STRATEGIES FOR MEMORY

1. Are interested in what you learn. We are all better remember what interests us. Few people, for example, have difficulty remembering the names of people they find attractive. If you are not intrinsically interested in what you are learning or trying to remember, you must find a way of becoming homeless. I must admit that I was not so good in this school of medicine. The Krebs cycle (the link only to prove how boring it is) did not excite me or relate to what I find exciting, even from afar (although I'm aware anyway ).

2. Find a way to maximize your visual memory. You'll be amazed at how much more it will help you remember. For example, imagine that you are at a party and the introduction of five people in quick succession. How quickly can you remember their names? Choose a single definition of visual characteristics of each person and connect it to a visual representation of their name, preferably by means of any action. For example, you remember that Mike has big ears by creating a mental picture of a microphone (a "micro"), the compensation of those big ears of wax (gross, I know --- -- - sorry, but all the more effective because of it).

It requires mental effort to do so, but if you practice, you may be surprised how quickly you can find creative ways to create these images. Another example: How many times have you forgotten where you left your keys, your sunglasses or your wallet? The next time you put something somewhere, pause a moment to notice where you have placed in your mind and then blow it up. If you see an explosion of sufficient detail, you will not forget where you put it. Remember: the memory is primarily visual (unfortunately I can not think of a good image to help you remember this fact right at this moment).

3. Create a mental memory tree. If you try to memorize many facts, to find a way to bring in your mind a visual memory of the tree. Construction of large branches, then leaves. Branches and leaves must bear labels that are meaningful to you personally, in a sense, the organization and facts ( "sheets") should be consistent. It has been well recognized since the 1950s, we remember "bits" of information better if they track. For example, it is easier to remember than 467,890 "467" and "890" that the six individual figures.

4. Associate what you are trying to find out what you already know. It seems that the more mental that we have connections to a piece of information, the more we will be in remembrance of him. Therefore using mnemonics actually improves recall.

5. Write articles to memorize over and over and over. Among other things, this is how I learned the names of the bacteria that cause infections, antibiotics and processed. Drafting of the facts in the lists recall improves if you make lists actively learn rather than passively. In other words, we should not just copy the list of things you try to learn, but actively remind each item you want to learn, then write it down again and again and again. By doing this, you are, in effect, teaching you what you are trying to learn (as all teachers know the best way to ensure that you know something is to have to teach ). This method has the advantage that immediately show you exactly which facts are not in your long-term memory so you can focus more attention on learning rather than wasting time to reinforce the facts you already know.

6. When playing for the maintenance, summarize each paragraph in the margin. This requires you to think about what you are reading, recycling, and to teach you again. Even take the concepts you learn and reason with them before, to apply to new situations, creating more than strengthen the neural connections of the memory.
7. Does most of your studies in the afternoon. Although you May you identify as "morning person" or "evening person" at least one study suggests your ability to remember is not influenced as much by what time of day you receive up to be the most sensitive, but at the time of day you --- afternoon study pretends to be the best.

8. Get adequate sleep to consolidate and preserve memories. Not only at night after you've studied, but the day before the study. Far better to do than stay up all night cramming for an exam.

WHY MEMORY DYSFUNCTION

One of the most common complaints I hear in clinical practice relates to concern over the loss of memory. Unfortunately, as a normal part of aging process, many people begin to find they can not bring to mind the names, places and things as easily as they used to be able to and the concern at an early stage of dementia. "Forgot benign" is the name we give to a process that occurs with normal aging in a memory that remains intact, but our ability to recover, it is temporarily compromised. Usually we try to describe the name or something that we can not recall the names and when someone to remind us of the word immediately that we wanted.

Until this is age-appropriate and does not interfere significantly with normal functioning, there is no increased risk of progression to dementia. However, the trick lies in assessing what is and is not "age-appropriate." Formal testing is sometimes necessary in ambiguous cases. Reassuring, in a study, patients over 50 years who initially presented with what was regarded as benign forgetfulness had only a 9% chance to progress towards dementia. Unfortunately, other than cognitive memory loss are correlated with a higher risk of progression of dementia.

Another reason why people often have trouble remembering things is because memory is a function of concentration. This means that when you multi-task, we tend to forget easily. Have you ever entered a room and forget why you made? More likely to remind you if you were not at the same time to plan your meals for the night and try to remember the phone number of the person who just left you a message. This also explains why people who suffer from depression or anxiety have more difficulty remembering things: conditions hinder the ability to concentrate. The strength of the memory is also determined by the emotional state that accompanied the event. Emotion, positive or negative, tends to include events in our memory as a chisel carves lines into the stone. A double-edged sword for people suffering from PTSD.

REDUCING THE RISK OF DEMENTIA

Here are three things you can do this has been shown in studies to reduce the risk of mental decline with age:

1. Exercise your body. Every reason to believe not only delays the normal age-related memory deterioration, but reduces the risk of developing dementia. He did not even vigorous exercise. At 150 minutes of walking per week has been shown to benefit. Whether more intense in the results for greater risk reduction remains unknown.

2. Exercise your mind. Proof that doing things that work in May of mind delay or prevent memory loss. This research is just beginning, so here as a guide to understanding that all work activities: if an activity requires you to take breaks, it probably qualifies. We can watch television, for example, during hours without being tired mentally, but the mathematical problem solving, learning to knit, or even the reading of all the efforts that require the tires of the mind.

3. Take ibuprofen. Although one study suggests a daily dose of ibuprofen reduced the risk of developing dementia, reducing the risk seems too low to justify the increased risk of bleeding in the stomach that accompanies the daily use of ibuprofen and I do not recommend it. However, if you're already on ibuprofen for another condition, such as arthritis, here could be an advantage.

If the mind is indeed like a muscle (and research is the validation of this model more and more), then the memory in May as well be muscle tone: the mind is used, the more robust May become a memory. As I passed my medical school days to reach early (very early) middle age, I found myself in need of much more benign memory I love. Accordingly, I am comforted that the old adage that "take it or leave it" appears increasingly to address not only the body but in mind.