Poor memory: what to do? Exercises and techniques for memory development

Memory is one of the most important cognitive abilities and higher mental functions (along with sensation, perception and thinking), responsible for the accumulation, preservation and reproduction of individual and social experience, acquired knowledge and skills. The success of the individual and emotional comfort largely depend on it.

The ability to remember only the necessary information, while weeding out and forgetting everything unnecessary and negative, is an important quality. Whereas memory impairments can maladapt in society and lead to mental personality disorders. Therefore, it is so necessary to prevent such problems, and for this you need to know how to avoid them and what to do when the first signs appear.

Mnemonic disorder, memory impairment, is the occurrence of certain difficulties with fixing (memorizing), storing and reproducing any information from the past.

Train on Schulte tables

Schulte tables are several tables with randomly placed numbers or letters that develop speed reading skills, improve peripheral vision and develop memory. You should look at the Schulte table strictly in the center, trying to find numbers in increasing order or letters in alphabetical order with your peripheral vision. For greater effect, such exercises should be performed every day, but no more than 10 times, and take breaks of about 15-20 minutes so as not to overwork.

The first manifestations of dementia in Alzheimer's disease

Memory changes progress. A person often has difficulty reproducing names and dates, known facts and important, long-awaited events. The news that was given to the patient today will be received with surprise tomorrow. A person suffering from Alzheimer's disease at this stage forgets to turn off the gas, close the door, turn off the water, leaves the keys in the keyhole, forgets where everything is, which can be described as absent-mindedness. Others begin to notice similar changes.
Speech impairments gradually appear, vocabulary becomes poorer, the pace of oral and written speech, literacy and legibility of handwriting decrease.
The ability to learn is significantly reduced.
Initial movement disorders occur, which are expressed in awkward performance of complex coordinated actions (driving a car, operating machinery) or small work (embroidery, assembling mosaics, repairing small parts).

In the advanced stage of Alzheimer's disease, patients are often haunted by delusional ideas of damage (someone wants to take something away, appropriate personal property, an apartment, a pension, poison them with poor-quality food, slip poison). Such disorders are sometimes misinterpreted by relatives and lead to an aggravation of conflict situations in the family.

Exercise your brain

In other words, neurobics. This method was invented by American neuroscientist Lawrence Katz. The scientist claims that when we perform our usual actions (brush our teeth, take a shower, eat), we do not concentrate, and the brain becomes unaccustomed to work. To keep yourself in good shape, it is enough to include daily exercises in your life, activating one of the five human senses (smell, hearing, sight, taste and touch). For example, take a new route home; comb hair or brush teeth, changing hands; prepare new dishes; rearrange furniture in the house and so on.

Napoleon Bonaparte had his own method of memory training. He memorized the formation patterns of the soldiers and their names. So, he knew the name of the infantryman who was sixth in the fifth battalion of officers. The commander made sure that the position of the soldiers did not change. Thanks to this method, Bonaparte gained great trust from the soldiers, because each of them thought that the leader knew him personally

Initial manifestations of Alzheimer's disease

The first signs of Alzheimer's disease are not very specific and are often perceived as simply age-related changes. As a rule, a person or his relatives seek help already in an advanced stage, when more than one year has passed from the onset of the disease. First of all, the following deviations attract attention:

Memory impairment. A person begins to notice that memory has become not as tenacious as before. Information you have just read, seen, or heard immediately flies out of your head. Such troubles are repeated constantly and begin to cause discomfort. Sometimes memory lapses concern entire episodes: a person does not remember what he did in the last few hours, who came, what he was asked for at work, etc. Periodic difficulties arise with the names of familiar objects; forgotten words have to be replaced with synonyms. At the same time, patients remember episodes from their past very vividly and often become immersed in them. This sequence of memory impairment is called Ribot's law.
It becomes more difficult to organize your day, plan events, and solve complex problems that require attention and concentration.
Characteristic is a decrease in the general background of mood, apathy, which is associated with a critical attitude towards the manifestations of the disease.

Use mnemonic techniques

This is memory training using conscious associations. Its essence is that you need to write down a set of unrelated words on a piece of paper. Then try to draw parallels between them and still remember them. This way you can master almost any textual information.

An international memory championship has been held since 1991. To get there, you need to have genius abilities. For example, it is easy to remember unrelated words. In 2006, American journalist Joshua Foer won this championship. After winning, he wrote the book “Einstein Walks on the Moon,” in which he talked about interesting methods of memorization and memory development

Where did the glasses go again? We talk about the causes of memory impairment

If until recently memory problems were associated with older people, in modern realities middle-aged and young people are increasingly seeking help with complaints of poor memory. Is memory impairment a natural physiological process or a symptom of a disease? When to start sounding the alarm? What contributes to memory deterioration, what is it fraught with, how to prevent these problems? These and other questions are answered by Natalya Vladimirovna Umerenkova, a neurologist, leading specialist of the neurology department at the Expert Clinic Kursk.

— Natalya Vladimirovna, when can we talk about memory deterioration? What are its criteria?

— Complaints about memory loss are quite common, but they do not always indicate true memory loss. Often they can be associated, for example, with a decrease in concentration. If complaints are confirmed by objective data, that is, the results of an examination by a neurologist or neuropsychological diagnostics, we can talk about a true decrease in memory.

— What are the reasons for memory deterioration at a young age?

— Functional memory disorders are more typical for young patients. They develop under stress, anxiety disorder, and depression. Sometimes they appear after a viral illness due to asthenia (weakening of the body) or due to intoxication (alcohol, drugs), when working in hazardous work (lead intoxication).

Another common cause of memory impairment in young people can be traumatic brain injury, HIV infection, and infectious brain damage. Sometimes multiple sclerosis debuts at a young age, which can also cause symptoms of memory impairment.

Read materials on the topic:

Is there a stress vaccine? When it’s very scary... Panic attack - there is salvation! Young but absent-minded. What is multiple sclerosis

— Why can memory deteriorate after 40?

— In older patients, memory loss is observed against the background of existing chronic pathologies: hypertension, atherosclerosis, diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, previous strokes, kidney and liver diseases. More serious manifestations of memory impairment are observed in dementia and pre-dementia disorders. Memory impairment may occur when taking certain medications.

With a deficiency of certain substances, for example, B vitamins, which occurs, in particular, with an unbalanced diet, when their absorption deteriorates, memory disorders can also be observed.

Memory function can be affected by certain types of brain tumors, surgical interventions on the heart and blood vessels, accompanied by artificial blood supply, as well as chemotherapy.

There is a so-called age-related memory decline, which is caused by natural aging of the brain (a number of structural, neurophysiological and neurochemical changes occur). In this case, the person is able to do what is needed, but due to the slowdown of mental processes, it takes more time.

Read materials on the topic:

Diabetes: how to identify and treat? What can we do to prevent our body’s main battery from running out? Let's talk about hypothyroidism

— How can memory impairment manifest itself?

— Some patients complain of difficulty remembering and reproducing information, difficulty concentrating. They may note that with the usual intellectual load they become more tired, that their head is “somehow different”, “empty”. During a conversation, the doctor may draw attention to difficulties in constructing sentences and selecting suitable words to express one’s thoughts.

Violations of habitual motor patterns may be observed without damage to motor function, that is, a person may have difficulty, for example, writing. Sometimes the patient himself or his family may complain that it is difficult for him to complete any task related to sequential operations and remembering the route. For example, pay for utilities, cook lunch, go to the clinic. Also, relatives may note the need to repeat new information several times, or the patient asks the same questions during a conversation, or forgets to take medications.

— What diagnostics are carried out in case of memory impairment?

— First of all, we listen to complaints, collect anamnesis, conduct an examination, and test using special methods. Laboratory diagnostics will be needed if the patient suffers from chronic diseases, as well as to identify deficiency states of vitamins and microelements. If focal and tumor lesions of the brain are suspected, an MRI examination is prescribed.

To clarify the diagnosis when memory deteriorates, it is sometimes necessary to consult a neuropsychologist and a number of other specialized specialists. Since memory deterioration can also occur with depression, it is important to diagnose the patient’s emotional state.

— What treatment methods are effective for memory impairment?

— First of all, it is necessary to find out how severe the memory problems are and for what reason they arose; this will determine the treatment tactics. Normalization of work and rest schedules, proper sleep and nutrition, lack of stress, physical and intellectual activity, occupational therapy - these simple healthy lifestyle techniques can significantly improve memory.

If memory problems arise against the background of any chronic disease, correction should begin with treatment of the underlying disease. Specific treatment is prescribed in case of moderate and severe cognitive impairment (observed, in particular, with dementia, Alzheimer's disease). I would like to note that this treatment is not quick, and we can evaluate its effectiveness only 3-6 months after starting to take the drugs.

Read more about Alzheimer's disease in our article

— Natalya Vladimirovna, how to preserve memory? Can special training and brain exercises help with this?

- Of course they can. Mastering new knowledge (learning languages, playing a musical instrument), reading aloud, retelling, training fine motor skills (knitting, embroidery) are effective ways to train memory. You can delay age-related memory problems if you follow a healthy lifestyle from a young age, give up bad habits, maintain social activity, and get adequate physical activity.

You can make an appointment with a neurologist here. ATTENTION: the service is not available in all cities

Interviewed by Sevilya Ibraimova

The editors recommend:

THAT for the brain. When to start? Nerves under control! How to maintain mental health? How to prevent a brain catastrophe?

For reference:

Umerenkova Natalya Vladimirovna

In 2004 she graduated from Kursk State Medical University with a degree in General Medicine.

In 2005, she completed her internship in the specialty “Neurology”.

Currently holds the position of neurologist, head of the neurology department at the Expert Clinic Kursk. Receives at the address: st. Karl Liebknecht, no. 7.

Critical stage dementia

It is the final stage of the disease. During this period, patients completely lose the ability to self-care, are unable to move independently, eat, dress, or even cover themselves with a blanket. Speech becomes fragmentary and difficult to understand. However, patients remain conscious and respond to clear and emotional appeals to them from loved ones.

Expert: Galina Filippova, Candidate of Medical Sciences, General Practitioner Author: Natalya Dolgopolova
The material uses photographs belonging to shutterstock.com

Advanced stage of Alzheimer's disease

A decrease in motor memory leads to a loss of skill in performing familiar actions: writing, using a spoon and fork, etc. Speech is significantly impaired; a person selects incorrect synonyms for forgotten words.
Violations of visual memory lead to the fact that the patient ceases to recognize friends and relatives. Sometimes the ability to recognize one's own face in a mirror or in a photograph is lost.
Disorientation occurs in space and time. A person can easily get lost not only on the street, but also in his own home; he cannot remember when an event happened: yesterday, today, or maybe 10 years ago. The patient becomes vulnerable because he does not remember the last time he ate, slept, saw relatives, or took medications.
Reproduction of long-term memory episodes is impaired. Together with a violation of time orientation, this leads to the patient being “stuck” in the past. A person, replaying episodes from his youth in his memory, seems to remain in them. He may incorrectly state his age, marital status, place of residence, and so on.
At this stage, grumpiness, untidiness, and suspicion may appear. People suffering from Alzheimer's disease begin to show unreasonable aggression towards relatives. Visual hallucinations may appear (a friend who is no longer alive came, scenes from past professional activities, etc.).
Dysfunctions of somatic organs are manifested: urinary and fecal incontinence, dyspepsia, hearing impairment, smell impairment, muscular dystrophy, immobility.

Consequences of memory loss

If temporary amnesia is not treated in time, it will lead to negative consequences:

in neurodegenerative conditions that are not detected in time, the death of neurons continues, which causes Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease;
loss of information (memories of children, data from work);
the occurrence of situations that threaten the patient’s life;
progression of a systemic disease that is not detected in time worsens the patient’s well-being, in extreme cases causing his death;
severe stress, depression, insomnia, nervous breakdown;
exhaustion of the body due to insufficient supply of nutrients, leading to hormonal imbalance, anorexia.

Periodic loss of short-term memory is an alarming signal about disorders in the body. Therefore, it is necessary to consult a doctor, even if this happens once.

Interesting: Who is most susceptible to retrograde amnesia? Ways to prevent and treat memory loss

Causes of short-term memory loss

Short-term amnesia develops for many reasons.

Violation of the psycho-emotional background: stress, depression, negative influence of people. Often children do not remember memories from the past, since they became a psycho-emotional shock for them.
Mechanical damage, trauma, poisoning, acute and chronic diseases, violations of the integrity of the cranium, central nervous system.
Metabolic disease. The cause of the disease is poor nutrition, hormonal imbalance, congenital and acquired diseases.
Increased fatigue. It occurs due to long hours of work, lack of normal sleep, physical and mental stress.
Bad habits: alcoholism, drug addiction, smoking. Chemical compounds spread throughout the blood, organs and tissues, causing disturbances at the cellular level. If they affect the central nervous system, neurons gradually die, which leads to a decrease in the recording of short-term information.
Neurodegenerative diseases. These include congenital or acquired disorders of the central and peripheral nervous system that reduce brain activity.
Hormonal dysfunction. For example, women experience a loss of information during menopause.
Dissociative fugue. This is the effect of severe stress, due to which the brain tries to get rid of memories. More often develops in childhood.
Natural aging processes. In older people, neurons are destroyed, the functionality of the central nervous system and the transmission of nerve impulses decrease, so short-term recording of information decreases.
The nutritional factor is a manifestation of insufficient intake of food into the body containing vitamins, minerals, trace elements, amino acids necessary for the normal functioning of the nervous system.

Interesting: Sudden memory loss: causes and types of amnesia

Each cause is treated separately by different doctors. To eliminate the cause of memory loss, the underlying factor is identified, and the risk of relapse is reduced.