A formed neoplasm (even a benign one) puts pressure on the areas of the brain adjacent to it. In addition, cases of metastasis to other parts of the organ are not uncommon.
d) infectious diseases (encephalitis, meningitis). Inflammatory processes occurring in the brain negatively affect both individual memory centers and the entire brain as a whole.

2. Diseases of other organs

Memory can also deteriorate as a result of diseases of other organs:
a) Diseases of the heart and cardiovascular system in general (even if it is “just” an increase in blood pressure). The blood supply to the brain deteriorates, and consequently, it ceases to fully perform its functions.
b) Diseases of internal organs (kidneys, liver, lungs, etc.) We won’t dwell on all the organs, let’s just talk about the kidneys. Scientists from the USA have discovered that kidney disease is a cause of cognitive decline, incl. deterioration of verbal memory.
The study was conducted based on measurements of glomerular filtration rate ( GFR - determines the cleansing ability of the kidneys) and creatinine level ( end product of protein metabolism) in blood. After five years of observation, a pattern was noted: the volunteers’ memory deteriorated in direct proportion to the increase in the level of creatinine in the blood and the decrease in glomerular filtration rate, i.e. with the progression of renal diseases.
c) Metabolic disorders. For the brain to function well, it is necessary that it receives all the necessary substances. As soon as the metabolism of the entire body is disrupted, the brain begins to experience a shortage of them and redistribute its “resources”, and memory centers are far from being at the beginning of the “queue”.

3. Adverse environmental factors

These factors include:
a) information overload. Each person has his own “limit,” and as soon as the brain receives more information than it can process, it “freezes.” Moreover, information may not be purposefully received, but “chaotically bombing”: the environment is now completely permeated with information flows.
b) lack of vitamins. Of course, many vitamins are important for excellent brain function, but group B dominates. These vitamins:
support the functioning of the central nervous system;
protect brain cells from stress, overload and premature aging;
participate in oxygen exchange;
reduce blood clotting rates;
participate in the synthesis of certain neurotransmitters that trigger nerve impulses between neurons.
And if all this ensures the functioning of the brain as a whole, then the latter is directly related to memory: no impulse, no brain function, no memory.
c) stressful situations. The universities of Calgary and Exeter have proven that stress ( but not easy, but extreme) blocks physiological processes associated with memory. Despite the fact that the study was conducted on the snails Lymnaea stagnalis, the result is quite indicative: after enduring a huge number of irritating factors, the experimental subjects forgot absolutely everything that they had been taught earlier. In addition, if one stressful moment only reduces the quality of memory, then a “massive” stress attack creates a cumulative effect, and information generally ceases to be retained in memory.
d) lack of sleep. In a dream, the body, incl. the brain is restored: new cells grow to replace the dead ones. Accordingly, the better and longer the sleep, the longer and more effective the recovery. Otherwise, the brain does not have time to “rest” and loses the ability to both memorize and recall.
d) junk food. Many foods are stored and prepared in aluminum containers. Food dyes also contain aluminum. As a result, by consuming products of the “aluminized” industry, a person provides his body with excess aluminum, which, by the way, is excreted extremely slowly and difficultly. As a result, headaches appear, thinking becomes sluggish, and memory deteriorates.
“Stimulants” such as energy drinks and tonic drinks also contribute. Stimulation, of course, gives a short-term effect, but with regular use the brain becomes “lazy”.

4. Chronic intoxication

The reasons for this group include:
a) smoking. It practically “decomposes” the brain, impairs the ability to reason, learn, and impairs memory. Moreover, not only active but also passive smoking has a detrimental effect. Scientists from Northumbria University, who conducted a study on three groups of volunteers ( smokers who constantly breathe smoke and rarely come into contact with smoke), proved that normal memory characteristics were observed only in the healthiest group, while in smokers this indicator was reduced by 30% , and for passive smokers – by 25% .
b) alcohol abuse or complete abstinence from it. Experts from University College London have proven that drinking more than 36 g of pure alcohol per day leads to early memory impairment, but drinking up to 20 g of alcohol per day does not provoke such changes. It is also interesting that complete abstinence from alcohol is harmful to memory. Thus, the optimal “schedule” for drinking alcohol is 2-4 glasses of wine per week.
c) drug addiction. Even with a single dose, drugs can cause irreparable damage to the brain. For example, after a single dose of “harmless” ecstasy - the most neurotoxic synthetic drug - the serotonin system of the brain is so damaged that it can never fully recover. Some drugs continue to work after you stop using them. In any case, these substances disrupt the impulse transmission system itself, interfering with the order in which nerve cells receive, send and process information.
d) intoxication with heavy metals (lead, mercury, thallium, copper, manganese).
Lead occupies a leading position among the causes of industrial poisoning, because there are a lot of places where it is used: lead smelters, battery production, printing houses, production of lead paints, leaded gasoline, ceramic products, crystal glass, etc. In addition, there is a threat of lead damage nearby major highways.

Mercury has three main sources:
Amalgam ( in dental fillings). An average sized filling contains 750,000 mcg of mercury, of which 10 mcg is released daily. Plus, mercury is released faster if the amalgam is heated to the temperature of hot tea.
Vaccines. Merthiolate, an organic compound of mercury, is found in vaccines against influenza, hepatitis B, and DTP and is more dangerous than its vapor.
Fish. The mercury contained in it has already reacted with protective molecules and does not pose a significant health hazard. But still, you shouldn’t overeat tuna.
Additionally, thermometers, thermostats, mercury switches, and barometers are potential sources of mercury in the home.
e) drug abuse. Memory loss is a side effect of many medications. If these drugs are abused, a cumulative effect will be created, which is especially pronounced after taking tranquilizers and sedatives.
The list of such pharmaceutical groups also includes antipsychotics, anticholinergics, “heart” drops, barbiturates, anticholinergics, antidepressants, and antihistamines.

5. Age-related changes in the body

The main changes that influence memory deterioration in old age are sclerotic: the walls of blood vessels in the brain, other tissues and organs gradually lose their elasticity and become rigid. In addition, the lumen of the vessel narrows, microstrokes develop (hemorrhages, albeit small, in different lobes of the brain). An additional reason is changes in the brain that interfere with sleep quality: the prefrontal cortex loses its volume. If we add to this the many brain diseases called “senile” ( Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease), memory deterioration becomes obvious with age.

Memory impairment is a pathological condition characterized by the inability to fully remember and use received information. According to statistics, about a quarter of the world's population suffers from memory impairment of varying degrees. The most pronounced and most common problem is faced by older people; they may experience both episodic and permanent memory impairment.

Causes of memory impairment

There are quite a lot of factors and reasons affecting the quality of information assimilation, and they are not always associated with disorders caused by age-related changes. The main reasons include:

Memory decline in older people

Complete or partial memory loss accompanies 50 to 75% of all older people. The most common cause of this problem is deterioration of blood circulation in the vessels of the brain caused by age-related changes. In addition, in the process of structure, changes affect all structures of the body, including metabolic functions in neurons, on which the ability to perceive information directly depends. Also, memory impairment in old age can be the cause of a serious pathology such as Alzheimer's disease.

Symptoms in older people begin with forgetfulness. Then problems arise with short-term memory, when a person forgets events that just happened to him. Such conditions often lead to depression, fears and self-doubt.

During the normal aging process of the body, even in extreme old age, memory loss does not occur to such an extent that it could affect the normal rhythm. Memory function declines very slowly and does not lead to its complete loss. But in cases where there are pathological abnormalities in the functioning of the brain, older people may suffer from such a problem. In this case, supportive treatment is required, otherwise the condition may develop into senile dementia, as a result of which the patient loses the ability to remember even basic data necessary in everyday life.

It is possible to slow down the process of memory deterioration, but dealing with this issue should begin in advance, long before old age. The main prevention of dementia in old age is considered to be mental work and a healthy lifestyle.

Disorders in children

Not only older people, but also children can face the problem of memory impairment. This may be due to deviations, often mental, that arose in the uterine period. Genetic diseases, in particular Down syndrome, play an important role in congenital memory problems.

In addition to a congenital defect, there may also be acquired disorders. They are caused by:

Short-term memory problems

Our memory consists of short-term and long-term. Short-term allows us to assimilate the information that we receive at the moment; this process lasts from a few seconds to a day. Short-term memory has a small volume, so over a short period of time, the brain makes a decision to move the received information to long-term storage or erase it as unnecessary.

For example, information about when you cross the road and look around, you see a silver car moving in your direction. This information is important exactly until you cross the road to stop and wait for a car to pass, but after that there is no need for this episode, and the information is erased. Another situation is when you met a person and learned his name and remembered his general appearance. This information will remain in memory for a longer period, for how long it will depend on whether you have to see this person again or not, but it can be retained even after a one-time meeting for years.

Short-term memory is vulnerable and is the first to suffer when pathological conditions develop that can affect it. When it is violated, a person’s learning ability decreases, forgetfulness and the inability to concentrate on a particular object are observed. At the same time, a person can remember well what happened to him a year or even a decade ago, but cannot remember what he did or thought about a couple of minutes ago.

Short-term memory loss is often observed with schizophrenia, senile dementia and with the use of drugs or alcohol. But there may be other causes of this condition, in particular tumors in the brain structures, injuries and even chronic fatigue syndrome.

Symptoms of memory impairment can develop either instantly, for example, after an injury, or arise gradually as a result of schizophrenia or age-related changes.

Memory and schizophrenia

Patients with schizophrenia have a history of many intellectual disabilities. Organic damage to brain structures is absent in schizophrenia, but despite this, dementia develops as the disease progresses, which is accompanied by loss of short-term memory.

In addition, people with schizophrenia have impaired associative memory and the ability to concentrate. It all depends on the form of schizophrenia; in many cases, memory is retained for a long time and its impairment occurs years or even decades later against the background of developing dementia. An interesting fact is that people with schizophrenia have a kind of “double memory”; they may not remember certain memories at all, but despite this they can clearly remember other episodes from life.

Memory and stroke

In the case of a stroke, when a blood vessel is blocked by a blood clot, many people suffer.
functions. Often, the consequences of this condition include memory loss and motor and speech disorders. After such a condition, people may remain paralyzed, the right or left side of the body is taken away, facial expressions are distorted due to atrophy of nerve endings, and much more.

Regarding memory, in the first time after a stroke, complete amnesia may be observed for all events that occurred before the onset of the disease. With extensive strokes, total amnesia can be observed, when patients cannot recognize even the people closest to them.

As a rule, despite the seriousness of the pathology, with proper rehabilitation, the patient’s memory in most cases returns, almost completely.

Therapeutic actions

Memory loss or its deterioration is always a secondary process caused by one or another pathological process. Therefore, in order to prescribe appropriate treatment, one must initially identify the cause that led to such consequences and treat it directly. Further memory correction occurs during treatment of the underlying disease. To restore memory functions you need:

treatment of the primary disease;
drug therapy to improve brain activity;
balanced diet;
rejection of bad habits;
performing special exercises aimed at developing memory.

As a medical treatment, nootropic drugs are prescribed to improve thinking and brain metabolism. The most common nootropic medication is piracetam. Among herbal remedies, bilobil is used; it indirectly affects metabolism in the brain and, as a rule, is well tolerated.

The diet should be designed in such a way that it contains a sufficient amount of acids, B vitamins, and magnesium.

Note! For any pathological changes, only a doctor should prescribe treatment; uncontrolled use of nootropic drugs can aggravate the situation.

If you want to maintain a good memory for many years and not feel the discomfort associated with excessive forgetfulness even in late old age, it is important to deal with this issue from your youth. By following a healthy lifestyle, watching your diet, getting enough sleep, giving up bad habits and engaging in self-education, you can achieve significant results in improving not only memory, but also thinking, attention and intelligence.

Reading strengthens neural connections:

doctor

website

Memory and memories