Almost every person after 50 years of age suffers from some form of memory loss. Sometimes it is elementary forgetfulness, when suddenly the name of a popular actor or the name of a film is forgotten. But this is still far from a disease. Such forms of forgetfulness are found in almost all people. The real ailment associated with loss of memory, as a rule, comes much later. And he is called Alzheimer's disease.
Imperceptible, gradual aging of the brain begins with the formation of tiny plaques and tangles for several decades before the first manifestations of the disease. Normal memory work involves the process of learning and memorizing. This requires the uninterrupted operation of several areas of the brain and brain cells (neurons) inside them. Each nerve cell of our brain has an axon that acts as a telephone line that transmits a nerve impulse to neighboring neurons. Neurons take countless impulses through dendrites - thin fibers diverging in different directions. The neurons of the brain exchange information with thousands of branches consisting of axons and dendrites, at the end of each of them there is a synapse that recognizes specific information. Each neuron has about one hundred thousand synapses.
Extracting this information and restoring it is called remembering. This process occurs with the assistance of a special protein, which is present in the cerebral cortex - its outer layer containing a gray matter. For some time, the information is stored in the hippocampus - a special structure in the form of a seahorse located in the temporal lobe of the brain. It acts like a computer's RAM, and the process of moving information to a permanent memory, during which the hippocampus interacts with the cortex of the brain, is similar to writing data to the hard drive.
In any situation, our senses are affected by visual images, sounds that pass through our instant memory, and then fall into the region of short-term memory. Only a small process of information from short-term memory, we remember. The best way to remember information for a long time is to repeat it, actively moving it to the area of long-term memory. If the information is postponed in the long-term memory, it will become more or less constant and can be used for many years.
With age, the memory state deteriorates. With age-related memory impairments, it is more difficult for a person to recall recent events than events of the distant past. Memory impairment becomes more visible after fifty years. If the time does not begin to maintain brain health, then the age-related deterioration in memory can develop into an average degree of impairment of mental activity. The change in our brain and the deterioration of memory occurs gradually and begins quite early. People with low intelligence suffer from Alzheimer's disease more often. Although recent research proves that this is not the only reason. It is noticed that mental overstrain and frequent stresses also have a huge impact on brain aging. Of no little importance is the genetic predisposition. During the aging of the brain, decay products accumulate, the brain gradually contracts and atrophies.
The brain of a man weighs about 1.3 kg. The woman's brain is just over 1.2 kg. It is believed that although the woman's brain and less, it works more efficiently. As a result, the intellectual abilities of representatives of different sexes are equalized. The female brain is 55% gray, and the male - only 50%. This explains the higher linguistic and speech abilities in women, and the ability to navigate in space and to perceive visual information - in men.
Today, doctors have the knowledge and technology that allows them to detect changes in the brain at an early stage. But each of us should immediately think about our own problems with memory from a young age, not to attribute to their usual forgetfulness. One of the best techniques for maintaining brain health and improving memory performance belongs to the famous California neurologist, Gary Small. For those who want to keep a keen mind and excellent memory, Dr. Small offers his technique, which includes three points.
- The first is an observation, in which one should actively perceive information.
- The second is photographing, in which you should create bright mental images.
- The third is unification, that is, the binding of mental images into one.