Memory Loss

Adults who lose their hearing later in life also are more likely to have a hard time concentrating on a book or remembering a simple conversation, Johns Hopkins research has found. The same brain functions that affect hearing also may cause problems with memory and other cognitive function, according to the study, published this month in JAMA Internal Medicine. It is the latest to support a link between hearing loss and decline of memory. The Hopkins researchers said that many people view hearing loss as an inconvenience of old age but that it may also contribute to more serious health problems.

Gardening volunteers The Howard County Conservancy seeks Wednesday morning drop-in gardening volunteers from 9:30 a.m. to noon to help maintain its themed and native plant gardens. All levels of experience welcome. For information, call Tabby Fique at 410-465-8877 or go to hcconservancy.org. Arts camp volunteers The Howard County Arts Council is accepting applications for volunteers for its Visual and Performing Arts Summer Camps. Applications can be downloaded from the "Getting Involved" page of HCAC's website at hocoarts.org.

A drug commonly used by patients with HIV may be damaging nerve cells and causing memory loss, Johns Hopkins researchers have found. Doctors have long thought the brain damage and memory loss longterm survivors of HIV suffer was caused by the disease. Johns Hopkins scientists now believe a large cause is the anti-retroviral drug efavirenz, which attacks and damages brain cells. Efavirenz is one of the drugs patients with HIV use to suppress the disease. The researchers believe a minor change in the drug's structure may be able to block its toxic effects and still allow it to suppress the virus.  Norman J. Haughey, Ph.D., lead researcher and an associate professor of neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine , said in a release that the research is further evidence of the health problems drugs to treat HIV can cause.

Linda Kellar seemed too young for dementia, the slow-forming disease that erodes the memories of people usually much older than the then-54-year-old housewife. But in 2009 that's what doctors found to be the cause of Kellar's severe agitation, memory loss, sleepless nights, babbling and hallucinations. Kellar now spends her days at Keswick Multi-Care Center under constant care because of the disease, which has progressed steadily since the diagnosis. Her husband, Arnold, knows that dementia will eventually take his wife's life.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Adults who lose their hearing later in life also are more likely to have a hard time concentrating on a book or remembering a simple conversation, Johns Hopkins research has found. The same brain functions that affect hearing also may cause problems with memory and other cognitive function, according to the study, published this month in JAMA Internal Medicine. It is the latest to support a link between hearing loss and decline of memory. The Hopkins researchers said that many people view hearing loss as an inconvenience of old age but that it may also contribute to more serious health problems.

A drug commonly used by patients with HIV may be damaging nerve cells and causing memory loss, Johns Hopkins researchers have found. Doctors have long thought the brain damage and memory loss longterm survivors of HIV suffer was caused by the disease. Johns Hopkins scientists now believe a large cause is the anti-retroviral drug efavirenz, which attacks and damages brain cells. Efavirenz is one of the drugs patients with HIV use to suppress the disease. The researchers believe a minor change in the drug's structure may be able to block its toxic effects and still allow it to suppress the virus.  Norman J. Haughey, Ph.D., lead researcher and an associate professor of neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine , said in a release that the research is further evidence of the health problems drugs to treat HIV can cause.

Here it is, June 1, and there are scheduled events galore! We were invited to the Senior Center to talk to the Golden Age Club about Aberdeen, and it was a real pleasure to get back to talk to such a large gathering of folks interested in the community around them. The gift pen with our name and the Aberdeen Golden Age Club inscribed will be very useful, and we thank them so much. The staff also provided us with their June list of events that is filled with exciting happenings.

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.

Everyone forgets a name or a date from time to time. But how do you know when it's something serious? Marina Tompkins, a certified social worker and director of Keswick Multi-Care Center's adult day program, talks about how to tell the difference between normal behavior for an aging population and what could perhaps be the early onset of dementia or Alzheimer's. She says there are actions that people and their families can take: When someone is forgetful, how do you know when to seek help?

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 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.

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.