Many situations in everyday life can make us wonder if we are dealing with forgetfulness and memory problems Is this normal or a sign of cognitive decline or even the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease? In this report, we learn the difference between normal forgetting and forgetting due to cognitive decline andAlzheimers And when you should seek medical care, according to the “Science” website.
Brain cells shrink as we get older, maintain fewer connections with other neurons, and store fewer chemicals needed to send messages to other neurons, but in many cases, not all memory lapses are caused by age-related changes in our neurons. . are less important, including fatigue, anxiety, or distractibility.
Some forgetfulness is normal
Our memory system is built in such a way that forgetting to some extent is normal, this is not a flaw, but a plus.
Not only is storing memories a drain on our metabolism, but too much unnecessary information can slow down or hinder the retrieval of some memories.
But it’s not always up to us to decide what is important and what to remember, our brain does it for us, in general our brain prefers social information (the latest gossip), but easily ignores abstract information (like numbers).
Memory loss becomes a problem as it starts affecting your normal daily life. However, forgetting why you are behind the wheel, where you should go or even how to drive, is not normal. These are signs that something may be wrong and should be investigated more.
Some forgetfulness is indicative of mild cognitive impairment
The path between aging-associated amnesia and more concerning amnesia is formulated as mild cognitive impairment. The degree of impairment may remain stable, improve, or worsen.
However, it indicates an increased risk (about three to five times) of developing neurodegenerative diseases in the future such as dementia.
Approximately 10-15% of people with mild cognitive impairment develop dementia each year.
For people with mild cognitive impairment, the ability to perform usual activities is gradually and more severely impaired over time and, along with memory loss, may be accompanied by other problems with language, thinking, and decision-making.
A diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment can be a double-edged sword: It confirms older adults’ fears that their memory loss is abnormal. It also raises fears of it developing into dementia, but could also lead to exploration of potential treatments and planning for the future.
Forgetting the way home can be an early sign of Alzheimer’s
Forgetting your way home is thought to be an early sign of Alzheimer’s disease, the most common type of dementia.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have shown that regions that critically support memories of our spatial environment are the first to be affected by this degenerative disease.
Thus, a marked increase in lost cases could be a warning sign of more visible and widespread difficulties in the future.
The researchers developed a five-minute test that used scene memory as a proxy for orientation ability, asking participants to recall pictures of houses and then testing their ability to distinguish between the pictures they had learned and a series of new pictures of houses.
The scientists found that the test works well at predicting normal differences in the ability to find their way in healthy young adults, but the researchers are currently still evaluating the test’s effectiveness in older adults.
Get help when your memory lapses are frequent
While daily memory lapses aren’t something we should worry about unnecessarily, it’s wise to seek the advice of a healthcare professional, such as your GP, when these problems become more apparent and persistent.
While there is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, early detection will allow for advance planning and more targeted management of the disorder.
