Memory
Disorders
and
Their
causes
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your home!Do you have mild memory lapses from time to time. You go
from the kitchen to the bedroom to get something, only to
find yourself wondering what you needed. You can't find your
car keys one day and your reading glasses the next. You
forget what you wanted to buy, forgot to take your medicine.
Lapses such as these are usually just signs of a abnormal
brain that's constantly prioritizing, sorting, storing, and
retrieving all types of information. So how do you know when
memory loss is abnormal and warrants evaluation by a health
professional? Here are some questions to consider:
- Does the memory loss disrupt daily living?
"If memory loss prevents someone from doing activities
that they had no trouble handling before, like balancing
a checkbook, keeping up with personal hygiene, or
driving around, that should be checked," says John Hart,
Jr., M.D., professor of behavioral and brain sciences at
the University of Texas at Dallas and medical science
director at the Center for BrainHealth.
- How often do memory lapses occur?
It's one thing to occasionally forget where you parked
your car, but it's not normal to forget where you parked
every day or to forget appointments over and over.
Frequent memory lapses are likely to be noticeable
because they tend to interfere with daily living.
- What kinds of things are being forgotten?
"It's normal to forget the name of someone you just met,
but may not be normal to permanently forget the name of
a close friend or relative," Hart says. "It also may not
be normal to never remember meeting a person after you
have spent a great deal of time with them." Most people
have trouble remembering some details of a conversation,
but forgetting whole conversations could signal a
problem. Other red flags: frequently repeating yourself
or asking the same questions in the same conversation.
- Are there signs of confusion?
Serious memory lapses may cause individuals to get lost
in a familiar place or put something in an inappropriate
place because they can't remember where it goes. Putting
the car keys in the refrigerator is an example.
- Is the memory loss getting worse?
Memory loss that gets progressively worse over time
should be evaluated by a health professional.
-
- Medications. Examples of
medications that can interfere with memory include
over-the-counter and prescription sleeping pills,
over-the-counter antihistamines, anti-anxiety
medications, antidepressants, some medications used
to treat schizophrenia, and pain medicines used
after surgery.
- Alcohol and illicit drug use.
Heavy alcohol use can cause deficiencies in vitamin
B1 (thiamine), which can harm memory. Both alcohol
and illicit drugs can change chemicals in the brain
that affect memory.
- Stress. Stress, particularly
due to emotional trauma, can cause memory loss. In
rare, extreme cases, a condition called psychogenic
amnesia can result. "This can cause someone to
wander around lost, unable to remember their name or
date of birth or other basic information, get help
today from us .
- Depression. Depression, which
is common with aging, causes a lack of attention and
focus that can affect memory. "Usually treating the
depression will improve mood and the memory problems
may then also improve," Mani says.
- Head injury. A blow to the head
can cause a loss of consciousness and memory loss.
"Memory loss from head trauma typically stays the
same or gradually gets better, but not worse," Mani
says.
- Infections. People with HIV,
tuberculosis, syphilis, herpes, and other infections
of the lining or substance of the brain may
experience memory problems.
- Thyroid dysfunction. An
underactive or overactive thyroid can interfere with
remembering recent events.
- Sleep deprivation. Lack of
quality sleep--whether from stress, insomnia, or
sleep apnea--can affect memory. We can
evaluate and check this for you.
- Nutritional deficiencies.
Deficiencies of vitamins B1 and B12 can affect
memory. Such deficiencies can be treated with a pill
or an injection.
- Normal aging. As part of the
normal aging process, there should be no effect on
memory,
- Mild cognitive impairment. Mild
cognitive impairment (MCI) is a condition
characterized by a memory deficit beyond that
expected for age, which is not sufficient to impair
day-to-day activities.
- Dementia. Dementia is a term
used for a condition in which there is increasing
impairment of memory and other aspects of thinking
that are sufficiently severe to impair day-to-day
activities. There are many causes of dementia, but
the most common by far is Alzheimer's disease (AD),
in which there is a progressive loss of brain cells
accompanied by other abnormalities of the brain. A
diagnosis of AD is made by confirming that a patient
has dementia and by excluding other conditions such
as brain tumors, vitamin deficiencies, and
hypothyroidism.
Do you have mild memory lapses from time to time. You go from the kitchen to the bedroom to get something, only to find yourself wondering what you needed. You can't find your car keys one day and your reading glasses the next. You forget what you wanted to buy, forgot to take your medicine.
Lapses such as these are usually just signs of a abnormal brain that's constantly prioritizing, sorting, storing, and retrieving all types of information. So how do you know when memory loss is abnormal and warrants evaluation by a health professional? Here are some questions to consider:
- Does the memory loss disrupt daily living? "If memory loss prevents someone from doing activities that they had no trouble handling before, like balancing a checkbook, keeping up with personal hygiene, or driving around, that should be checked," says John Hart, Jr., M.D., professor of behavioral and brain sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas and medical science director at the Center for BrainHealth.
- How often do memory lapses occur? It's one thing to occasionally forget where you parked your car, but it's not normal to forget where you parked every day or to forget appointments over and over. Frequent memory lapses are likely to be noticeable because they tend to interfere with daily living.
- What kinds of things are being forgotten? "It's normal to forget the name of someone you just met, but may not be normal to permanently forget the name of a close friend or relative," Hart says. "It also may not be normal to never remember meeting a person after you have spent a great deal of time with them." Most people have trouble remembering some details of a conversation, but forgetting whole conversations could signal a problem. Other red flags: frequently repeating yourself or asking the same questions in the same conversation.
- Are there signs of confusion? Serious memory lapses may cause individuals to get lost in a familiar place or put something in an inappropriate place because they can't remember where it goes. Putting the car keys in the refrigerator is an example.
- Is the memory loss getting worse? Memory loss that gets progressively worse over time should be evaluated by a health professional.
-
- Medications. Examples of medications that can interfere with memory include over-the-counter and prescription sleeping pills, over-the-counter antihistamines, anti-anxiety medications, antidepressants, some medications used to treat schizophrenia, and pain medicines used after surgery.
- Alcohol and illicit drug use. Heavy alcohol use can cause deficiencies in vitamin B1 (thiamine), which can harm memory. Both alcohol and illicit drugs can change chemicals in the brain that affect memory.
- Stress. Stress, particularly due to emotional trauma, can cause memory loss. In rare, extreme cases, a condition called psychogenic amnesia can result. "This can cause someone to wander around lost, unable to remember their name or date of birth or other basic information, get help today from us .
- Depression. Depression, which is common with aging, causes a lack of attention and focus that can affect memory. "Usually treating the depression will improve mood and the memory problems may then also improve," Mani says.
- Head injury. A blow to the head can cause a loss of consciousness and memory loss. "Memory loss from head trauma typically stays the same or gradually gets better, but not worse," Mani says.
- Infections. People with HIV, tuberculosis, syphilis, herpes, and other infections of the lining or substance of the brain may experience memory problems.
- Thyroid dysfunction. An underactive or overactive thyroid can interfere with remembering recent events.
- Sleep deprivation. Lack of quality sleep--whether from stress, insomnia, or sleep apnea--can affect memory. We can evaluate and check this for you.
- Nutritional deficiencies. Deficiencies of vitamins B1 and B12 can affect memory. Such deficiencies can be treated with a pill or an injection.
- Normal aging. As part of the normal aging process, there should be no effect on memory,
- Mild cognitive impairment. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a condition characterized by a memory deficit beyond that expected for age, which is not sufficient to impair day-to-day activities.
- Dementia. Dementia is a term used for a condition in which there is increasing impairment of memory and other aspects of thinking that are sufficiently severe to impair day-to-day activities. There are many causes of dementia, but the most common by far is Alzheimer's disease (AD), in which there is a progressive loss of brain cells accompanied by other abnormalities of the brain. A diagnosis of AD is made by confirming that a patient has dementia and by excluding other conditions such as brain tumors, vitamin deficiencies, and hypothyroidism.