{"id":55826,"date":"2018-03-05T10:24:00","date_gmt":"2018-03-05T15:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/busm\/?p=55826"},"modified":"2018-03-05T10:24:00","modified_gmt":"2018-03-05T15:24:00","slug":"cant-find-your-keys-dont-panic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/camed\/2018\/03\/05\/cant-find-your-keys-dont-panic\/","title":{"rendered":"Can\u2019t Find Your Keys? Don\u2019t Panic"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Andrew
Andrew Budson, a BUSM neurologist who specializes in treating patients with memory disorders, has written a book that can help with distinguishing between serious memory warning signs and normal lapses. Photo by Cydney Scott<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It took you half an hour to find your keys this morning. You forgot the name of a longtime colleague at a meeting yesterday. You got lost driving to a friend\u2019s house last week\u2014it\u2019s true that you were more focused on NPR than the road, but you\u2019ve made that drive countless times and you should be able to do it on autopilot.<\/p>\n

Relax. All of these memory lapses are related to normal aging, says Andrew Budson<\/a>, a professor of neurology, who specializes in memory disorders. They can happen to anyone.<\/p>\n

Because we live in an age of multitasking and distracted attention, says Budson, we need to pay careful attention to form and retrieve memories. In his latest book, Seven Steps to Managing Your Memory\u2014What\u2019s Normal, What\u2019s Not, and What to Do about It<\/em> (Oxford University Press, 2017), coauthored with Maureen K. O\u2019Connor<\/a>, an assistant professor of neurology, Budson writes that not paying sufficient attention is the main reason that healthy people get lost while driving to a familiar place or have trouble remembering names or where they put their keys.<\/p>\n

Budson, director of the Alzheimer\u2019s Disease Center<\/a> Education Core and associate chief of staff for education at the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System<\/a>, wants to help people worry less about their memories\u2014and understand more about what\u2019s happening inside their brains and what they can do about it. His book is intended to help lay readers recognize signs of memory problems that are more than just part of normal aging. He describes the markers of mild cognitive impairment, dementia, Alzheimer\u2019s, and other neurodegenerative diseases and emphasizes the importance of getting tested as early as possible if these markers are present.<\/p>\n

\"COM-hudsonThe book also gives advice on how to discuss memory problems with your doctor. Budson explains how a doctor can evaluate memory and discusses what therapies are available to improve memory\u2014and what things don\u2019t work. With the currently available FDA-approved symptomatic medications\u2014such as donepezil, available as a generic and as the brand Aricept\u2014he says he can \u201cturn back the clock\u201d by 6 to 12 months to improve memory in patients with Alzheimer\u2019s.<\/p>\n

What doesn\u2019t help, he says, are brain training games, crossword puzzles, and Sudoku; there isn\u2019t enough evidence to show their effectiveness. Do them if you enjoy them, he says, not because you think they\u2019re going to improve your memory.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m trying to help people with the fear of Alzheimer\u2019s disease,\u201d Budson says. \u201cThe first thing people should know is that some memory problems are due to normal aging. The second thing is that many memory problems are due to things that are easily treatable and correctable, such as vitamin deficiencies and thyroid disorders, medication side effects, or even an infection.\u201d<\/p>\n

BU Today talked with Budson about his book, the \u201cmagic bullet\u201d he recommends for brain health, strategies that can improve memory, and why it\u2019s important to have a positive attitude about aging.<\/p>\n

BU Today: What is the difference between normal aging-related memory problems and abnormal problems?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Budson: In normal aging, we expect that information may need to be repeated a couple of times for it to become stored. We expect that one may need a hint or a cue to retrieve information. We expect it may take longer to retrieve the information than when the individual was younger. The key thing is that if the information got stored as a memory, you should be able to retrieve it with a little bit of time or a cue.<\/p>\n

In abnormal memory, in a memory lapse that could be due to Alzheimer\u2019s disease, the key finding is that there is a rapid rate of rapid forgetting. Information that was initially stored can\u2019t be retrieved, even if you give a hint or a clue.<\/p>\n

I want to stress that just because the memory is abnormal doesn\u2019t mean it has to be due to Alzheimer\u2019s disease. One reason we want people to come and see us in the clinic is that memory problems can be due to something simple that can be easily treated.<\/p>\n

What are some questions you get asked most frequently about memory?<\/strong><\/p>\n

People want to know if there is a magic bullet. I tell them there is a magic bullet. It\u2019s called aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise\u2014any activity that gets you breathing harder and gets your heart beating faster\u2014releases brain growth factors that actually allow one to grow new brain cells.<\/p>\n

Brisk walking is a good aerobic exercise. We recommend a minimum of 30 minutes of aerobic exercise a day at least five days a week. The data show that some aerobic exercise is good and more is better. If somebody is doing 30 minutes five times a week, well, that\u2019s great\u2014why don\u2019t you do 30 minutes seven days a week? Why don\u2019t you do an hour seven days a week?<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, I don\u2019t think we can prevent memory problems, but I do think that the evidence is we can delay them with aerobic exercise and some other activities. The other things that are very important include staying socially active and keeping a positive mental attitude. When one has a positive attitude about aging and life in general, one tends to take better care of oneself.<\/p>\n

Why do you recommend the Mediterranean diet\u2014heavy on fruits and vegetables, fish, olive oil, avocado, nuts, beans, and whole grains and with red wine in moderation?<\/p>\n

We\u2019re not sure how it works, but it\u2019s the only dietary change that has been shown to help people\u2019s memory compared to a controlled diet. One way it helps the brain is by reducing risk factors for stroke, such as high cholesterol and diabetes. As we write in the book, not all studies support the idea that the Mediterranean diet is good for cognition and reduced risk of memory loss, but many studies do, and none of the studies reported any side effects that would caution against adopting such a diet.<\/p>\n

What about sleep?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sleep can be tied up with memory problems. The first reason is obvious: if you\u2019re tired, it\u2019s hard to pay attention and if you can\u2019t pay attention, you\u2019re not going to remember things well. The second reason is that we now know that memories go from short-term storage to long-term storage when we sleep. If we don\u2019t get enough sleep, we\u2019re not going to be able to hold on to our memories for a lifetime.<\/p>\n

What are some of your strategies for remembering names\u2014and other things?<\/p>\n

Difficulty remembering names is something that everyone struggles with, whether they have normal memories or early Alzheimer\u2019s. It really works to say the person\u2019s name back when you meet someone. They say, \u201cOh, hi, my name is Sara,\u201d so you say, \u201cOh, hi, Sara, it\u2019s nice to meet you.\u201d Then you can think of an association you have with that name: \u201cOh, Sara, I can remember that because it\u2019s Abraham\u2019s wife in the Bible and my Hebrew name is Abraham.\u201d It\u2019s really amazing how well these types of strategies work.<\/p>\n

What <\/strong>other strategies for remembering things have you been testing in your lab?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some of the research we are working on now shows that if someone works at being more mindful and really paying attention to the information they\u2019re trying to remember, they\u2019re going to remember it better.<\/p>\n

Another finding is that if there is a piece of information you want to remember, think about that information in a way that it personally relates to you. This can also be applied to people\u2019s names.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve also shown that healthy older adults and patients with mild cognitive impairment can improve their memory by using mental imagery. For example, if someone\u2019s name is Rose, you can remember their name by imagining a rose on top of their head.<\/p>\n

You write that you\u2019re optimistic about future treatments that may slow down the progress of Alzheimer\u2019s and that it\u2019s important for people to not be so afraid of it that they avoid treatment.<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is a lot we can do for individuals who have Alzheimer\u2019s disease today. Sometimes the knowledge that somebody understands what\u2019s going on can be extremely empowering and helpful to families in terms of coping with everyday life. There\u2019s no doubt that people can live in their homes longer if they figure out what\u2019s causing their memory loss early and have it treated with medication and if they exercise, eat right, use strategies for remembering, and get help from friends and family.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s never good to have any disease, but if you have Alzheimer\u2019s disease there is no better time to have it. In addition to the standard FDA-approved treatments, there are more drugs in clinical trials than ever before\u2014more than 100 different compounds. Most of the compounds being developed are aimed at slowing down the progression of the disease.<\/p>\n

At any one time, there are five to a dozen clinical trials going on that the majority of individuals diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment or mild Alzheimer\u2019s dementia can get into. That\u2019s another reason to come into the clinic early.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t want people to be sitting at home, becoming isolated, worrying about their memory, not wanting to be with friends and family because they\u2019re worried people will notice their memory problems and then they would feel embarrassed. Just like you wouldn\u2019t hide from someone that you have another disease\u2014high blood pressure, say, or diabetes\u2014it\u2019s important not to hide from family and good friends that you are suffering from a memory disorder, even if that disorder is Alzheimer\u2019s disease. If someone is going to shy away from you because you have Alzheimer\u2019s disease, maybe they\u2019re not such a good friend.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This BU Today<\/em> story was written by Sara Rimer<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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