Causes of absent-mindedness and poor memory. How to distinguish normal memory impairment in older people from the development of diseases? The child has a bad memory what to do

According to statistics, memory problems occur in every third inhabitant of the planet, but for each memory threshold is individual. It is enough for someone not to forget to do their household chores, go to the store, and someone remembers and stores large amounts of information every day. Therefore, the concept of "memory impairment" is quite subjective. It is believed that there is no limit to memory, and the human brain remembers only 7-10% of what it sees, and everything small and unnecessary is erased and forgotten.

If the weakening of memory does not interfere with professional and domestic activities, people do not pay attention to it. And indeed, in most mild cases forgetfulness, especially in the elderly, is a natural process of aging of the brain and blood vessels, associated with atherosclerotic lesions of the vascular wall and the death of some neurons. However, sometimes, especially if similar symptoms observed at a young age or even in children, this can serve as a formidable sign of the presence of brain diseases or metabolic disorders.

Loss of memory and attention in old age

Almost every person over the age of 65 complains of memory impairment of one degree or another. Usually this process occurs gradually - thus, a person has time to get used to and adapt to the changes taking place in his body. Everyone knows about the deterioration of memory with age, so this symptom does not cause much concern among doctors and relatives of the patient. The main causes of memory loss in old age:

1. Violation of the blood circulation of the brain:

• chronic. Occurs as a result of the accumulation of cholesterol deposits, a decrease in the elasticity of the vascular wall with age. Also matters frequent drops blood pressure because most older people suffer from arterial hypertension.
• acute. These are strokes, hemorrhages, transient ischemic attacks. In this case, memory loss develops rapidly.

2. Consequences of damage to the substance of the brain. These can be injuries, meningitis, vascular accidents suffered by the patient at a young age. At the same time, everything immediately recovers well, the person returns to normal life. But for the brain, nothing passes without a trace, and when the reserves are depleted, which naturally happens with age, previously transferred diseases usually make themselves felt in the form of a progressive decrease in memory.

3. Metabolic disorders in:

• diabetes mellitus;
• thyroid diseases;
• rheumatoid arthritis.

At the same time, toxic products begin to literally "poison" brain cells, which will certainly affect their work.

4. Alzheimer's disease. A disease that occurs in people after 70 years of age, however, there are cases of an earlier onset. At the same time, memory impairment is more serious and progresses very quickly, right before our eyes. In a few months, a person can lose his memory not only of the events happening to him, but also lose the ability to self-service. Patients simply do not remember how to go to the toilet, eat, dress. They become absolutely helpless.

Memory impairment in young people

The weakening of memory at a young age should alert both the doctor and the patient himself, because the reasons for this can be quite serious and dangerous not only for health, but also for life:

1. Organic diseases of the brain:

• tumor;
• inflammatory process;
• aneurysm;
• cyst.

2. Compliance with rigid diets which is especially important in today's society. At the same time, as a result of insufficient income nutrients reduced efficiency of brain cells.

3. Abuse of alcohol, nicotine.

4. Psychophysiological causes:

• frequent stress;
• increased stress (at school, at work);
• transferred strong experience, which a person tries to "erase" from memory;
• chronic lack of sleep, when the cells do not have enough time to restore their reserves;
• wrong mode of work and rest.

5. Traumatic brain injury.

6. Brain damage during childbirth or insufficient oxygen supply during fetal development.

Treatment and prevention of memory impairment

1. Revision of the daily routine normalization of periods of work and rest.

2. Full 8-9 hour night sleep . 3. Proper Diet food rich in a variety of nutrients, vitamins and trace elements - it will also help improve memory.

4. Refusal of bad habits.

5. Memory training- solving crosswords and puzzles, reading books, board games constant mental activity.

If the above measures are ineffective, you should consult a doctor to exclude diseases of the brain and the body as a whole. If no pathology is detected after the examination, the doctor may prescribe drugs that improve metabolic processes in brain cells:

• piracetam;
• glycine;
• bilobil;
• choline;
• folic acid;
• B vitamins.

Dosage and duration of administration strictly according to the doctor's prescription.

Memory loss- this is an ailment, reputed to be one of the most mysterious phenomena our time. The reasons for its origin are not fully understood. Many are interested in the question: “memory loss, what is the name of the disease?”. The disease is called amnesia. It consists in the loss of memories of certain circumstances, the inability to recreate individual life events. More often, an individual erases memories of situations that have occurred recently, especially important ones. It often happens that the individual is not able to display the full picture of what happened, in other words, his memories are partial. With an absolute loss of memories, the subject cannot remember the faces of the close environment, forgets his own biographical data, as well as everything that happened before. Amnesia can occur unexpectedly, for example, it is often noted with alcohol intoxication. In addition, the ailment in question can develop gradually, often having a temporary character.

Causes of memory loss

All the reasons that provoke the occurrence of memory lapses can be divided into two categories, namely, physiological and psychological reasons.

To physiological factors include: injury chronic diseases(for example, cardiovascular diseases), various violations in the brain and disorders of the functioning of the nervous system. Also, this disorder arises as a result of regular lack of sleep, a sedentary lifestyle, improper metabolism, non-compliance with the diet, and failures in the blood circulation system.

Psychological factors include: daily stressful situations, constant fatigue, lack of attention, expansive states (lethargy or excitement), excessive thoughtfulness. As a result of these factors, the individual switches to the mechanical execution of certain essential operations, while they are not remembered at all.

Short-term memory loss can be a manifestation of many different disorders. And the cause of its inception is depressive states, infectious diseases, various damage, side effect from the abuse of alcohol-containing drinks or narcotic drugs, taking certain medications, dyslexia. Among the most common factors provoking this disorder, there are: alcoholism, brain tumor processes, Creutzfeldt-Jakob and Parkinson's, depressive states, stroke, meningitis, human immunodeficiency virus, epilepsy, and.

Also, the interaction of certain drugs can cause short-term memory loss, for example, the simultaneous use of Imipramine and Baclofen.

Besides, momentary loss memory can occur as a result of neurodegenerative diseases, cerebrovascular disorders, skull injuries, normotensive hydrocephalus, sleep disorders, thyroid pathologies, mental disorders, Wilson's disease.

Short-term amnesia, in turn, can provoke hormonal disorder. Some representatives of the female part of the population during menopause may experience cases of short-term amnesia.

Partial memory loss is a so-called failure in the functioning of the brain, characterized by a disorder in spatio-temporal indicators, the integrity of memories and their sequence.

The most common factor provoking partial amnesia is dissociative fugue or a state after a change of residence. For example, partial amnesia may occur as a result of an individual moving to another city. In this case, events can disappear from the memory, the prescription of which ranges from a couple of minutes to several years.

The second reason for the form under consideration is considered to be a severe mental trauma or shock. The subject loses some biographical data that provokes negative memories.

In addition, partial amnesia may occur as a result of exposure to the individual. The individual may not remember what happened to him in the process of hypnotic influence.

Senile memory loss occurs correspondingly in elderly individuals. However, it cannot be considered solely a consequence of age-related changes. More often, senile amnesia occurs due to the lifestyle of individuals. Also, the causes of this form of the disease can be: metabolic disorders, infectious diseases, traumatic brain injuries, poisoning and various pathologies brain.

Memory loss in young people may be due to chronic sleep deprivation or sleep disturbances, lack of vitamin B12 and regular exposure to stress. Young people can also experience memory loss after stress. Often, as a result of suffering a severe emotional shock, young individuals can completely forget all the data about themselves.

Symptoms of Memory Loss

This disease is characterized by the inability to remember certain events or people. All the symptoms of the disease in question depend on its severity, form, and nature of the pathology. In addition to signs of memory lapses, visual impairment, headaches, tinnitus, spatial coordination disorders, irritability, confusion and other symptoms can also be observed.

More often, the onset of amnesia occurs after suffering a head injury, often causing a concussion. In a traumatic situation, retrograde amnesia is mainly observed. Her attack can last up to several hours. The individual completely loses the ability to assimilate and perceive information. The patient is in spatio-temporal disorientation and appears confused. He has a lack of memories preceding the traumatic experience or illness.

With anterograde memory loss, there is a loss of memories of the circumstances after the onset of the disease, while maintaining the images that precede the disease or injury. This form disease is caused by disorders that have arisen in the process of moving information into long-term memory from short-term memory or with the destruction of stored information. Memory can be restored later, but not completely. Gaps relating to the post-traumatic period will remain.

With paramnesia, the individual's memory distorts facts and events well known to him. You can often see characters in various television series who have completely lost their memories of their own past life and of themselves. Therefore, many fans of the series are very concerned about the question: “memory loss, what is the name of the disease?”. Denoted this disease as an escape reaction or is called a state of psychogenic flight. Usually, such a state is caused by a severe emotional shock or personal experience and can last for quite a long time. It is not uncommon for individuals suffering from this form of memory loss to start a new life in a different place and in a completely different environment.

Among the main symptoms of amnesia, there are: direct memory lapses, which are characterized by varying duration, difficulty remembering recent events and moments that have just happened, and confabulation or false memories.

Memory lapses can be a separate symptom or accompany other mental illnesses.

Transient amnesia is a sudden severe attack of disorientation of consciousness, which is not stored in memory. characteristic feature amnesia is considered the inability to recognize loved ones.

Attacks of transient amnesia can occur once in a lifetime, and sometimes several. Their duration ranges from a couple of minutes to twelve hours. In general, the symptoms go away without appropriate treatment, but sometimes the memory is not restored.

Wernick-Korsakoff syndrome occurs as a result of an unbalanced diet or alcohol abuse. This form is accompanied by symptoms such as prolonged memory loss and acute disorientation of consciousness. Among other manifestations, blurred vision, unsteady gait, and drowsiness can be distinguished.

In addition to these symptoms, amnesia may be accompanied by the following manifestations: dementia, decreased cognitive processes, incoordination of muscles.

Dementia is characterized by a progressive nature, confusion and inconsistency of thought.

The decrease in cognitive processes consists in the deterioration of perception, difficulty in learning and performing mental operations. Encountering this manifestation is considered a rather traumatic symptom.

Violation of muscle coordination is most often observed in a number of ailments of the spinal cord and brain.

Memory loss headaches are often associated with either head trauma or diseases characterized by pathological processes brain.

Sudden memory loss, often combined with loss of consciousness, is often observed in strokes.

In addition, memory loss is often noted after stress or depressive conditions. As a result of a number of studies, it was found that stress destroys the growth of brain cells. So the longer it goes on depression the more damage will be.

Types of memory loss

Types of memory loss are classified according to the events that were erased from memory, prevalence, duration, speed of onset, and lost skills.

In terms of prevalence, amnesia can be complete, that is, all memories are lost, and partial - there is a fragmentary loss of memories.

In terms of duration, the described ailment is short-term (loss of memory for a short period of time) and long-term (memories are not restored for a long time).

According to events erased from memory, the disease in question is divided into anterograde and retrograde amnesia. In the first type of amnesia, the individual cannot remember what is happening after the impact of the trauma, while preserving in memory all the events before the causative factor. Most often this species seen after transfer brain injury, psycho-emotional shocks and is characterized by short duration.

Retrograde amnesia is manifested in the loss of memories of events that happened before the occurrence of the causative factor. This form of amnesia is inherent in progressive degenerative pathologies of the brain (for example, Alzheimer's disease, toxic encephalopathy).

According to the speed of onset, the described ailment is sudden, that is, acute due to the influence of some causal factor, and gradual, occurring in the process of natural aging - senile amnesia.

According to lost skills, amnesia is divided into semantic, episodic, procedural and occupational. Semantic amnesia is characterized by a loss of memory responsible for the general perception of the surrounding reality. For example, the subject is unable to distinguish between animals or plants in front of him. Episodic - memories are lost for individual events or a specific moment. Procedural - the individual loses memories of the simplest manipulations, for example, forgets how to brush his teeth. Professional or working - is the inability to retain the information necessary to perform further operations, even for a short period of time. Such an individual cannot navigate his own workplace, does not understand what tasks he must perform and in what sequence.

The following types should be distinguished into separate forms of amnesia. Korsakov's amnesia is usually due to chronic alcoholism and is characterized by complete amnesia during intoxication and in the process of getting out of it. Often, patients, due to the fact that they have lost their memories, replace them with fictitious ones.

Senile memory loss is caused by natural aging processes. It is characterized by a deterioration in the memorization of current events, an elderly individual cannot remember what happened yesterday morning, but can tell in full detail about the events that happened to him in his deep youth.

Arising from a stroke. Memory loss headaches, dizziness, visual impairment, visual agnosia, impaired sensitivity, alexia, loss of balance - typical symptoms stroke.

Amnesia due to brain injury. Almost always, even with minor concussions, there is a short memory loss. At the same time, memories are quickly restored.

Memory loss after alcohol

It is believed that even at the first stage alcohol addiction possible amnesia. Sudden amnesia due to excessive alcohol consumption becomes stressful for the individual. However, memory loss after drinking alcohol is not observed in everyone. For the occurrence of temporary amnesia, it is necessary to “observe” the following conditions: the number of drinks drunk, the degree of alcohol, the simultaneous use of a variety of alcoholic drinks, drinking alcohol on an empty stomach, a combination of alcoholic beverages with medicinal products.

How much the connections between brain cells will be damaged during the drinking of alcohol-containing liquids depends on the amount of ethyl alcohol that has entered the body. It is believed that small doses of alcohol do not lead to the loss of memories. However, the effect of alcoholic beverages on people is quite individual: in the first place, the very concept of a small dose is different for different people, in the second - great value possesses the gender of the drinker, his age and general health.

There is also a pattern, the higher the degree of alcohol, the more likely that the individual who sings will have memory lapses.

The simultaneous use of different drinks containing different alcohols dramatically increases the likelihood of amnesia.

Drinking on an empty stomach promotes instantaneous absorption of fluid in the body, as a result of which almost all ethanol immediately enters the bloodstream, which leads to rapid intoxication which has the most damaging effect.

When alcohol is taken during the course of medical treatment or the combination of the use of alcohol-containing liquids with drugs or tobacco smoking, the likelihood of amnesia increases several times.

Alcohol from the three types of memory is able to affect only short-term memory, in other words, the individual’s memories seem to “fall out” of a period of time.

Memory loss with alcohol intoxication occurs after a palimpsest. Minor memory lapses are considered a characteristic feature of the described condition, that is, the subject cannot remember some minor details, episodes of what happened during alcohol intoxication.

Memory loss in young people due to alcoholism occurs due to the occurrence of Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. This syndrome observed when the individual's body is subjected to prolonged intoxication in the absence of good nutrition, lack of vitamins B and C of the group.

Treatment for memory loss

The mechanisms of memory are quite complex, so the question becomes: "how to treat memory loss." Indeed, memory recovery is often a problematic issue. Therefore, treatment should include, in the first place, the impact on the causative factor, neuropsychological rehabilitation, the appointment of neuroprotectors, drugs that activate cholinergic processes in the brain, B vitamins and antioxidants.

In addition, methods of hypnosuggestive therapy are practiced in the treatment of amnesia. During a hypnotherapy session, the patient, with the help of a therapist, restores lost events and forgotten facts in memory.

How to treat memory loss in the first place depends on the type of amnesia, its severity, prevalence, events excluded from memory and causative factors. To this end, many psychotherapeutic techniques have been developed. In some cases, color therapy is considered especially effective, in others - creative art therapy. With dissociative amnesia, methods are successfully applied, with retrograde - hypnotechnics.

Memory loss in the elderly how to treat? Memory impairment is considered age norm which is steadily progressing. The age-related decrease in the ability to remember and recreate events is associated with the deposition of cholesterol in the capillaries of the brain and degenerative processes in the brain tissue. Hence, the main task of any treatment is to prevent further deterioration of memory. In the case of senile amnesia, one does not speak of a complete recovery. Slowing down the processes of memory decline is already a success. Therefore, in the first turn, appointed drug treatment:

— vascular preparations(such as: Pentoxifylline);

- nootropics and neuroprotectors (such as: Piracetam, Cerebrolysin);

- drugs that directly affect the memory function (for example, Glycine).

In addition, effective following methods: solving crosswords and solving puzzles, reading books, memorizing poems, counting backwards from one hundred to one, etc.

Amnesia in the elderly, how to treat is determined exclusively by a specialist and after a thorough diagnostic examination, including instrumental research and testing capable of assessing memory function and determining the type of amnesia.

What is memory like? Why is it that some are given a phenomenal ability to memorize huge amounts of information, while others are not able to keep in memory a note they have just read? The ability to retain knowledge largely depends on lifestyle and age.

Memory is mental function, view mental activity person. Thanks to it, he is able to accumulate, store and, if necessary, reproduce information received with the help of the organs of hearing, vision, smell and touch. According to research, most of the information comes through vision. The second place in the memorization of information is given to the organs of hearing.

It is curious that not only information, but also emotions can be stored in a person’s memory.

The famous detective hero Sherlock Holmes described memory as follows: “... the human brain is ... an empty attic, and you must fill it with the selected furniture. They mistakenly think that it has elastic walls. It depends on her how soon the time will come for forgetting what you knew before, with each new incoming information.

Taking into account modern achievements in the field of information technology, our memory can be compared with a personal computer, the users of which are ourselves.

By analogy, information from the input device (these are sight, hearing, touch and smell) enters the hard disk random access memory, from where, if necessary, it is extracted and returned back. The role of the processor is performed by the brain, where thought processes and information processing take place. And files, folders and shortcuts are similar to how information is stored in our memory.

How is memory developing?

A person has a memory from birth, but it can still be called unconscious. Then motor (motor) and affective (emotional) memory appear. At the age of 8-9 months, the intellect is connected, and the mechanical memory is gradually replaced by the logical one. logical memory 3-4 year old kid has quite simple shapes and finally develops by adolescence.

In childhood, a person perceives events vividly and richly, therefore memory in childhood is sharper, and childhood memories are usually the most durable.

In an adult, depending on the duration of memorization of a certain amount of information, memory is sensory, short-term and long-term.

Sensory memory is instantaneous. The sense organs react to it, and such a memory of sensation retains.

With short-term memory, a person can quickly remember a small amount of information, but he also quickly forgets it. For example, a person with such a memory is able to remember someone else's phone number in a few seconds, but after dialing it, they immediately forget it.

People with long-term memory remember new information slowly, but keep it in memory for a long time.

Some people (there are very few of them) have a phenomenal memory. Moreover, the presence of such a memory is not a sign of their high mental capacity. A person with an excellent memory can reproduce a read passage of text word for word without always understanding its meaning.

An American named Kim Peak was born with multiple severe neurological disorders, which prevented him from walking until he was 4 years old. But by the age of 7 he knew the Bible by heart, and at an older age he memorized up to 98% of the text he read, for which he was jokingly called "Kim-Pewter".

What does bad memory mean?

Indicators of memory efficiency are the amount of information stored, the duration of storage, readiness, speed and accuracy of reproduction. Simply put, if a person cannot retain or quickly recall even a small amount of new information, he may complain that he has bad memory.

Why does memory deteriorate?

According to research, a person's memory improves until about 25 years old, and at this time he is able to absorb the greatest amount of new information. Further, in healthy people, memory remains unchanged, and gradually deteriorates with age. This usually happens in the seventh decade.

Thus, one of the causes of memory deterioration is aging. How older man the harder it is for him to learn new skills. What is easy in youth becomes difficult in old age for most people. It is believed that age-related memory decline is a natural phenomenon with aging, which occurs due to some changes in the brain.

Older people usually have reduced short-term memory, which impairs their ability to learn. This deterioration in memory in old age does not reflect on the skills they already have, and it is called the forgetfulness of the elderly. Such forgetfulness is not a sign of a serious illness.

At the same time, progressive memory deterioration is one of the first symptoms of such a serious disease as dementia, or a decrease in cognitive functions. Memory loss is equated with insanity, which in Latin means “dementia”.

Dementia develops slowly - within 10-12 years, a person may not notice signs of this disease. And dementia is not a natural part of aging.

A person suffering from dementia, not only loses the ability to remember new information, he forgets everything that he knew before. First, the events of the nearest past days, months, and then years go out of his memory. One form of dementia is Alzheimer's disease.

What distinguishes people with dementia from forgetful people is that forgetful people cannot remember the details of an event. While people with dementia may completely forget the most recent event.

Dementia with memory loss can also develop in young people due to severe traumatic brain injury, poisoning with toxic substances (for example, carbon monoxide).

To pathological reasons memory disorders include Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis, which are associated with disease of the central nervous system.

Cause a violation of brain activity and, accordingly, memory impairment thyroid diseases, pulmonary tuberculosis, hepatic and kidney failure, hypertension, diabetes.

Some people also have the ability to impair memory. medications(painkillers, antidepressants) - this is their side effect.

long alcohol intoxication, smoking, drugs can also cause memory loss. It is also affected by prolonged depression, frequent stress, sleep disturbance, and a sharp change in lifestyle.

However, in last years young people who do not have any serious diseases are increasingly complaining of poor memory. More and more such complaints can be heard from both schoolchildren and students who have to spend more time memorizing new material than expected. Often, complaints of poor memory are accompanied by other symptoms - fast fatiguability, insomnia, headaches, apathy, irritability, lack of appetite, etc. In this case, the cause may be a general overwork of the body.

Memory also deteriorates sharply with information overload, which is often experienced by modern children. Especially if they are in poorly ventilated rooms, there are few on fresh air and lead sedentary image life. In this case, their brain will experience a lack of oxygen.

A third of the human brain is made up of fatty acids. Their sources are fish fat, seafood, vegetable oils, nuts. The brain also loves carbohydrates contained in cereals, vegetables, sweet fruits - these are the so-called "slow" carbohydrates. They, in contrast to the "fast" (sugar, flour products) are absorbed not immediately, but throughout the day. "Fast" carbohydrates increase mental activity instantly, but it is just as quickly replaced by fatigue and memory impairment.

Thus, a chronic shortage in the diet of foods containing amino acids, as well as vitamins, especially group B, often causes memory impairment.

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

Memory, first of all, is a mental process, which includes the recording of information, its storage and, if necessary, retrieval in the future.

And forgetting is a process that unloads 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 do not like.

We remember visually (visually), verbally (hearing), with the help of smell, touch, and so on, that is, we build associative links. 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 saves information for up to 30 seconds (I dialed a phone number and forgot for a while),
• long-term, such memory stores information at 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.

We will not talk now about persistent memory impairments, such as senile sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease or memory loss after an injury or concussion, due to illness, a brain tumor, persistent lapses in memory of recent events, in such cases it is necessary to urgently contact a psychotherapist or neuropathologist. Let's talk about memory impairments that accidentally fell on a person, when you painfully recall 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 has always helped us well at school, college, at the most crucial moments, suddenly began to fail, why is this happening and how can it be prevented?

Causes of memory impairment

There are many reasons for memory impairment, and by 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 limits of the experienced situation. A person's memory weakens in proportion to his anxiety, this is even more true for people of retirement age. If you want to keep the memory, keep calm in everything. Nervous even about your forgetfulness, you only complicate the situation. However, Australian scientists, after conducting a series of studies, concluded that in an irritated, angry mood, a person better remembers details that he would not even pay attention to in a good mood. And bad weather, oddly enough, enhances memory, while a carefree and cheerful mood on a sunny day worsens memorization.
• Alcohol, antidepressants, sedatives slow down thought processes, reducing the perception of information.
• Smoking weakens the function of short-term memory, affects verbal and visual memory.
• Deficiency in the body of folic and nicotinic amino acids, vitamins, especially group B.
• Memory impairment can be metabolic disorders, chronic diseases.
• Memory deficiency can be linked to sleep deprivation and chronic fatigue.
• Haste - main enemy in the fight against distraction and forgetfulness. Do not rush to do things quickly, fussing and stumbling. In this case, automatism is turned on, emotional and visual memory is turned off.

How to improve your memory?

• Review your daily diet. Protein food(meat, eggs, milk) contains essential amino acids, including tryptophan and tyrosine, which improve attention and memory. Eat 2-4 bananas a day, and also eat those containing calcium and potassium, raisins, dried apricots, baked apples and potatoes, cheese, walnuts, pistachios, cottage cheese, vegetable salads with vegetable oil. These products, or rather the substances they contain, will renew cell membranes your neurons.
• Do not use aluminum utensils for cooking, store food in ceramic, glass or simply enameled utensils, as it has been proven that when combined with food components, aluminum creates compounds that can cause intoxication, causing memory impairment, and even leading to personality degradation. You should not often bake foods in foil or store them in it.
• Horseradish can serve as a folk remedy for restoring memory, add it to the first, second, cold meat dishes, snacks.
• Phytotherapists advise eating 2-3 fresh pine buds before meals, they protect memory from premature aging prolong life, sharpen memory. inflorescences meadow clover improve thought processes, as well as metabolism, brew them like a tea leaf and drink instead of tea. Herbal memory stimulants that activate memory processes can be called preparations containing Rhodiola rosea, zamanihu grass, lemongrass, eleutherococcus, Manchurian aralia, ginseng root, leuzea.
• Psychologists advise improving memory with associative or emotional memory, linking the object of memory with something else that can remind you.
• Eliminate automatism from your actions, which most often leads to forgetfulness, by locking the door of a car, apartment, turning off the iron. Do it consciously, fixing your attention on the action, it will soon become a habit, and you will stop forgetting such trifles.
• Correction of attention can be your ability to focus on a specific moment of action, in which you must solve a certain problem, that is, highlight the main thing without being sprayed on everything else.
• Don't put off anything, do it right away, and you will get rid of many of the 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, invest a share of irony and jokes in each of your actions, and emotional memory will help you keep 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 with new vivid impressions more, train it logical tasks and puzzles, read more interesting information, books.
• Remember that an active lifestyle physical exercise, good food, good sleep, weekends in nature, the right attitude to stress, attention to your health - all this is a guarantee of good health and excellent memory.

The concept of normal memory does not exist. The norm here can be understood as a set of information, which in normal conditions a particular person is able to keep in mind. There is no upper limit of memory, although there are people with super memory, which is able to capture the smallest nuances of all events and things, but this is quite rare.

Memory is the ability to receive, store and reproduce information that a particular person receives throughout life. At the same time, it is necessary to understand that both a physiological and a cultural basis are invested in the concept of memory.

Human memory can be divided into long-term or short-term. The ratio of these types of memory is individual for all people, with predominant long-term memory, it is difficult for a person to learn, but the learned information remains with him forever, and in the short-term version, the opposite is true - learned on the fly after playback is instantly forgotten.

All this does not raise any questions throughout life, if at some certain point the memory does not begin to deteriorate. Forgetfulness also happens various kinds, each of which has a different effect on the memorization of different information.

Causes of deterioration

There are many reasons for memory impairment, but they are all divided into age-related changes, those causes that are associated with brain damage, such that arise due to various diseases of other organs, the consequences of intoxication processes and those that arise due to external negative factors.

The reasons associated with direct damage to the brain itself as a human organ include craniocerebral trauma, acute circulatory disorders or stroke, and various oncological problems in this organ. To external factors that adversely affect the state of memory include insufficient sleep, various stresses, changes in living conditions, increased brain load. Chronic intoxication processes that cause forgetfulness should be understood as conditions that are provoked in the human body by alcoholism, smoking, drug addiction, abuse of tranquilizers and other pharmacological drugs.

Human memory is directly dependent on various modalities. Modality can be visual, auditory, motor. Modalities can also be combined in different proportions with each other. This determines how it is easier for a particular person to remember information. Someone prefers to learn something by saying information aloud, it is easier for someone to remember what they read, someone must definitely see a page with text or graphics that contains the material. Various departments human brain are responsible for various functions associated with memorization. The departments in the temples are responsible for the auditory perception of speech or sounds, the occipital-parietal zone is responsible for spatial and visual perception. In the left hemisphere, visual perception is accentuated on the letter and object, and in the right - on the optical-spatial, color and facial. The lower parietal zone is responsible for the functionality of the hands and the speech apparatus, which, if it is damaged, leads to astereognosia, that is, the inability to determine an object by touch. Thus, we can conclude that it is precisely the type of memory that is characteristic of a certain affected area of ​​the human brain that is violated.

Modern research has a lot of evidence in relation to the theory that hormonal background largely affects the thought process and memorization. Hormones such as testosterone, vasopressin, estrogen, prolactin can positively influence these processes. Hormones contribute to the transformation of short-term memory into long-term, but not all. For example, oxytocin, on the contrary, significantly weakens the process of remembering information, causing forgetfulness in women when breastfeeding and after childbirth.

Pathologies that impair memory

The most common diseases that significantly weaken the process of memorization are traumatic brain injuries. More dangerous are deep and extensive injuries, since their severity is directly proportional to the process of memorization. With traumatic brain injuries in humans, retrograde and anterograde amnesia are common phenomena, characterized by forgetting not only the events in which the injury occurred, but also those that preceded or followed it. Also, traumatic brain injuries are characterized by the occurrence of hallucinations and confabulations. Hallucinations are understood as false events and images that could not exist in real life (naturally, they did not exist). Confabulations are false memories that the memory of a sick person throws up. So, if confabulations occur, the patient can answer the question about actions in the past day that he attended the theater, but in fact he was in the hospital ward, because he was injured.

Memory impairment very often occurs due to impaired blood circulation in the patient's brain. With atherosclerotic vascular changes in the brain, the flow of blood to various brain regions decreases, which provokes a weakening of memory. AT modern world atherosclerosis has ceased to be a disease of the elderly and is increasingly being diagnosed in a fairly young population. Atherosclerosis also provokes the development of acute circulatory disorders in the brain. This disease, known as a stroke, can affect various brain areas, blocking the blood flow to them partially or completely. The functionality of such zones is grossly violated, everything suffers, including memory.

Diabetes mellitus has similar effects on the processes of remembering information. Angiopathy can be a complication of diabetes mellitus - a disease that manifests itself in thickening of the vascular walls to the point where small vessels completely stop functioning due to overlap, and large vessels narrow significantly, slowing down blood flow. Blood circulation in this case is disturbed in every organ and system human body including the brain. And any violation of blood circulation in the brain leads to impaired memory function.

If the memory function is impaired, it can be concluded that diseases may occur in thyroid gland, which are characterized by an insufficient amount of hormones produced by it - hypothyroidism. Thyroid hormones contain up to 65% iodine. With this disease, along with memory impairment, weight gain occurs, depression, swelling, apathy, irritability occur, muscle tone becomes very weak. It is necessary to prevent iodine deficiency with an appropriate diet containing necessarily iodized salt, dairy products, sea fish, sea kale, nuts, persimmons, hard cheeses.

The inflammatory process in the meninges (meningitis) and in the substance of the brain (encephalitis) significantly affects the functioning of the entire brain as a whole. The most common causes of encephalitis and meningitis are neurotropic viruses and bacteria. Therapy of these diseases is very successful if they are detected in a timely manner, however, memory impairment may remain in a person as a consequence of the disease.

Worst of all therapeutic methods degenerative diseases brain, such as Alzheimer's disease. With this pathology, memory gradually but surely decreases, leading, as a result, to a decrease in the patient's intellectual abilities. The worst situation is when a person ceases to navigate in space, is not able to engage in self-service. Alzheimer's disease is characteristic of older people after 70-80 years. It proceeds slowly, gradually, and on early stages completely unnoticeable. Signs of pathology are reduced attention and memory failures. The patient begins to forget the last events that happened to him, and if you persistently ask about them, he will begin to replace them with memories from the past. All this leaves an imprint on the character of the patient, leading to increased selfishness, the emergence of increased demands, capriciousness, apathy.

If such diseases are not treated in a timely manner, a person ceases to navigate in time and space, he does not know the current date, the place where he is, does not understand what to do when natural needs arise. Modern medicine considers Alzheimer's disease to be hereditary, if left untreated, it progresses sharply at some point, but if it is treated, its course slows down and is quite easy.

However, memory impairment is far from always associated with brain damage, very often a person himself tries to forget troubles and fears, using psychological defense mechanisms, of which there are a lot. With the frequent use of these mechanisms from the outside, it may seem that a person suffers from memory disorders, but this is not so. Such “forgotten” emotions and states have a bad effect on the nervous system, leading to aggressiveness, neurosis, and so on.

Treatment of memory impairment

Memory impairment can be treated only after the cause of this process has been established. Medicines should be prescribed exclusively by doctors, as a rule, these are some nootropics, such as:

• Glycine;
• Piracetam;
• Bilobil;
• Pantogam;
• Aminalon.

Course treatment with these drugs is quite long, it is always fixed by taking multivitamin complexes. Sometimes doctors prescribe physiotherapy to patients. With a decrease in memory, the electrophoresis procedure with intranasal administration works effectively glutamic acid(drugs based on it). Pedagogical and psychological corrective methods also effectively influence the recovery of memory in case of its decrease - teachers teach patients to memorize, training unaffected brain functionality. If it is impossible for the patient to remember the words spoken aloud, he is taught to present a visual image of what was said, and then memorization becomes real. The complexity and duration of the learning process lies in the fact that it is important not only to teach a person to resort to intact connections and parallels of the brain, but also to bring this process to automatism.

Memory impairment reduces a person's social skills, may indicate the development of other pathologies, being a poor prognostic symptom. Neurologists, neuropsychologists, therapists are engaged in the treatment of pathologies associated with memory impairment. However, it is important to understand that very often in cases where patients complain of memory impairment, they actually suffer from impaired attention. This state of affairs is typical for schoolchildren and the elderly. This happens due to the underestimation of everyday information that comes to a person. Coping with absent-mindedness and attention deficits is difficult because people rarely realize that this is the problem, even if they are directly told about it. The way out of this situation is permanent job above own perception information - training attention and memory by fixing information on paper, writing it down electronic devices And so on.

You can train the functioning of the brain according to the American method of Professor Lawrence Katz, which contributes to the activation of brain activity, the creation of associative new connections, involving various brain regions. The exercises of this technique include several practices. The specialist says that it is necessary to try to perform the usual work with eyes closed. Right-handed people are encouraged to start performing a number of daily tasks (brushing their teeth, combing their hair, using a watch) with their left hand, left-handers - vice versa. It is important to master at least the basics of sign language and Braille (writing and reading for people with vision pathologies), to learn how to work on a computer keyboard using all 10 fingers on your hands. It is recommended to study from scratch any applied type of needlework in order to develop finger motor skills. By touch, you need to train to distinguish between coins of different denominations. It is important to constantly learn something new and try to apply it to your own life - learn new languages, read articles on topics you do not understand, meet different people, travel, discover new places. All these simple exercises perfectly train brain activity, and hence memory, therefore, they will ensure normal self-awareness on for a long time.

Preventive measures

Prevention of memory disorders can also be quite effective. You should not wait until forgetfulness begins to bother you and you have to look for the causes of its occurrence among various diseases. It is better to lead a certain way of life from a young age, so that even in old age you remain in a “solid memory”. All the recommendations below will help keep not only memory, but also overall health in excellent condition, for which the body will thank its owner more than once in a lifetime.

Proper and nutritious nutrition is the key not only to longevity, well-being, but also to excellent memory. Most unwanted products in this context can be considered fatty, sweet and salty. The consumption of cinnamon, ginger, ginkgo biloba tincture and vitamin E has a positive effect on the psyche and brain function in general.

Regular exercise has a great effect not only on the figure. Wherein gym, heavy lifting and exhausting workouts do not at all contribute to maintaining the functionality of the brain. For his active long-term work, and therefore for memory, leisurely walks in the fresh air are recommended, which increase the speed of blood circulation and its flow to the brain, as well as daily morning exercises that start the metabolic processes in the body.

Refusal of bad habits - alcohol and cigarettes - entails the strengthening of the protective functions of the body, prevents the possibility toxic poisoning, so it ends up saving memory. Also, for memorization training, it is important to constantly try to learn something, play logic games - checkers or chess, learn languages.

Regardless of the reasons why the memory began to suffer and deteriorate, it is important to definitely seek medical care at the first symptoms of such a process. Sometimes forgetfulness is situational and does not carry the threat of amnesia, sometimes sessions with a psychologist are necessary, sometimes - drug therapy. Annually diagnostic methods becomes more and more, the main thing at the same time is not to waste time and engage in your own memory from the earliest years.