Memory Loss

Some memory loss is normal and natural. But some people, when they notice a slight memory lapse, fear they have Alzheimer's disease."The chance of developing this disease is small," says psychologist Thomas Crook, president of Memory Assessment Clinics Inc. He calls Alzheimer's "exaggerated aging. There is a quantitative difference."According to psychiatrist Trey Sunderland, chief, geriatric psychiatry at National Institute of Mental Health, people most at risk for this severe dementia are those with several family members who got the disease in their 70s or those with one close relative who got an aggressive form in his or her 50s.Symptoms of this disease can include an abrupt decline in memory, accompanied by the inability to express oneself verbally, by verbal repetition and by noticeable personality changes -- tearfulness, sadness, physical fighting with caretakers, wandering or delusions.

Well, I got off to a late start this week, thanks to the American League game between the Detroit Tigers and the Texas Rangers, which stretched well into four hours and 11 innings, pushing the start of “Terra Nova” back by 50 minutes. (By the way, the final score was 7-3. The game ended with a walk-off grand slam from Nelson Cruz, which pulled the Rangers ahead in the series 2-0.) This episode of “Terra Nova” starts with two problems: the compound has lost touch with an outpost, and Jim has a cold.

LOS ANGELES -- A highly touted but still controversial drug called tacrine can partially reverse memory loss and reduce dementia in some patients with early stages of Alzheimer's disease, a new study has found.The study results reported yesterday in the Journal of the American Medical Association are the strongest yet to suggest that drugs can ease the ill effects of Alzheimer's, which afflicts at least 2.5 million Americans and perhaps as many as 4 million, most over the age of 65.More than half of patients who received the highest doses of tacrine in a trial at 23 medical centers showed improvement in their short-term memory, use of language and ability to carry out simple tasks, according to the study.

I constantly forget where I put my keys and my glasses. And I bet you do, too. I can't remember what groceries I need unless I write them down, and I tend to forget by the time I find a pen and a piece of paper. I can't remember where I was going when I decided to get up out of my chair. I can't remember whether I sent that email or only thought about sending that email. I can't remember my passwords, so I write them down. Thank heaven for speed-dial because I can't remember telephone numbers anymore.

CHICAGO -- Eating fish once a week slows the memory loss associated with aging by 10 percent a year, according to a Rush University Medical Center study of 6,158 elderly Chicago residents. For people who eat more than one fish meal a week, the slowdown in memory loss amounted to 13 percent a year, Rush epidemiologist Martha Clare Morris reported yesterday in the online version of the medical journal Archives of Neurology. Analyses of diet, lifestyle and cognitive function found that after six years, those who consumed fish weekly were three to four years younger mentally than those who seldom ate fish, she said.

Don't forget: There are many ways to fight against memory loss Q. My husband's memory has been getting hazy, and I am concerned. He was tested by a neurologist who found that his vitamin B12 level was low. Shots were recommended, but that was difficult for us, and our internist suggested Nascobal nose drops as an alternative. We've had some trouble with this product. To my way of thinking, the dropper is hard to use. Is there any other way for him to get this vitamin? A. Vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to neurological symptoms such as moodiness, difficulty concentrating, memory loss, unsteadiness, numbness and tingling in hands and feet.

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, have discovered what they believe to be the mechanism of memory loss in Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases. The finding potentially opens the door to the development of new drugs that can halt memory deterioration in such disorders.The discovery, reported today in the journal Science, may also lead to a new understanding of the growth and death of cells during the development of the brain early in life.Dr. Dale E. Bredesen, a UCLA gerontologist, and his colleagues have found that a protein on the surface of key memory cells kills the cells unless a brain hormone called nerve growth factor, or NGF, is bound to, or locked onto, that protein.

I constantly forget where I put my keys and my glasses. And I bet you do, too. I can't remember what groceries I need unless I write them down, and I tend to forget by the time I find a pen and a piece of paper. I can't remember where I was going when I decided to get up out of my chair. I can't remember whether I sent that email or only thought about sending that email. I can't remember my passwords, so I write them down. Thank heaven for speed-dial because I can't remember telephone numbers anymore.

A distinctive pattern of memory loss was the thread that enabled a medical team to establish for the first time a probable connection between human illnesses and the microorganism that has been killing fish by the thousands.Doctors who investigated reports of ailments among people who worked on the Pocomoke River said yesterday that they had been skeptical of finding a link between the complaints and Pfiesteria piscicida.But after subjecting 13 people to hours of physical and psychological testing, doctors were startled to find that most had trouble remembering simple details of everyday life: errands, groceries, phone numbers, tasks just completed.

That high-stress job may be doing you more harm than you thought.For the first time, researchers have shown direct evidence that prolonged exposure to stress can accelerate the aging of brain cells and lead to impairment of learning and memory.In the studies, stress caused rats to produce abnormally high levels of stress hormones, such as adrenalin, which damaged brain cells, a Kentucky researcher reported yesterday in the Journal of Neuroscience.In older rats, the stress led directly to the death of brain cells, a finding that may shed light on the cause of Alzheimer's disease -- which already has been correlated with high levels of the hormones.

The No. 4 McDonogh boys lacrosse team obviously learned something from an early-season loss to No. 1 Loyola, a game that was surprisingly uncompetitive in the demanding and balanced Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference. The Eagles took that lesson into Tuesday's home game against the Dons on a day to celebrate their seniors, and they did just that. Quicker to the ball, smarter with it and continually making the extra pass on attack, the Eagles came away with a stunning 13-8 win over Loyola to avenge the sour 9-1 setback to the Dons on April 9. Brady Faby and Kyle Rice each scored four goals and Tyler Frederick added one goal and three assists as the Eagles improved to 13-5 overall and 7-4 in the MIAA.

The No. 4 McDonogh boys lacrosse team obviously learned something from an early-season loss to No. 1 Loyola, a game that was surprisingly uncompetitive in the demanding and balanced Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association AConference. The Eagles took that lesson into Tuesday's home game against the Dons on a day to celebrate their seniors, and they did just that. Quicker to the ball, smarter with it and continually making the extra pass on attack, the Eagles came away with a stunning 13-8 win over Loyola to avenge the sour 9-1 setback to the Dons on April 9. Brady Faby and Kyle Rice each scored four goals and Tyler Frederick added one goal and three assists as the Eagles improved to 13-5 overall and 7-4 in the MIAA.

For a good while, I was one badly bummed out baby boomer - sadly worried that I'd become an old-timer. As a school psychologist with 30 years' experience, this painful realization had nothing to do with the students who constantly rejuvenate me. Instead, health issues rudely forced me off the trails and out of the gym. Plus, my memory started to forsake me. Growing older never fazed me as I turned 30 ... 40 ... even 50. I actually thought moving...

My wife has been taking Lipitor for about three years. Two years ago, she began to have memory problems, and they have gotten steadily worse. She has been to a neurologist, and there does not seem to be an organic cause for her memory loss. I am left wondering if Lipitor could be to blame. How long should she stay off it to see if her memory improves? The issue of memory and statin cholesterol-lowering drugs is extremely controversial. During the past decade we have heard from hundreds of readers who believe drugs such as Lipitor, Crestor and Zocor (simvastatin)

Many of us would recognize that memory loss, difficulty walking and incontinence are among the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, a brain disorder that affects as many as 5 million Americans. But it is estimated that between 2 percent and 5 percent of those diagnosed with Alzheimer's may actually be suffering from hydrocephalus, says Michael A. Williams, neurologist at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore. And in many cases, these patients can be treated and the symptoms diminished. What is hydrocephalus?

Carolyn Forwood, a retired salesclerk and beautician, believes in regular exercise for body and brain. The 68-year-old Parkville resident does crossword puzzles every day. She took up yoga a few months ago, and she works out on the treadmills and stationary bikes in the new fitness room at the Parkville Senior Center three to four times a week. She also volunteers part time as a senior center receptionist and spends as much time as possible with her three daughters and two stepdaughters.

Tired of forgetting where you put your car keys? Or blanking out the name of the movie you saw last week? You can do something about it: Take up ballroom dancing. Learn to play trombone. Or maybe just eat a bowl of blueberries. After decades of accepting the notion that humans have little control over the memory decline that comes with age, researchers now say the process is not predetermined. Like the heart, it turns out, the human brain can be protected from harm. Scientists have discovered that a variety of activities can help forestall the memory decay that worries so many Americans over 40. Diet, exercise and simply using the brain can raise the odds that you'll remember your ATM password when you're 82. "There's a lot more hope about older people's cognitive function than there was five or 10 years ago," said Dr. Molly Wagster, who oversees research on the neuropsychology of aging at the National Institute for Aging.

Among teen-agers, nitrous oxide is a drug of choice for those who fill balloons with the gas and get high by inhaling it at all-night parties or rock concerts.But in a lawsuit being tried in Baltimore County, a 51-year-old Pikesville woman says she became addicted to the gas in a dentist's office and says it caused her memory loss.Ellen S. Franklin said in Baltimore County Circuit Court this week that she inhaled the gas repeatedly for 10 years -- supplied in the office of her former lover, an Owings Mills dentist.

The same generation that gave us granola, the running boom and Viagra is now focusing its fitness concerns on a new region - the brain. As the first of the baby boomers celebrate their 60th birthdays, many are starting to worry about preserving not only their physical health but their mental agility, too. "We're seeing a sort of memory-fitness movement," says Dr. Gary Small, director of the University of California, Los Angeles Center on Aging and...