Symptoms: absent-mindedness, inattention, poor memory. Why does our memory become weaker as we age?

Memory is a function of the central nervous system that ensures the storage and use of acquired knowledge. This complex of complex processes is united under the general term “mnestic activity.”

It is disrupted for many reasons: from fatigue and overwork to serious illnesses. Memory impairments should not be ignored, as they may indicate organic brain damage.

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Causes of memory impairment

Memory impairment can result from many reasons.

Moreover, in patients of different age groups, a decrease in this function is caused by their own factors.

In children and adolescents

The following factors lead to memory impairment in childhood and adolescence:

• Hypovitaminosis.
• Anemia.
• Asthenic syndrome. Frequent incidence of viral infections.
• Injuries to the central nervous system.
• Stressful situations (including a dysfunctional family, despotism of parents, a problem in the team that the child or teenager attends). A special case of stress is adaptation to the start of school in children of 6-7 years old, the transition from junior to middle school at 10-11 years old.
• Visual impairment.
• Tumor processes affecting the brain.
• Mental disorders.
• Intoxication, including as a result of drinking alcohol or drugs.
• Congenital pathology characterized by mental retardation (for example, Down syndrome).
• The use of certain medications that affect metabolic processes.

Severe, persistent, and uncorrectable memory impairments are unusual in childhood. Pathologies caused by congenital characteristics and anomalies require treatment.

The memory of children and adolescents has its own characteristics that can sometimes be mistaken for disorders:

• the child forgets stressful situations faster;
• amnesia in children is manifested by the loss from memory of individual episodes that occurred during the period of clouding of consciousness associated with unpleasant events (intoxication, coma, severe trauma);
• with alcoholism, polympsest is noted even before the formation of addiction, in the first stages;
• retrograde amnesia usually affects a minimum period of time before a stressful situation and is less severe than in adults; in some cases in children it may go unnoticed.

Memory impairment in early and teenage years is characterized by a type of dysmnesia. Severe disorders of this type can negatively affect school performance and adaptation in the team.

In children attending kindergarten, these disorders manifest themselves in difficulties in memorizing poems and songs, as a result of which they are less likely to participate in holidays and matinees. In the case of a severe violation, the child, despite visiting the institution every day, cannot find his locker, has difficulty finding his things among others, forgets the names of those around him, and cannot talk about the events of the past day.



In adults

In adults, the causes of impaired memory function, as well as the occurrence of absent-mindedness and loss of the ability to concentrate for a long time are often pathological conditions acquired during life:

• Stressful situations, especially those that are repeated or prolonged.
• Chronic fatigue, both physical and psychological.
• Acute cerebrovascular accident (in patients over 40 years of age they occur more often than in young people).
• Atherosclerotic lesion of the vascular bed.
• Arterial hypertension (in some cases it also occurs at a young age).
• Encephalopathy.
• Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine and associated vertebrobasilar syndrome and insufficiency.
• Traumatic brain injuries.
• Metabolic disorders (for example, diabetes mellitus, hormonal disorders, pathology of the endocrine glands).
• Tumors of the central nervous system.
• Alzheimer's disease and other degenerative diseases (more common in older patients).
• Mental disorders (in particular, depression, epilepsy, schizophrenia and others).



Attention disorder

A decrease in the ability to concentrate negatively affects the process of memorizing information. The disorder may manifest itself in the form of the following disorders:

Attention disorder	Description
Attention instability	With this disorder, a person is constantly distracted and switches from one object to another. Instability of attention is characteristic of disinhibition syndrome in children, hypomanic states, hebephrenia
Rigidity	Characterized by slow switching between topics or objects of attention. This symptom occurs in epilepsy and other mental illnesses. The patient gets stuck on one topic, which makes dialogue difficult
Lack of concentration	Such people look very absent-minded. This disorder is often mistaken for a character or temperament trait.

The ability to concentrate is reduced by all somatic diseases that manifest symptoms that cause pain or discomfort.

Types of memory disorders

Experts identify the following types of disorders:

• dysmnesia - changes directly related to memory function;
• paramnesia - distortion of existing memories due to the influence of the patient’s fantasies on them.

Dysmnesia

There are the following types of this pathological condition:

• hypermnesia;
• hypomnesia;
• amnesia.

Hypermnesia

This condition is characterized by a person’s ability to quickly remember and perceive information, as well as reproduce information stored many years ago.

Patients often report that certain events pop up in their memory for no reason (“memories come flooding back”) and take them back to the past. In most cases, people say that they don’t know why this information is stored in their head and remembered right now. For example, an elderly person describes in detail individual lessons at school (down to the clothes of the teacher and classmates), and restores other details relating to his youth, professional activities or events in the family.

Hypermnesia itself, in the absence of other clinical manifestations, is not considered a disease. People who experience this phenomenon are able to remember and reproduce large amounts of information (numbers, sets of words not connected by meaning, lists of objects, musical notations).

But hypermnesia can be a symptom of pathological conditions:

• paroxysmal mental disorders (in particular in the structure of epilepsy);
• intoxication with psychotropic substances (both pharmacological agents and narcotic drugs);
• hypomanic states; Patients experience bursts of energy with increased vitality and ability to work (often accompanied by attacks of hypermnesia, combined with emotional instability, anxiety, and inability to concentrate).

Hypomnesia

This condition is usually described by the expression “poor memory”. Forgetfulness and absent-mindedness are part of the clinical picture of asthenic syndrome.

The following signs are characteristic of this disorder:

• Severe fatigue.
• Increased nervousness.
• Bad mood and irritability, including unmotivated ones.
• Headache.
• Meteor dependence.
• Sleep disturbance in the form of daytime fatigue and insomnia at night.
• Changes in blood pressure.
• Heart rhythm disturbance.
• Vegetative pathologies (including hot flashes in premenopausal and menopausal periods in women).
• Physical weakness, chronic fatigue.

Asthenic syndrome occurs in the structure of the following pathological conditions, in which memory deterioration is noted:

• Arterial hypertension.
• Recovery period after traumatic brain injury.
• Atherosclerotic lesion of cerebral vessels.
• The initial stage of schizophrenia.
• Recovery period after operations.
• Severe intoxication.
• Somatic diseases.
• Taking certain medications.
• Organic brain lesions (acute circulatory disorders, tumor processes).
• Menopausal syndrome with adaptation disorders.
• Depressive states.

Memory problems in these diseases are accompanied by characteristic symptoms.

Amnesia

With amnesia, the patient’s entire memory does not deteriorate, but the disappearance of its fragments is observed - certain periods of time, events, names, faces disappear.

Experts distinguish the following varieties:

Types of amnesia	Description
Dissociative amnesia	Events associated with psychological trauma disappear from memory. The mechanism of the phenomenon is due to the body’s protective reaction, which is caused by severe stress. As a result, the brain tries to get rid of a traumatic situation that is difficult for a person to survive. Such events can only be restored using special methods (hypnosis)
Retrograde amnesia	Most often occurs as a result of traumatic brain injury. In this case, the patient forgets what happened before her: she comes to her senses, but does not remember who he is, what happened to him
Anterograde amnesia	The “memory lapse” in this case refers to events that occurred after the trauma. A person remembers everything that happened before well
Fixation amnesia	This term refers to short-term memory disorders. The person has poor memory of current events. In such cases they say "short memory"
Total amnesia	In this disorder, the patient forgets all events, including information relating to his personality
Progressive amnesia	This disorder is characterized by the disappearance of events from memory, starting with the present, then recent, and then past. The cause of the pathology is the atrophic processes of the brain, which occur in degenerative diseases of the central nervous system, such as Alzheimer's disease or Pick's disease. Total amnesia also occurs in vascular dementia. Patients with this disorder forget the names of objects that they use constantly, or simply do not recognize the thing

Paramnesia

Paramnesia is a disorder that involves the distortion of memories and the addition of extraneous information to them. Experts distinguish the following varieties:

Type of disorder	Description
Confabulation	Fragments of your own memory disappear. In their place are stories and events invented by the patient himself. By retelling these false memories, a person believes what he is talking about. The plot of confabulations can be various events: exploits, achievements, crimes
Pseudo-reminiscence	Memories that have disappeared from memory are replaced by events that actually existed in the patient’s biography, but at a different time and under different circumstances (Korsakoff syndrome)
Cryptomnesia	Cryptomnesia is characterized by the fact that the patient passes off as his own memory and experience an event heard from other sources (films, documentary stories, people's stories). The disorder is characteristic of organic disorders in which delusional symptoms occur
Echomnesia	It seems to a person that this event has already happened to him, or he saw it in a dream. Similar situations occur in healthy people, but they quickly forget about it, while with pathological echonesia the patient attaches special significance to them and becomes fixated on them
Polympsest	In the clinic of paramnesia, two variants of this disorder are distinguished: 1. Short-term memory loss caused by pathological alcohol intoxication (episodes from the past day are confused with each other and with long-past events). 2. Combination of 2 situations of the same period of time - as a result, the patient himself does not know what happened in reality

Diagnostics

Often, the patient is advised by relatives and immediate circle to see a doctor in connection with memory disorders that should be treated. In this case, the specialist conducts an examination, specifying:

• What diseases does the patient suffer from? In the process of collecting anamnesis, in some cases it is possible to identify a connection between existing or previously suffered diseases and the deterioration of intellectual abilities, including memory problems.
• The presence or absence of pathology that is the direct cause: dementia, cerebrovascular insufficiency, traumatic brain injury, chronic alcoholism, drug intoxication, contributing to disorders in the mnestic sphere.
• What medications does the patient take during this period of time? Benzodiazepine derivatives can lead to similar disorders. If memory impairment is caused by medication, it is reversible.

The following studies help in diagnosis:

Diagnostic technique	Identifiable disorders that contribute to memory disorders
Blood chemistry	Disturbance of normal metabolism, deficiency of microelements and vitamins, failure of hormonal metabolism
Neuroimaging methods (computer, magnetic resonance imaging)	Brain neoplasms, hydrocephalus, vascular lesions, degenerative disorders. In a number of diseases, memory impairment remains the only symptom for a long time, so neuroimaging methods must be used without fail, as they will help identify serious pathology
EEG (electroencephalography)	Pathological bioelectrical activity of nerve cells, convulsive readiness. Identifying such disorders helps diagnose epilepsy

Particularly difficult to diagnose are depressive states accompanied by apathy syndrome. Sometimes it is necessary to prescribe a trial of depression treatment.

Treatment

In case of memory impairment as a result of the natural aging process, along with drug therapy, it is recommended that older people learn to remind themselves of current affairs. It is effective to perform special exercises, for example, memorizing a sequence of numbers that are not related to each other in terms of the meaning of words or objects.

Pharmacotherapy is based on the use of drugs that have a nootropic effect and agents that can improve blood supply to the brain. Medicines from these groups are used not only in patients suffering from age-related problems, but also in pediatric practice. Such drugs should be taken in courses, the duration and frequency of which are determined by the attending physician on an individual basis. When prescribing nootropic and vasoactive drugs, it is necessary to take into account age restrictions, contraindications and their ability to interact with other medications that the patient is already taking (this is especially true for older people with concomitant somatic pathologies).

Correction of memory impairment and attention disorders in children and adolescents, in addition to pharmacotherapy, involves sessions with a psychologist, developmental and strengthening exercises. In early and teenage years, the condition is much easier to correct with the help of such training.

If memory impairment is a symptom of another disease, efforts are aimed at treating the underlying pathology. When the cause is degenerative diseases, oncological processes and mental disorders, therapy should be carried out on an individual basis.

Nowadays, more and more often among young people you can hear the following phrase: “I forgot,” “I don’t remember where I put it.” They become like older people in this way. What causes memory loss? What to do if your memory has deteriorated, what steps should you take to prevent memory deterioration?

Causes of memory impairment.

There are many reasons for memory deterioration and we will list only a few of them.

1. Memory loss is often caused by drinking alcohol. Alcohol consumption leads to liver disease and causes a number of side effects that lead to changes in brain function and memory loss. This especially applies to people who also suffer from chronic alcoholism.
2. Excessive smoking. Smoking is dangerous not only because it can lead to diseases such as lung cancer. During research, it was shown that smoking causes a narrowing of blood vessels. This prevents the required amount of oxygen from reaching the brain, leads to memory impairment and can lead to vascular stenosis.
3. Bad dream. While a person sleeps, his brain rests. If a person suffers from insomnia and sleeps little, then his brain does not have time to rest well. This entails a decrease in memory, concentration, and leads to forgetfulness. That is why people suffering from insomnia often suffer from diseases such as neurasthenia.
4. A person spends too much time at the computer. Of course, a computer greatly facilitates a person’s work. However, allowing the computer to perform all the tasks for him, a person stops doing mental work, straining his brain, and this leads to memory deterioration. This tendency is often noticed among young people aged 20-30.
5. Complications after illness. Often, previous diseases such as depression, neurasthenia, chronic sinusitis and other inflammatory diseases, arteriosclerosis, etc. have a side effect that has a negative effect on the human brain and leads to weakening of memory.

10 ways you can improve your memory.

1. Listening to slow music. Bulgarian doctor and psychologist Ryazanov, after conducting research, discovered that the music of Bach, Handel and other composers helps eliminate brain tension and helps relax the muscles of the body. He allowed students to listen to slow music while studying, which contributed to better learning of the material. After class, you need to turn on some fun music to wake up your brain.
2. Reading literature. People often read various literature for study or leisure. This requires concentration. In order to improve your memory, you need to devote at least 20 minutes a day to reading. It could be literature, poetry, or anything else, but reading books is a must as it helps improve your memorization ability.
3. Retelling what you read. To best assimilate what you read or hear, you need to retell it in your own words. This not only promotes memory development, but also improves speech and develops imagination.
4. Special memorization. When reading books, we learn a lot of new information, and often we need to remember some numbers or sentences. Deliberate memorization helps to consolidate information much more than a casual glance at things. You need to try to remember any little things, and then at the right moment the information will pop up in a person’s memory.
5. Chew food thoroughly. Chewing food thoroughly has been scientifically proven to help prevent memory loss. Older people chew food less and therefore this leads to worse memory. Chewing motions cause blood flow to the brain and this helps improve memory. This is why chewing gum is so common in the United States.
6. You should talk about what you need to remember. Scientists have found that women are more likely to repeat out loud than men. When faced with something that is difficult to remember, you need to talk about it with someone. Thus, it will help improve memory. When it is necessary to remember what was discussed with a person, the conversation and the topic under discussion will emerge in memory.
7. Properly balanced nutrition. Regular consumption of olive oil in food prevents thrombosis and helps normalize blood circulation. It is also necessary to eat a lot of vegetables and fruits, which are rich in vitamins and minerals. They help enhance memory and are necessary for the health of the body.
8. Develop your memory. A person who leads an active lifestyle is in excellent physical condition. And a person who develops his thinking in various sports, or through reading, logic games, or learning languages, increases the number of neural connections. They are responsible for delivering signals to the brain, which has a beneficial effect on improving human memory.
9. Sports and fitness. A number of studies have shown that regular exercise is required to maintain brain activity. People who love sports and lead a healthy lifestyle have good memory and memorization ability. Physical exercise dilates blood vessels, which increases the supply of oxygen to the brain, and this helps to remember better.
10. Happy family life. According to social surveys, it was found that family happiness is a necessary condition for the best memory. When people love each other, the body produces the hormone acetylcholine, which strengthens the immune system, slows down the aging process of the brain and enhances memory.

Thus, it has been established that the main ways in which memory can be improved are: a positive attitude, good, healthy sleep, the ability to relax, reducing the dose of smoking and drinking alcohol, active sports, a properly balanced diet, listening to music. All this helps to resist stress, promotes health, development and improvement of memory.

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I am 30 years old. At the moment I think that I have problems with memory: I forget words, phrases, events, instructions, faces, etc. I forget what I was thinking about 5 minutes ago, and have difficulty reconstructing the events of yesterday. There is a slight fog in my head, a feeling of lack of sleep, although I sleep 7-8 hours, spend a lot of time outside the city, eat normally, don’t smoke, don’t drink, and don’t take medications. Please tell me. What examinations can and should be done in my case, what tests should I take, what doctor (specialization?) should I contact? What courses of procedures should I do? What could possibly be the reason? I don’t want to just take medication, I want to find the reason. Thank you.

Hello! There may be several reasons for memory deterioration. Firstly, these are brain injuries, both direct bruises and hemorrhages, which inevitably lead to problems with memory. The cause may also be a long-term depressive state, especially if it is accompanied by sleep disturbances. One of the reasons that is especially relevant in our modern world is the fascination with diets, which lead to an imbalance in the supply of nutrients to the body and, first of all, carbohydrates, the lack of which leads to a deterioration in memory processes. And if this is the reason, then it is enough to normalize the diet, physical activity and rest. The causes of memory impairment can also be purely psychological. Perhaps your thoughts are constantly occupied with thinking about some very important problems, and it becomes very difficult to concentrate on anything else, which leads to absent-mindedness. To determine the presence of cognitive dysfunction, the baseline level is taken into account. Both the patient and relatives are interviewed. Family history of dementia, alcohol consumption, episodes of depression, and medications taken are important. During examination, a neurologist can detect the underlying disease with corresponding neurological symptoms. Analysis of the mental state is carried out using various tests tentatively and in depth by a psychiatrist. Attention, reproduction, memory, mood, following instructions, imagery of thinking, writing, counting, and reading are examined. For a patient with acquired cognitive deficit, it is necessary to conduct a laboratory examination: blood test, lipid profile, determination of thyroid-stimulating hormone, B12, blood electrolytes, liver tests, creatinine, nitrogen, urea, blood sugar. For neuroimaging of brain damage, computer and magnetic resonance imaging, Dopplerography of the great vessels, and electroencephalography are used.

Consultation with a neurologist on the topic “Memory problems” is given for informational purposes only. Based on the results of the consultation received, please consult a doctor, including to identify possible contraindications.

About the consultant

Details

Neurologist, Candidate of Medical Sciences, medical experience: more than 17 years.
Author of more than 50 publications and scientific papers, active participant in conferences, seminars and congresses of neurologists in Russia.

Sphere of professional interests:
-diagnosis, treatment and prevention of neurological diseases (vegetative-vascular dystonia, dyscirculatory encephalopathy, consequences of strokes, arterial and venous disorders, memory impairment, attention, neurotic disorders and asthenic conditions, panic attacks, osteochondrosis, vertebrogenic radiculopathies, chronic pain syndrome).
- Patients with complaints of migraines, headaches, dizziness, tinnitus, numbness and weakness of the limbs, disorders of the autonomic nervous system, depressive and anxiety states, panic attacks, acute and chronic back pain and herniated discs.
- Functional diagnostics of the nervous system: electroencephalogram (EEG), ultrasound Dopplerography of the carotid and vertebral arteries (USDG), transcranial Dopplerography (TCD), rheoencephalography (REG), echo-encephalography (ECHO-EG).
- Anti-stress back mesotherapy.
- Shock wave therapy.
- Hirudotherapy.
- Mistletoe therapy.

To study short-term visual memory, a table is needed. You can make it yourself. A sheet of paper is divided into 12 cells (3 rows, 4 cells each). A two-digit number is recorded in each compartment.
The person is asked to look at the table for 10 seconds and then write down the numbers that he remembers. The average result is 6-7 numbers. Insufficient volume – less than 5.

Methodology “Study of involuntary and voluntary memory”

For the study you need 2 sets of pictures, 10 pieces each.

Study of involuntary memory And. The person is asked to look at the pictures. each is shown for 2 seconds. after viewing, they are asked to remember the pictures that he saw.

Random Memory Research. Before the test, the person is asked to remember the pictures. The memorization method is not specified. They show the second set of pictures for 3 seconds each, then ask them to remember them in any order.

After the study, the effectiveness of the two types of memory is compared.

Memory is the property of the nervous system to remember, retain and reproduce information, skills and abilities at the right time. The essence of memory is the ability to receive, store and reproduce life experiences. Thus, memory is the basis of learning, therefore it is classified as a cognitive process.

When they talk about poor memory, they mean that difficulties arise at one or more stages: it is difficult for a person to remember data, information is not stored in memory for a long enough time or is replaced by new facts.
Most often, memory impairment is associated with decreased attention, overwork and haste. This can be easily corrected with training. A more serious problem is sudden memory loss associated with illness or injury. In this case, the help of a neurologist is required.

Types of memory by sense organs

1. verbal-logical– remembering the meaning of speech;
2. emotional– memory for experienced emotions and events associated with them;
3. motor– memorization and reproduction of complex ones;
4. figurative– memory for images that were formed on the basis of data received from various senses;

• visual – preservation of visual images, illustrations, table diagrams;
• auditory – helps to preserve and accurately reproduce sounds and speech;
• olfactory – remembering smells;
• tactile - memory for information obtained through touch.

By storage time

instant(iconic) – up to 0.5 seconds. stores in memory what has just been perceived by the senses;
short-term– up to 20 seconds. the volume is very limited (7 items), information is quickly replaced by new data. At this stage, useless information is eliminated, which allows you to avoid overloading long-term memory. Short-term memory is considered a filter and transit point for long-term memory, therefore, the greater the capacity of short-term memory, the better long-term memory.
operational– storage for a certain period of time, up to several days (keep in memory until I write it down, until I pass the exam)
long-term– stores information for an unlimited period. It is believed that the volume of this memory is unlimited; difficulties arise not with storage, but with recalling the necessary information.
genetic– is preserved at the gene level and is inherited.
on the participation of the will in the process of memorization:
involuntary– information is remembered automatically, without human effort. This is often interesting material that is of great importance to a person, evokes positive emotions, or is necessary in work. It often happens that involuntary memory works better than voluntary memory - memorization is faster and information is retained longer.
free- Memorization necessarily requires volitional efforts. In order to learn a poem, new material or foreign words, you need to force yourself, which causes additional difficulties.

What does memory depend on? (anatomy and physiology of the central nervous system)

Various brain structures are responsible for memory:

• for working and short-term memory- mediobasal system (hippocampus and adjacent temporal lobe cortex);
• for procedural memory– amygdala, cerebellum and cortex;
• for long-term memory- cortex.

In addition, cholinergic, noradrenergic, serotonergic, and dopaminergic systems of the brain play an important role in the functioning of memory. They are a collection of interconnected nerve cells that secrete one of the neurotransmitters (hormones) - acetylcholine, norepinephrine, serotonin or dopamine.

There are many types of memory that work harmoniously, making up a single system.

Let us figuratively explain how memory works. Imagine a car sprinkling sand on the street - this is information that needs to be remembered. She travels, leaving a trace, from object to object (these are neurons - brain cells). This trace remains for some time - the information is stored in memory. But if the car does not take the same route again, then soon there will be no trace left on the road. It’s the same with memory, if information is not repeated or used, then it is gradually replaced by other stimuli.

Information (impressions, skills) passes from the first nerve cell to the other, forming a nerve cell. New information travels a different route, leaving a new trail.

Memory includes 4 processes:

• imprint;
• preservation;
• reproduction;
• forgetting.

they are provided by 4 memory mechanisms:

• formation of nerve connections;
• strengthening nerve connections;
• stimulation of nerve connections;
• inhibition of nerve connections.

Each memory process has its own mechanism. For example: information is imprinted through the formation of neural connections between a group of neurons. The imprinting process goes through two stages. The first is that nerve cells retain excitation, which provides short-term memory.

Second phase memorization– consolidation of excitation due to biochemical changes in brain cells and synapses (intercellular formations that ensure the transmission of nerve impulses between neurons). Biochemical changes are not formed instantly, so it takes some time to remember information. Optimal memorization occurs if information is repeated several times. Then the nervous excitement goes through the same path again and again. This provides significant biochemical changes, as a result of which such information is well remembered, stored in memory for a long time and is easier to reproduce. Another important factor is how interconnected the new material is with existing knowledge. Simply put, it is easier to remember what the brain has already had to deal with.

saving information in memory is possible due to the strengthening of neural connections. According to recent research, information related to working memory is encoded in the form of changes in RNA (ribonucleic acid) molecules. Each nerve cell has more than 1000 altered RNAs. Long-term memory is ensured by changes in DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) molecules located in the corresponding nerve cells that took part in memorization.

reproduction of information when it is necessary to remember what is needed, it is carried out by excitation of those neurons that memorized the information. At the same time, connections are established in the brain with other semantic components. In other words, the more related material there is in the brain regarding a given piece of information, the easier it will be to recall.

Forgetting information corresponds to inhibition of neural connections. this happens when traces are replaced by new impressions. Old data is replaced with more current information. Forgetting is considered a protective mechanism that protects the brain from overload.

All information contained in memory is stored in various areas of the cerebral cortex. For example, verbal-logical information is predominantly localized in the frontal lobes. One neuron or a whole network of nerve cells can take part in remembering one event. Good memory is possible with coordinated work of the cortex of both hemispheres.

Actions that have become automatic (washing your face, brushing your teeth, closing the door) are not stored in the cerebral cortex.

Good memory is possible with high tone of the cerebral cortex. It, in turn, depends on the work of subcortical structures and the general condition of the body. and the reticular formation and limbic part of the brain increase the tone of the cortex and orient a person’s attention, creating the prerequisites for memorization.

How can you tell if your memory is bad?

tests are used to determine memory capacity

short term memory

To study short-term visual memory, a table is needed. You can make it yourself. a sheet of paper is divided into 12 cells (3 rows, 4 cells each). A two-digit number is written into each compartment.
the person is asked to look at the table for 10 seconds and then write down the numbers that he remembers. The average result is 6-7 numbers. insufficient volume – less than 5.

1. memory problems
difficulties with memorization;
difficulties with mastering new information;
2. problems with storing information

3. problems with reproducing (remembering) information

The word "rolls on the tongue"
memory losses

The main causes of memory impairment (the cause is the mechanism of development of the pathology)

Chronic fatigue. Long-term exhausting mental stress leads to disruption of the higher nervous system, including memory impairment. Memory is especially impaired by the abundance of information, the need to make decisions quickly, a high degree of responsibility for them, and multitasking.

Stress. Frequently repeated and prolonged stressful situations have an extremely negative impact on the state of memory and higher nervous activity in general. Information retention is particularly affected

Lack of sleep. Scientists have proven that constant lack of sleep reduces the efficiency of thought processes and memory by 30%. Memorization and reproduction of information suffer the most.

Abuse of energy and stimulant drinks - constant stimulation causes the brain to eventually become exhausted.

Smoking and alcohol abuse. Nicotine causes a sharp constriction of blood vessels in the brain and this effect can persist for several hours. alcohol consumption (more than 40 g per day) causes intoxication of the nervous system. Interestingly, complete abstinence from alcohol (less than 20g per day) also negatively affects memory.

Intoxication of the body with harmful substances. The most negative effects on memory are exerted by aluminum, lead, copper, manganese, and mercury. these substances can accumulate in the body. this often happens to people working in hazardous industries.

Malnutrition. Deficiency of protein, essential fatty acids and chemical elements worsens the processes in the brain and impairs its functioning.

Deficiency of vitamins E and group B. These substances are involved in oxygen exchange and the synthesis of neurotransmitters, which ensure the passage of impulses between nerve cells.

Age-related changes associated with a decrease in brain activity and deterioration of blood circulation in the brain. If preventive measures are not taken, then even in healthy people, age-related memory deterioration occurs after 55 years.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding. The hormone oxytocin has been found to negatively affect memory. Testosterone and estrogen help remember new information.

Taking certain medications– antidepressants, neuroleptics, painkillers, anticholinergics, barbiturates, antihistamines. In addition, when taking different groups of medications, their effects can accumulate.

Brain hypoxia. oxygen starvation of nerve cells is associated with carbon monoxide poisoning, circulatory disorders, suffocation,

Diseases of internal organs:

• pulmonary tuberculosis
• pathologies of the nervous system
• cerebrovascular accidents, stroke
• traumatic brain injuries
• neurosyphilis
• infectious diseases meningitis, encephalitis
• benign and malignant brain tumors

How to improve memory?

In recent years, the theory that the brain, like a muscle, can be trained has gained popularity. The more often you train your memory, the better it will be. Moreover, this rule works at any age. This method of improving memory works, whether it is a child’s poor memory or age-related changes.

Repetition. repetition for 20 seconds after receiving information allows you to retain it longer in short-term memory and
memory training

1. Write down the numbers from 1 to 20 in a column. associate each number with an object, person or phenomenon. For example: 1-apple, 5-store. The next day, try to remember which item corresponded to which number. Repeat daily, changing items. Record the number of correct answers.
2. Write down 20 two-digit numbers and assign serial numbers to them. It's better if someone else does it. For example: 1.89; 2. 66... ​​look at the table 40 seconds. reproduce everything you remember.
3. read a passage of text consisting of 10 sentences. The text should not be artistic, but scientifically journalistic. after 1 minute you need to reproduce everything that you managed to remember.
4. remembering faces and surnames. For the exercise you need 10 photographs of strangers. you need to remember 10 persons, as well as first, patronymic and last names. 30 seconds are allocated for memorization. Then the photos are submitted in a different order; you need to remember the people's full names.
5.

• Medicines to improve memory

Over-the-counter medications
Group of drugs	representatives	Action	Mode of application
Ginkgo biloba preparations	Bilobil, memoplant, gingogink, bilobil forte, ginkgo biloba	They improve blood flow and affect the vascular system of the brain. drugs improve the nutrition of nerve cells and their oxygen.	Adults – 1 capsule 3 times a day. course of treatment is 3 months. The drugs are contraindicated for children under 18 years of age.
Amino acids	Glycine, glycised, glycyram	Improves metabolic processes in neurons. Improves memorization during periods of intellectual stress (Exam session).	Tablets for lozenges under the tongue. adults: 2 tablets 3 times a day. children: 1 tablet 3 times a day. Duration of treatment is from 2 weeks to 2 months.
Nootropic drugs. gamma-aminobutyric acid preparations	Aminalon, noofen	The drugs improve cerebral circulation and nerve cell metabolism , increase glucose absorption. Improves memory, weak antidepressant and psychostimulating effect.

Medicines used as prescribed by a doctor
Group of drugs	representatives	Action	Mode of application
Nootropics	Piracetam, Lucetam, Memotropil, Nootropil, Cerebril	Enhances dopamine synthesis. improves the transmission of nerve impulses between nerve cells. Improves blood circulation and metabolic processes in the brain. Increases glucose uptake by neurons.	Orally 150-250 mg 3 times a day. In hospitals, drugs are administered intravenously. Duration of treatment from 2 weeks to 3 months.
Nootropic and gamkergic drugs	Encephabol, pyritinol	Improves the uptake and absorption of glucose by nerve cells. Increases the exchange of nucleic acids and the release of neurotransmitters at synapses.	Tablets or suspension are taken 3 times a day after meals. The average single dose for adults is 2 tablets or 10 ml of suspension. last dose no later than 3 hours before bedtime to avoid insomnia.
Psychostimulants and nootropics	Phenopropyl,	Activate brain activity, improving attention and memory. Regulate the processes of excitation and inhibition. Improves metabolic processes and blood circulation.	Take 100-200 mg 2 times a day after meals. The doctor determines the duration of the appointment individually (on average 30 days).

These drugs are prescribed only after consultation with a doctor! they have contraindications and side effects.

Memory Improvement Products

• B vitamins – meat and soup products (liver, heart)
• Vitamin E – Seeds, nuts, avocado, vegetable oil
• polyphenols – red and black berries (currants, cherries, blackberries, grapes), green tea
• Choline – egg yolk
• Iodine – seaweed, feijoa, persimmon, sea fish
• glucose – Honey, chocolate, sugar

Memory training

• associations. read or ask someone to tell you 10 pairs of words with associative connections. home - comfort; blonde - hair dye. after 20-30 minutes, read the first words in
• memorizing poetry. learn poems from memory. By memorizing 2 quatrains a day, your memory will noticeably improve within 1-2 months.
• remembering the sequence of playing cards. Pull 6 cards from the deck and try to remember the sequence in which they lie.
• image creation

Treatment of causes of poor memory

If signs of memory deterioration appear, you should contact a neurologist and therapist to establish the causes of the disorders. Next, based on the examination results, treatment is prescribed. Note that in people with weakened memory (except for memory loss), neurological disorders are rare.

• active lifestyle. sufficient physical activity is a condition for normal blood circulation in the muscles and brain. Outdoor recreation, hiking, and sports help restore full brain function.
• new impressions. bright, emotionally charged events activate a large number of neurons of the cerebral cortex. which then take part in memorization.
• do not allow automaticity. perform actions consciously. To do this, perform actions (closing the door, turning off electrical appliances) with your left hand if you are right-handed. This technique will force additional parts of the brain to tense up and the action will be remembered.
• problems, crosswords, puzzles, mental arithmetic.
• focus attention on the object of action. Concentration allows you to use a whole network of neurons to remember. this will facilitate the memorization process, improve the safety of information and its recall at the right time.
• involve associations. The brain remembers better information that is related to existing data. Therefore, it is easier to remember a person who is similar to someone you know.
• maintain a positive attitude. What causes laughter and joy is remembered well. And when a person experiences depression, memory fails. therefore, it is necessary to consciously maintain a positive attitude - communicate with positive people, watch humorous programs.
• to study a foreign language. activates the brain.
• develop fine motor skills. It is recommended to master a new type of needlework, distinguish between coins of different denominations, and sculpt from kaolin clay and plasticine.
• matches throw 7-10 matches. watch for 1-5 seconds, then sketch how the matches fell.
• master the 10-finger typing method. this helps to engage new associative connections and additional parts of the cortex.

Why does a child have a bad memory? (main reasons)

• Fetal asphyxia during pregnancy, associated with toxicosis, early aging of the placenta.
• neurosis. may develop against the background of overwork at school, frequent quarrels in the family.
• lack of composure
• selective memory. only what's interesting
• regular exercise
• game training on the Internet Vikium
• herdetics

How to improve a child's memory?

Better remembered

• meaningful material – the child understands that it is important and why;
• material that evokes emotions;
• regularly used, included in ongoing activities;
• material related to what the child knows well;
• imaginative thinking - imagine.
• facts that received close attention
• material that was reproduced, repeated in the mind
• meaningful, structured material
• grouped material
• memorizing pictures for preschoolers up to 10. each image is sequentially linked into.
• poem. pictograms. retold. repeat after 2 hours. repeat 3 times before bed, repeat in the morning.
• auditory memory. say 15 phrases - history. specific and absurd.
• numbers are images. Dictate 3-digit numbers - short stories.
• dates of birth, dates of events Pushkin

what to do

• determine which type of memory is dominant (visual, auditory, motor, tactile). It is necessary to use this type of memory when memorizing new material. Children with auditory memory will be better able to remember what is read out loud. a child with motor memory will remember what he wrote down. those who have visual memory remember more easily what they see. In this case, it is advisable to use a text highlighter, diagrams, and tables. Children of preschool and primary school age remember illustrated material well. determine what type it is.
• To determine the leading type of memory, offer the child several passages of text of the same size. The first must be read “to yourself”, the second out loud, the third rewritten, the fourth you read to the child. then the child must retell the passages. the one that is remembered better, the child’s type of perception is more developed.
• train your memory. learn by heart proverbs, riddles, quatrains, gradually moving on to longer poems. The result of training is the activation of a large number of neurons for memorization.
• expand your horizons. Read to your child from early childhood. Educational cartoons, games, and television programs also help. The more information a child accumulates during the first years of life, the easier it will be to remember during school years.
• rest from mental stress. Although children perceive information much easier than adults, they also suffer from overwork. Especially if it is accompanied by stress. This condition significantly reduces memory and affects other cognitive processes. It must be taken into account that memory deteriorates in lessons 4-6, on Thursday and Friday. This is especially noticeable in the last weeks of the quarter. During such periods, it is important to provide the child with adequate rest. The best option would be active games in the fresh air.
• improve the coherence of the hemispheres of the brain. finger gymnastics. Finger-fist exercise
• more material on this topic. The more a child knows about animals, the easier it will be for him to remember new facts about them.
• "fist-finger" game
• tactile memory. feeling toys with closed eyes.
• place the toys on the table, watch for 10 seconds, then pick up one item. preschoolers 5-7.
• verbal counting
• develop motor memory.
• association method
• connecting emotions –
• creation of images. Helps you remember phrases and numbers.

Easy Memorization Techniques

1. memorizing foreign words in the form of absurd images
2. remember a list or phone number - arrange items in order on a well-known route remember,
3. It’s easier to remember a person’s last name if you associate it with external features. Repeating to yourself several times also helps memorize. Then address your new acquaintance by name under any pretext: “Ivan Petrovich, if I understand you correctly.” associate with a familiar person with the same name.
4. text. records, pictograms – the main thing in the sentence
5. Memory is like a muscle - it needs training. as long as you train it, it improves. If there is no need to use memory, then it is weakened.

It is difficult to say what the norm is in relation to memory. This is individual for each person. There is no upper limit for memory. There are descriptions of supermemory, where a person remembers the smallest details of everything he encounters, but this is rare.

In official sources, memory is defined as the ability to receive, store and reproduce life experience. This is not only a physiological, but also a cultural process.

It is known that memory is divided into long-term and short-term. Their ratio also varies from person to person. If you have a predominant long-term memory, then most likely you have difficulty remembering material, but you can easily reproduce it after a significant period of time. If, on the contrary, you quickly memorize on the fly, then you probably forget quickly. This is a feature of short-term memory. RAM allows you to remember information up to a certain point.

A person takes memory for granted until he is faced with the problem of forgetfulness. There are many types of memory impairment, and many factors influence this process.

Causes of memory impairment

For simplicity, you can divide them into groups.

1) Associated directly with brain damage. These include lesions such as traumatic brain injury (TBI), stroke (acute cerebrovascular accident), and oncological diseases of the brain.

2) Deterioration of brain function due to diseases of other organs and organ systems.

3) External unfavorable factors, such as lack of sleep, stressful situations, sudden changes in living conditions, increased stress on the brain, including memory.

4) Chronic intoxication. Abuse of alcohol, drugs (especially tranquilizers, sedatives), smoking, and drug addiction leads to memory deterioration.

5) Age-related changes in the brain.

Memory is associated with different modalities. There are visual, auditory, motor modalities. Their combination and predominance are individual. Some people will remember it easier if they speak the material out loud. It’s easier for someone else to remember what the page on which the necessary information is written looks like or to imagine the file cabinet drawers where he supposedly put the necessary file. The third person will easily recall information using a logical diagram or associative connection. The fourth will write a summary.

Different areas of the brain are associated with different memory-promoting functions. For example, the temporal regions are responsible for the perception of hearing and speech. The occipito-parietal regions create visual and spatial perception, with the parts of the right hemisphere giving color, optical-spatial and facial perceptions, and the left hemisphere - letter and object perceptions. The lower parietal areas are responsible for the actions of the hand and speech apparatus. When they are affected, a person cannot recognize objects by touch (astereognosia).

And depending on which area of ​​the brain is affected, the corresponding types of memory will be impaired.

Recently, more and more reliable information has appeared about the influence of hormones on the processes of thinking and memory. There is a positive effect of vasopressin, testosterone, estrogen, prolactin on accelerating learning, stimulating attention, and transferring information from short-term memory to long-term memory. Oxytocin, on the other hand, has the opposite effect, which causes memory deterioration and forgetfulness in women after childbirth and when breastfeeding.

Diseases leading to memory impairment

Let's look at the diseases that most often cause memory problems.

First of all, as the most common, these are traumatic brain injuries. With them, complaints of memory impairment almost always appear, and the more serious the injury, the more serious they are. TBI is also characterized by the phenomena of retrograde and anterograde amnesia. In this case, the person does not remember not only the moment of injury, but also the events preceding and following it. Sometimes confabulations and hallucinations appear against this background. Confabulations are false memories produced by the person themselves. For example, when asked what he did yesterday, the patient will tell you that he went to the theater, walked in the park and ate ice cream. In fact, he did not leave the apartment or ward, since he had been ill for a long time. Hallucinations are pathological images that did not exist and could not exist.

A fairly common cause of memory impairment is cerebral circulatory disorder. causes a decrease in blood flow to all parts of the brain and disruption of its functioning, including memory impairment. Recently, atherosclerosis has become a common cause of memory impairment in young people, although previously it was detected mainly in the elderly. In addition, this is a provoking factor in the development of acute cerebrovascular accident. develops in one or another area of ​​the brain, stopping blood access to it almost completely. This grossly disrupts the functions of these zones and memory among them.

Similar symptoms can be observed with. One of its serious complications is angiopathy - vascular damage, in which there is thickening of the vascular wall and closure of small vessels. This leads to impaired blood circulation in all organs, including the brain, and as a result, memory deteriorates.

Memory deterioration may be the first a sign of thyroid disease associated with a lack of production of its hormones (hypothyroidism). The latter are 65% iodine. Decreased memory in this case is combined with an increase in body weight, the appearance of depression, apathy, edema, muscle weakness, and irritability. To prevent iodine deficiency, first of all, you should adjust your diet by adding foods such as iodized salt and dairy products (the latter are preferable), seaweed and sea fish, persimmons, hard cheese and nuts.

It is possible to use physiotherapeutic methods, for example electrophoresis with intranasal (transnasal) administration of glutamic acid preparations.

Psychological and pedagogical correction is also successfully used to help patients with memory impairment. With the help of a teacher, the patient learns to remember using other brain functions instead of the affected ones. For example, if a person cannot remember words spoken out loud, then by imagining a visual image meaning the same word, memorization is possible. This is difficult, long, painstaking work. It is necessary not only to learn to remember using other connections in the brain, but also to bring this process to automaticity.

This symptom is dangerous only as an unfavorable prognostic sign, indicating the progression of another disease. In addition, this disrupts the patient’s social adaptation and worsens his quality of life.

Which doctor should I contact if my memory is worsening?

If you suspect you have a memory disorder, then you should contact a neurologist, neuropsychologist or therapist who will conduct an additional examination. But there are some things you can do yourself and start right now.

It is known that most often, when a patient complains of memory impairment, it turns out that the main reason is impaired attention.

This is very common among older people and schoolchildren. Events and information are underestimated and perceived fleetingly, especially if the situation is familiar to the person. And this state of affairs is quite difficult to change. The only way out is to constantly work on yourself, train your attention and memory: record important data on paper, keep a diary, master mental arithmetic to perfection.

This method of training the brain is well described in the book of American professor Lawrence Katz. These exercises activate the brain, promote the creation of new connections and associations, and engage various parts of the brain.

Here are some of these exercises:

Try to perform your usual actions with your eyes closed.
- If you are right-handed, try doing something with your left hand (for a left-hander - with your right): combing your hair, writing, brushing your teeth, putting your wristwatch on your other hand.
- Master Braille (a reading and writing system for the blind) or sign language, at least the basics.
- Learn to type on the keyboard with all ten fingers.
- Learn a new type of needlework.
- Learn to distinguish coins of different denominations by touch.
- Read articles about things you’ve never been interested in before.
- Try to go to new places, meet new people.
- Try to speak in unfamiliar languages.

The brain also constantly needs training. And remember that how long you will be “of sound mind and solid memory” depends largely on you.

Moskvina Anna Mikhailovna, general practitioner

Video on the topic